Pennsylvania’s Jeffrey Gibson has won his second Borgata trophy, taking down E-Tay’s Big, Big 9-Game Mix at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa for $56,170. Gibson defeated Michael Falk heads-up on September 16, 2026, capping a two-day, 48-entry mixed-game event that forms part of Borgata’s ongoing Big, Big Series powered by BetMGM Poker.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Event | E-Tay’s Big, Big 9-Game Mix |
| Buy-In | $2,500 |
| Venue | Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City |
| Series | Big, Big Series (powered by BetMGM Poker) |
| Entries | 48 |
| Guarantee | $150,000 |
| Winner | Jeffrey Gibson (Pennsylvania) |
| Winner’s Prize | $56,170 |
| Runner-Up | Michael Falk (Connecticut) — $34,500 |
| Date Concluded | September 16, 2026 |
| Games Featured | 9 mixed-game formats, including Stud Eight or Better, 2-7 Single Draw, Omaha Hi-Lo, PLO, Triple Draw, Stud Hi-Lo |
| Notable | Gibson’s second career Borgata title, following a $600 B.E.A.S.T. win last summer |
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Jeffrey Gibson | United States | $56,170 |
| 2 | Michael Falk | United States | $34,500 |
| 3 | Ryan Moriarty | United States | $22,500 |
| 4 | Michael Dorff | United States | $15,600 |
| 5 | Philip Dedona | United States | $11,550 |
| 6 | Donovan Bates | United States | $9,680 |
How Day 2 Played Out
Just ten players returned at 12:15 PM on Day 2, and the field shrank to a final table after only one level. Esther Taylor was first out, quickly followed by Wayne Stock and Rolf Andersen, setting the official final table of seven.
On the stone bubble, Aubrey Williams jammed her final six big blinds holding king-ten in a No-Limit Hold’em hand from the small blind. Michael Dorff looked her up from the big blind with ace-four, no help came for Williams, and she became the tournament’s only player to leave without a payout.
Donovan Bates was the first to collect a payout, getting his last chips in with aces in Omaha Hi-Lo against Ryan Moriarty’s two wheel cards and a pair of eights. Aces looked good to hold until the river, where Moriarty made three fours to send Bates out in sixth for $9,680.
Philip Dedona posted a career-high score in fifth place. Down to just a few chips, he moved in holding suited eights in PLO; Jeffrey Gibson woke up with suited aces, made a set, and sent Dedona to the payout cage for $11,550.
Michael Dorff made his stand in triple draw, standing pat on a nine-eight through three draws, only for Moriarty to make an eight-six and take the pot. Dorff’s fourth-place finish was worth $15,600, setting up the tournament’s three biggest starting stacks as the final three.
A 2-7 Single Draw pot cemented Falk as chip leader with two-thirds of the chips in play. He then eliminated Moriarty right before a break in a Stud Hi-Lo hand, making a straight and a low to beat Moriarty’s aces. Moriarty shook both remaining players’ hands and collected $22,500 for third.
Heads-Up: How Gibson Closed It Out
Gibson came into the final day closely trailing both Falk and Moriarty, with all three ending up among the final three players. “When we were four-handed I felt that anyone could win,” Gibson said of the final table, “at any point at any time. For the most part I felt it was pretty even.”
The heads-up match began with Falk holding just over a 3:1 chip lead, built after eliminating Moriarty in third. The lead shifted multiple times from there, with a key swing coming in a 2-7 Single Draw round earlier in the day when Falk’s pat nine beat Gibson’s pat ten. But it was fitting that the tournament ended in Gibson’s favorite game — Stud Eight or Better. “Probably Stud Eight or Better,” Gibson said when asked about his favorite of the nine games. “I think it’s the game that I probably know the best. It’s a good game.”
Gibson rode that format all the way home: two Stud Hi-Lo hands saw him take the chip lead with a big three-twos pot, then extend it to 6:1, before closing out the title with a six-high straight against Falk’s pair of eights and gutshot draw. The draw never came, and Falk was eliminated in second for $34,500.
With listed tournament results dating back 20 years, this marks Gibson’s largest non-NLH score to date. It’s also his second Borgata trophy — his first came last summer in the $600 B.E.A.S.T. mix, a format that also features Stud Eight or Better. “I learned some of these games when I was a little kid,” Gibson said of his path into mixed games. “I started playing mixed games about a year ago… maybe a year and a half ago. They’re fun. A nice little switch up from Hold’em.”
Where This Fits: The Big, Big Series at Borgata
E-Tay’s Big, Big 9-Game Mix is one stop inside Borgata’s Big, Big Series, powered by BetMGM Poker, running September 13–23, 2026 at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the BetMGM Poker Tournament Room. The series carries more than $6 million in guaranteed prize pools across its schedule.
The $2,500 buy-in 9-Game Mix ran across two days (September 15–16) with a $150,000 guarantee, and its 48-entry field comfortably cleared that mark based on the final prize pool paid out. It sits alongside other mixed-game and specialty events on the schedule, including the $1,100 Big, Big Welcome: H.O.R.S.E. ($25,000 GTD) and the $2,200 Big, Big Pot Limit Omaha 8-Max ($200,000 GTD).
What’s Still to Come in the Big, Big Series
With the mixed-game portion wrapped up, the series’ biggest events are still ahead:
| Event | Buy-In | Guarantee | Dates |
| BetMGM Poker Big, Big Championship | $5,300 | $3,000,000 | Sep 19–23 (Days 1A–1C, Day 2, Day 3) |
| BetMGM Poker Big, Big Baller | $10,200 | $500,000 | Sep 17–18 |
| Big, Big BetMGM Series Saver Survivor | $5,100 | 1-in-10 win $50,000 | Sep 22 |
| $500 Super Turbos (nightly) | $500 | — | Sep 17–22, 7:45 PM nightly |
| Big, Big Bye Finale | $1,100 | $100,000 | Sep 22 |
Players can still qualify into the $3 million Championship through dedicated $600 qualifiers offering at least 50 seats total, running September 18–20.
FAQs
Who won E-Tay’s Big, Big 9-Game Mix at Borgata?
Jeffrey Gibson of Pennsylvania won the $2,500 buy-in event on September 16, 2026, defeating Michael Falk heads-up for $56,170.
How many players entered the tournament?
48 entries competed over two days for a $150,000 guaranteed prize pool.
What games were played in the 9-Game Mix?
The tournament rotated through nine formats, including Stud Eight or Better, 2-7 Single Draw, Omaha Hi-Lo, Pot-Limit Omaha, Triple Draw, and Stud Hi-Lo.
Is this Jeffrey Gibson’s first Borgata title?
No — this is his second. He previously won the $600 B.E.A.S.T. mix event at Borgata last summer.
What is the Big, Big Series?
It’s a Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa poker festival powered by BetMGM Poker, running September 13–23, 2026, with more than $6 million in guaranteed prize pools, held to mark the one-year anniversary of the BetMGM Poker Tournament Room.
What’s the biggest event left in the series?
The BetMGM Poker Big, Big Championship, a $5,300 buy-in event with a $3,000,000 guarantee, running Day 1 flights September 19–21 through to a Day 3 finish on September 23.
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