The Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker Joins the 2026 Borgata Fall Poker Open

Last Updated on October 12, 2026 by Bala Kumar

If you’ve ever sat at a No-Limit Hold’em table, watched the same pre-flop shove for the fortieth time and thought “there has to be more to poker than this,” the Borgata has an answer this November. Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler’s mixed-game brand is coming to Atlantic City as part of the 2026 Borgata Fall Poker Open. It brings eleven events, two guaranteed championships and some of the most distinctive trophies in poker.

This guide covers the full schedule, explains every game in plain language and shares verified results from earlier mixed-game events. It also covers what a schedule doesn’t tell you: the event clashes, what a full run costs and the best starting points for newcomers.

Quick Facts

• Host festival: Borgata Fall Poker Open, November 3–17, 2026, powered by BetMGM Poker (per Borgata’s official poker page)
• Mixed-game dates: November 4–14, 2026
• Venue: Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, NJ
• Events: 11 (nine $600 events and two $1,100 championships)
• Guarantees (per the published schedule): $25,000 for the H.O.R.S.E. Championship and $35,000 for the T.O.R.S.E. Championship
• Start times: regular events start at 12:15 PM ET, and the two championship Day 2s restart at noon
• Extras: a custom Chainsaw trophy for every event winner, plus a Player of the Series leaderboard

Official links:

• Registration and tournament terms: Borgata Poker
• Full festival schedule: PokerAtlas – 2026 Fall Poker Open

Full Chainsaw Mixed Game Schedule

The event numbers skip because the mixed games are slotted into the main Fall Open numbering rather than running as a separate festival. This schedule matches the mixed-game listing published by pokerfuse on October 11, 2026.

Start Times Around the World

US clocks fall back on November 1, so the series runs on Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5). A 12:15 PM start converts to:

Who Can Play and How to Register

Borgata’s tournament terms set three requirements:

• Age: You must be at least 21.
• ID: You need valid government-issued ID. Overseas visitors should bring a passport.
• MGM Rewards card: You need one to register. If you don’t have one, sign up at the casino before heading to the tournament desk.

Registration opens one hour before each event, and seats are limited. That’s usually enough time for the smaller mixed fields, but arrive early on championship days.

BetMGM Poker and Borgata Poker usually run online satellites for the Fall Open’s headline events. These are open only to players located in New Jersey, Michigan and Pennsylvania. No satellites for the mixed events have been announced yet, so check the promotions lobby closer to the date.

The Games, Explained Simply

Omaha Hi-Lo (8 or Better). Each player gets four hole cards, there are five community cards, and you must use exactly two cards from your hand. The pot splits between the best high hand and the best qualifying low, which is five unpaired cards of eight or lower. The money is in scooping both halves. Hands like A-2-3-K double-suited are premium, while middling cards like 8-9-T-J are traps.

Stud Hi-Lo (8 or Better). This is Seven Card Stud with the same split-pot rule. Some of each player’s cards are dealt face up, so most of the skill is reading what your opponents’ boards can and can’t make.

H.O.R.S.E. A rotation of Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz (where the lowest hand wins), Seven Card Stud and Stud Hi-Lo.

T.O.R.S.E. H.O.R.S.E. with Limit Hold’em replaced by 2-7 Triple Draw, a format Kessler has long championed.

O.E. and T.O.E. O.E. alternates Omaha Hi-Lo and Stud Hi-Lo, and T.O.E. adds 2-7 Triple Draw. Both suit players who love split pots.

Pot-Limit Big O. Five-card Omaha Hi-Lo, played pot-limit. The extra card means more combinations, bigger draws and bigger pots, which makes it the most action-packed game on the schedule.

Triple-Triple Draw. Three lowball draw games in rotation:

• Ace-to-Five Triple Draw: Straights and flushes don’t count against you, so A-2-3-4-5 is the best hand.
• Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw: Aces are high and straights count, so 7-5-4-3-2 is the best hand.
• Badugi: A four-card game where you want four different suits and four different low ranks.

Chainsaw’s 8-Game Mix. Kessler’s own version of the eight-game format. Check the official structure sheet for the exact games before you register.

How It Compares to Other Chainsaw Series

The Borgata buy-ins mirror the Las Vegas editions, which suggests this is a full extension of the brand rather than a scaled-down version.

Verified Results From Earlier Mixed-Game Events

The 2026 Borgata events haven’t been played yet, so there are no winners to report. These verified results from comparable events show the field sizes and prize pools you can expect:

The takeaway is that Borgata already draws a serious mixed-game crowd. Forty-eight players paid $2,500 each for a nine-game mix in September, so the $600 Chainsaw events should attract healthy fields.

Practical Tips Before You Book

Plan around the Friday clashes. The H.O.R.S.E. Championship’s Day 2 restarts at noon on November 6, fifteen minutes before Stud Hi-Lo begins. The T.O.R.S.E. Championship’s Day 2 on November 13 overlaps with the 8-Game Mix in the same way. If you go deep in a championship, you’ll miss the next event, which matters if you’re chasing the leaderboard.

Know the full cost. One entry in all eleven events costs $7,600 before re-entries, travel and hotel. Most recreational players will get more value from playing three or four events in games they know well.

Pick the right entry point.

• Hold’em players: Start with Event #2 (Omaha Hi-Lo) or Event #18 (H.O.R.S.E.).
• Draw-game players: The T.O.R.S.E. and T.O.E. days give you an edge.
• Everyone: Save Triple-Triple Draw and Big O until you’ve practiced them.

In limit games, patience beats heroics. You can’t push opponents off big hands with one large bet. Your edge comes from disciplined starting hands and from avoiding bad river calls.

In split pots, ask before every call: can I scoop, or am I playing for half? Chasing half a pot with a low hand that can be counterfeited is the classic beginner leak. A low is counterfeited when the board pairs one of your low cards and your hand stops qualifying.

Use the small fields. Final tables come fast in mixed events, so one good day can launch a leaderboard run. Spend the early levels learning which regulars play loose in which game.

Why Kessler’s Involvement Matters

Kessler has had a strong 2026. He finished third in the WSOP $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $139,036 and fourth in a mixed triple-draw bracelet event. Few players have done more to get casinos to give non-Hold’em players their own schedule. Seeing his brand inside a BetMGM-backed Borgata festival is a meaningful step for mixed games on the East Coast.

The Bottom Line

The Chainsaw Mixed Game Series offers sensible buy-ins, two guaranteed championships, memorable trophies and timing that fits around the rest of the Fall Open. Choose events that match your skills, plan around the Friday clashes, and confirm final details on Borgata’s official page before you travel.

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