David Stefanski has bounced straight back from a painful heads-up defeat at Borgata by winning the $10,200 BetMGM Poker Big, Big Baller for $169,220.
The American topped a 69-entry high roller at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, beating Michael Wang heads-up after a three-way deal and pushing his recorded live tournament earnings beyond $3 million.
The timing could hardly have been better. Only a few days earlier, Stefanski had taken a near five-to-one chip lead into heads-up play in the Big Big Kick Off, only for Andrew Chang to turn the match around and leave him with the $126,375 runner-up prize. This time Stefanski got another shot at closing, and there was no repeat of the first one getting away.
Stefanski Converts a Big Stack Into the Title
The $10,200 event attracted 69 entries and built a $690,000 prize pool, comfortably clearing its $500,000 guarantee. Thirteen players survived Day 1, with another 13 players taking advantage of maximum late registration at the start of Day 2, creating the sort of high-powered field where a ten-big-blind starting stack can disappear before the coffee cools.
Stefanski began the final day second in chips with 194,500, behind Jeremy Becker’s 317,500. He quickly became one of the central figures as the field thinned, eliminating Daniel Monosson with boat over boat and later sending Brandon Hamlet out to put the tournament on the money bubble.
There were plenty of familiar names in the firing line. Joe McKeehen, Darren Elias, Cherish Andrews and Jonathan Tamayo were among those who missed the final table, while Becker, Brock Wilson, Michael Gagliano, Clemen Deng and Matt Glantz all reached the last eight.
Big Big Baller Final Table
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Stefanski | $169,220 |
| 2 | Michael Wang | $127,750 |
| 3 | Drew O’Connell | $156,675 |
| 4 | Matt Glantz | $62,530 |
| 5 | Clemen Deng | $46,295 |
| 6 | Michael Gagliano | $38,785 |
| 7 | Brock Wilson | $33,380 |
| 8 | Jeremy Becker | $29,325 |
The unusual payout order came from a three-handed ICM deal. Drew O’Connell held the chip lead when the deal was struck and therefore locked up $156,675, more than eventual runner-up Wang. The trio left $19,960 and the trophy on the table, giving the tournament a proper finish rather than ending with calculators and handshakes.
Second Chance at Heads-Up Goes Very Differently
Stefanski kept applying pressure after the deal, eliminating O’Connell in third before beginning heads-up play against Wang. Unlike his match against Chang earlier in the festival, Stefanski controlled this one and gradually ground Wang down to fewer than ten big blinds.
The last hand saw Wang move all in with queen-eight and Stefanski call with pocket eights. An eight appeared on the flop to give Stefanski a set, although the jack-ten-eight board also handed Wang a straight draw. Neither the turn nor river completed it, leaving Stefanski with the trophy and a little redemption after his earlier runner-up finish.
It has been a productive Borgata series for several players. Wang finished third in the Big Big Mystery Bounty before returning to take second here, while Pinson’s remarkable bounty haul gave him almost $200,000 from that event. Stefanski has now banked nearly $300,000 from his two biggest results of the festival alone.
$3 Million Milestone for Stefanski
The victory also pushed Stefanski through $3 million in recorded live tournament earnings. His resume stretches back well over a decade and includes deep runs across the US circuit, but putting together a runner-up finish and a $10,200 high roller victory in the space of a few days is the kind of heater that can transform a festival.
Stefanski credited both his strong Day 2 starting position and a friendly run of cards, while also acknowledging the quality of the opposition. That is fair enough. High rollers are rarely forgiving, and this final table included proven crushers such as Wilson, Gagliano, Glantz and Wang.
The live poker calendar remains packed heading into the autumn, but Borgata still has business to finish. The $5,300 BetMGM Poker Big, Big Championship runs through September 23, giving Stefanski and the rest of the Atlantic City field another chance to keep the heater going.
