Last Updated on July 22, 2026 by Bala Kumar
Pot-Limit Omaha is a game where pocket aces don’t carry the same weight they do in Texas Hold’em. Most players in a Pot-Limit Omaha Tournament will tell you the same thing: aces alone rarely win you the title. But somebody forgot to tell that to Brandon Mueller.
The Pennsylvania grinder, now making headlines as Brandon Mueller PLO champion, just captured his first-ever live PLO title at the Borgata Summer Poker Open 2026, and he did it with one of the wildest card-luck stories you’ll hear all year.
A Big Field, A Big Prize
Event #8 at the Borgata Summer Poker Open 2026, the $650 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, drew 197 entries. That built a prize pool of $112,290, split among the top 25 finishers. After a long heads-up battle against Danny Chang, Brandon Mueller walked away with the win and a first-place prize of $24,575.
He led the field for almost the entire final day, holding the chip lead from early on and never really letting it go.
“I Had Aces Seven Times in the First Nine Hands”
Mueller himself couldn’t quite explain what happened. Talking to PokerNews right after his win, he said:
“I’m just super, super excited. This is my first live PLO win. I have no idea how to play PLO. I don’t know how I won, but here we are.”
He wasn’t exaggerating about the aces, either. According to Mueller, he was dealt pocket aces seven times in just the first nine hands of the day — and they held up nearly every single time he got the money in.
“I literally had aces a minimum of 14 times, and they held every time except one.”
His big break came early: in the very first level of the day, his aces survived a three-way all-in against two opponents holding strong drawing hands. That pot alone turned him into the chip leader in the room, a spot he barely gave up for the rest of the tournament.
How the Final Table Played Out
25 players returned for Day 2 after two starting flights the day before, all locked into a min-cash of $1,525. The pace was fast from the start — nine players busted within the first half hour, quickly narrowing the field to two tables in this Pot-Limit Omaha Tournament.
The final table was set within another hour, with Mueller already holding almost double the chips of his nearest rival, Danny Chang.
Here’s how the rest of the table fell:
- 9th place – Piotr Sowinski
- 8th place – Brian Cole (turned trips but ran into a full house)
- 7th place – Joseph Arena
- 6th place – Elan Chabi
- 5th place – Mario Damiao (couldn’t improve against Chang’s aces)
- 4th place – Terence Beaman
- 3rd place – Mark Aridgides (flopped top pair but ran into Mueller’s two pair)
That left Mueller and Chang to battle it out heads-up.
The Heads-Up Finish
Mueller took a small lead into the heads-up match and stretched it further after catching Chang bluffing a few times early on. He seemed to have a read on Chang all night, mixing solid value bets with well-timed calls.
Chang tried to fight back after dropping under ten big blinds, clawing back some chips before giving them right up again. The final hand came in a single-raised pot: on a king-king-five flop, Chang check-raised holding just a five, trying to represent a big hand. Mueller, however, had flopped trips with the best kicker and simply slow-played it the whole way. Chang shoved his remaining chips in on the river, and Mueller snap-called to seal the title. The two shook hands as good sports.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Brandon Mueller | United States | $24,575 |
| 2 | Danny Chang | United States | $17,025 |
| 3 | Mark Aridgides | United States | $11,875 |
| 4 | Terence Beaman | United States | $8,075 |
| 5 | Mario Damiao | United States | $5,925 |
| 6 | Elan Chabi | United States | $4,855 |
| 7 | Joseph Arena | United States | $3,985 |
| 8 | Brian Cole | United States | $3,350 |
What’s Next for Mueller
Brandon Mueller isn’t done at the Borgata. With the Borgata Summer Poker Open 2026 running for another ten days, he’s already planning to keep playing.
Asked if he’d win again, he joked: “I’ll probably win at least six more events. I’m not sure though, but most likely if I have time to play.”
Whether the aces keep showing up for him or not, Brandon Mueller PLO has already secured a story he’ll be telling for a long time, and his first live PLO title to go with it.
FAQs
1. Who won the Pot-Limit Omaha Championship at the Borgata Summer Poker Open 2026?
Brandon Mueller won the $650 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship at the Borgata Summer Poker Open 2026, earning his first live PLO title and taking home the first-place prize of $24,575.
2. How many times was Brandon Mueller dealt pocket aces during the tournament?
According to Mueller, he was dealt pocket aces at least 14 times throughout the tournament, including seven times in the first nine hands of the final day. His aces held up every time except once.
3. How many entries were there in the Borgata Summer Poker Open 2026 PLO event?
The $650 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship attracted 197 entries, creating a total prize pool of $112,290, with the top 25 players finishing in the money.
4. Who did Brandon Mueller defeat in the heads-up match?
Brandon Mueller defeated Danny Chang in the heads-up battle to claim his first live Pot-Limit Omaha tournament title after maintaining the chip lead for most of the final day.
5. Why is Brandon Mueller’s victory considered remarkable?
Mueller’s win stands out because it marked his first live PLO title, and he experienced an extraordinary run of cards, receiving pocket aces 14 times during the tournament while converting his chip lead into a championship victory.
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