Last Updated on July 21, 2026 by Bala Kumar
A Cinderella Story at the Borgata Felt
Poker is a game where a lifelong amateur can sit down across from seasoned grinders and, on the right week, walk away a champion. That’s exactly what happened to Derek Childress, a retiree from Northern Virginia, who turned a modest bankroll and even more modest expectations into a $170,610 payday at the 2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open, powered by BetMGM Poker.
Childress outlasted a staggering field of 2,390 entrants in the $600 Deep Stack Kick Off event, eventually striking a heads-up deal with runner-up Lingyu “Roger” Zen to lock up the title and the six-figure score of a lifetime.
Final Table Results: $600 Deep Stack Kick Off
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Derek Childress | United States | $170,610* |
| 2 | Lingyu Zen | United States | $158,370* |
| 3 | Jordan Williamson | United States | $90,775 |
| 4 | Coleen Chestnut | United States | $60,205 |
| 5 | Craig Robertson | United States | $40,975 |
| 6 | Leo Saiag | United States | $31,260 |
| 7 | Robert Hwang | United States | $24,215 |
| 8 | James Lauer | United States | $19,205 |
| 9 | Chadd Beatty | United States | $14,985 |
*Denotes a heads-up deal between the top two finishers.
Knocking Out the Defending Champion
There’s a certain poetry to how this title changed hands. Before Childress ever reached the final table, he eliminated the reigning champion of the event, James Lauer, sending him out in eighth place after connecting with the nut flush. It was a knockout that not only ended Lauer’s chance at defending his crown, but foreshadowed Childress’s own run to the top of the leaderboard the following day.
Push and Pray: The Simple Strategy Behind the Win
Childress didn’t credit any elaborate system for his deep run. By his own description, his approach boiled down to disciplined patience punctuated by well-timed aggression, folding tight hand after tight hand, then shoving all-in when he found a spot worth committing his stack to. He noted that a handful of well-placed sets and river cards kept his tournament life alive at just the right moments, and that in most of his all-in confrontations, he already held the best hand when the chips went in.
Adding a bit of levity to the pressure of a final table, Childress admitted his smartwatch buzzed nonstop throughout the day as friends back home, glued to the live stream, flooded him with messages, a distraction he had to tune out while battling for the title.
From 30 Years of Casual Play to a Career-Best Score
What makes this win remarkable isn’t just the size of the prize, it’s the gap between Childress’s prior tournament résumé and his new reality. Heading into the event, he had just three previously recorded tournament cashes totaling roughly $3,100 in lifetime earnings, according to The Hendon Mob database. He’s been playing poker for nearly three decades, but a full-time career limited how often he could commit to multi-day tournament series.
Now retired, Childress says he’ll have more opportunities to sit down at events like this one, though he’s not planning on becoming a tournament regular overnight, estimating he might play a few multi-day series a year going forward.
How the Final Table Unfolded
The final table began with six players, and Childress entered the day sitting second in chips.
- Leo Saiag was the first to fall, busting in 6th place when his ace-five ran into Zen’s ace-ten.
- Craig Robertson shoved with king-nine into Zen’s identical holding, and what looked like a chopped pot turned into a knockout when Zen rivered a flush, sending Robertson out in 5th.
- Coleem Chestnut, the overnight chip leader, kept pressuring the table with an aggressive style that ultimately backfired. Childress cracked him with two pairs to seize a massive double-up, and Zen finished Chestnut off shortly after in 4th place, vaulting into the chip lead himself.
- Jordan Williamson battled back with a couple of double-ups, including flopping a set of fives against Zen’s jacks, but Zen once again found a river flush to end Williamson’s run in 3rd place.
That set up a heads-up battle between Childress and Zen, which ended in a negotiated deal that handed Childress the trophy and the larger share of the prize pool.
Why This Story Resonates With the Poker Community
Stories like Derek Childress’s are part of what keeps recreational players coming back to the felt. Massive multi-entry events like the Borgata Summer Poker Open, and the BetMGM Poker-powered Deep Stack Kick Off specifically, are built around the idea that anyone with a $600 buy-in and a bit of luck can outlast thousands of players, including a defending champion, and walk away with a life-changing score.
For aspiring tournament players, Childress’s run is a reminder that deep stack formats, disciplined bankroll management, and a willingness to shove at the right moments can go a long way, even for someone without a long list of tournament credentials.
FAQs
1. Who won the 2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open $600 Deep Stack Kick Off?
Derek Childress, a retiree from Northern Virginia, won the tournament after defeating a field of 2,390 entrants. He secured the title and a career-best payout of $170,610 following a heads-up deal with Lingyu “Roger” Zen.
2. How many players entered the $600 Deep Stack Kick Off event?
The tournament attracted 2,390 entries, making it one of the largest opening events of the 2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open.
3. What was the prize for first place?
Derek Childress earned $170,610, while runner-up Lingyu “Roger” Zen received $158,370 after the two players agreed to a heads-up deal.
4. Who did Derek Childress eliminate during his championship run?
One of Childress’s biggest eliminations came before the final table when he knocked out defending champion James Lauer in eighth place by making the nut flush.
5. What strategy did Derek Childress credit for his victory?
Childress said his success came from playing patiently, folding marginal hands, and committing his chips only in strong spots. He relied on disciplined decision-making, timely all-in moves, and a few key river cards to navigate his way to the title.
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