Alex Queen shipped the 2024 Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Queen outlasted 689 players, and survived a tough final table that included Brian Yoon and Anthony Zinno. He edged out John Pannucci in a heads-up battle between two Borgata regulars to secure the 2024 WPO Championship and over $613K in cash.
Some players have awesome poker names. For Alex Queen, his surname evokes images of royalty. The grinder from Bethlehem, PA recently was the last player standing in Atlantic City and headed north of $2 million in career winnings.
If you're a denizen of Atlantic City, then you're aware that the Borgata is in a class by itself when it comes to gambling properties on the East Coast. The Borgata's poker room is a location where many players cut their teeth for the first time. Their seasonal tournaments are a right of passage for players.
Alex Queen had his first major score at the Borgata when he had just turned the legal gambling age. The Bethlehem, PA native shipped a $3K event at the 2010 Borgata Spring Poker Open, which marked the biggest score of his career. He final tabled a couple of WSOP events during his career as he grinded out nearly $2 million in career earnings. Last summer, he cashed in five WSOP events.
Queen now has a new career-best cash after he was the last player standing at the 2024 Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship.
The Borgata Casino in Atlantic City kicks off the new calendar year with a festival of poker. The Winter Poker Open has been one of their flagship events which was anchored by the Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship. The Borgata's WPO Main Event had a price tag of $5,300 and 689 runners took a shot at the first big title of 2024. The prize pool swelled to over $3.3 million and the top 87 players were paid out.
The final table included Anthony Zinno, Brian Yoon, Alex Queen, John Pannucci, Carlos Chadha, and Casey Hatmaker. The final six locked up at least six figures with over $613K set aside to the champ. Frank Lagodich missed the final six when he bubbled in seventh place. Several noteworthy players went deep and cashed in the Main Event including Paul Volpe, James Gilbert, Jeff Gross, Aaron Massey (14th), Matthew Wantman, and Keven Stammen (16th).
Casey Hatmaker was the first player to exit the final table when he bowed out in sixth place which paid out $123,875. Carlos Chadha's run ended in fifth place, and locked up a $155K score. Anthony Zinno is no strange to the winner's circle, especially in WPT events, but his run abruptly ended in fourth place. Zinno added $203K to his career earnings that are over $11 million. Brian Yoon's run ended in third place, which paid out $277K.
When Yoon busted, it set up a heads-up throwdown between two Borgata regulars: John Pannucci and Alex Queen.
When the dust settled, Pannucchi hit the rail in second place. He snagged $429,863 for a runner-up finish. Not too shabby, eh?
Queen shipped the Main Event Championship and got to fondle a small mountain of cash worth $613,063. That marks his seventh tournament victory and his largest score to date. It's a heck of a way to begin the new year.
The 2024 Borgata Winter Poker Open began on January 2. Dan Butler shipped two events, and first-place winners included Patrick Sendrowitz, Nicholas Funaro, Anthony Santeramo, Tom Evers, Josh Manuge, Frankie Harpolis, Ed Leonard, Yong Keun Kwon, Michael Stashin, Sung Cho, and Mark Steinberg.
2024 Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship
Buy-in: $5,300
Entrants: 689
Prize Pool: $3,341,650
Payouts: 87
Final Table Results:
1. Alex Queen $613,063
2. John Pannucci $429,863
3. Brian Yoon $277,123
4. Anthony Zinno $203,473
5. Carlos Chadha $155,387
6. Casey Hatmaker $123,875
