Atlantic City's autumn poker festival is almost here. The Borgata Fall Poker Open runs November 4 to November 17, 2026, with more than $4 million in guaranteed prize money across multi-flight tournaments, a $2,700 Championship with a $1 million guarantee, a mixed-game series, a bar-poker tournament series and a slate of milestone qualifiers. For East Coast players, it is one of the biggest live stops of the month, and the schedule is built to suit everything from $180 bar-poker buy-ins to the $2,700 headliner.
Here is a practical guide to the main events, the satellites, the online tie-ins and how to plan your festival.
Festival Snapshot
- Dates: November 4-17, 2026
- Venue: Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, a BetMGM property
- Guarantees: more than $4 million
- Format: multi-flight tournaments, a $2,700 Championship, mixed games, side events and milestone qualifiers
PokerNews will provide live reporting and on-site coverage during the series.
The Headline Events
| Event | Dates | Buy-in | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Deepstack Kick Off (#1) | Nov 4-8 | $600 | $1,000,000 |
| Mini-Main Event (#3) | Nov 4-17 (17 flights) | $350 | $500,000 |
| Fall Half-a-Milly Almighty (#12) | Nov 9-13 | $600 | $500,000 |
| Borgata Fall Poker Open Championship (#22) | Nov 13-17 | $2,700 | $1,000,000 |
| Signature 6-Max (#19) | Nov 12 | $1,600 | $100,000 |
| Saturday Series (#7) | Nov 7 | $450 | $100,000 |
| Seniors (50+) Championship (#9) | Nov 8 | $365 | $50,000 |
| Ladies Championship (#25) | Nov 15 | $300 | $25,000 |
The Fall Deepstack Kick Off is the first big guarantee. It has six starting flights from November 4 to 6, Day 2 on November 7 and a champion crowned November 8. A $1 million guarantee on a $600 buy-in is a big target; it is the kind of event where the overlay or lack of one depends entirely on turnout.
The Mini-Main Event is the long-running option, with 17 starting flights and one re-entry per flight, finishing on November 17. The $350 buy-in makes it one of the more accessible entries.
The Championship is the marquee. It has two starting flights on November 13 and 14, a combined field on November 15, and Day 3 and Day 4 on November 16 and 17. Registration closes after Level 8, with no Day 2 registration. Day 3 has featured-table coverage, and Day 4 has a live-streamed final table.
The Chainsaw Mixed Series
The festival includes 11 mixed-game events created by Allen Kessler, headlined by a $1,100 H.O.R.S.E. Championship on November 5 with a $25,000 guarantee and a $1,100 T.O.R.S.E. Championship on November 12 with a $35,000 guarantee. Most other events cost $600. We have a dedicated article on Kessler's Chainsaw series and the full schedule, but the key point for festival planners is that mixed-game players have a full week of dedicated events.
Bar Poker Open
For casual players, the Bar Poker Open runs November 12-16. Buy-ins start at $180, with guarantees from $5,000 to $10,000. Highlights include the Welcome Monster Stack Turbo ($200, November 12), the Friday Night Bar Poker Frenzy ($180, November 13), the Super Deep Semi-Turbo ($200, November 14), the Double Board Bounty ($240, November 15) and the Super Turbo Monster Stack ($200, November 16). An invitation-only Championship runs November 14-16, with a live-streamed final table on November 16.
Milestone Qualifiers and Satellites
The Borgata uses a "milestone" structure for qualifiers, in which one in every ten entries wins a package:
- Borgata Big 4 (November 4, $475): one in ten wins a four-seat package for Events #1, #3, #12 and #22
- Out the Gate (November 5, $200): one in ten wins a three-seat package for #1, #3 and #12
- Go Deeper (November 7, $160): one in ten wins a three-seat package for #11, #15 and #17
- Championship satellites (November 8, $180 to $600): odds from one in 20 to one in 5 for a seat to #22
- Signature Six Max (November 11, $200): one in ten for a seat to #19
- Championship qualifiers (November 12 and 13, $320): one in ten for a seat to #22
These formats allow players to turn a small entry into a package worth many times more. If you play satellites, remember that the goal is to win a seat, not to accumulate the most chips; as the field thins, the correct strategy shifts toward survival, a point we cover in our ICM explainer.
BetMGM Online Events
BetMGM Poker is running companion online events tied to the festival:
- Fall Poker Nightly C-Note: $100 buy-in, $30,000 guarantee, nightly at 6:30 p.m., November 4-17
- Fall Poker Hybrid Championship: $500 buy-in, $100,000 guarantee, starts online November 8 at 6:05 p.m., with a live-streamed final table at the Borgata on November 13
- Fall Poker Sunday Main Event: $250 buy-in, $75,000 guarantee, November 15 at 5:05 p.m.
- Fall Poker High Roller: $500 buy-in, $55,000 guarantee, November 15 at 6:05 p.m.
Online play through BetMGM is restricted to players in states where it is legal. For players elsewhere, our US poker guide and the regulated vs offshore comparison explain the landscape.
Strategy Notes for a Big Live Festival
Pick your anchor events. With dozens of tournaments, it is easy to overextend. Choose a few key events that fit your bankroll, then add smaller side events if you have the stamina. Our bankroll management guide explains how much of your roll to risk.
Use the flights wisely. Multi-flight events offer flexibility. If you are playing the Mini-Main over multiple days, understand the one-re-entry-per-flight rule and the final-day date so you do not misjudge your options.
Respect the structure. The Championship stops registration after Level 8, so late registration is a real option but not an unlimited one. Deep-stack structures give you time to play postflop, but they also demand patience; see our poker strategy hub for ideas on adapting to different stack depths.
Watch for overlay. When a guarantee is high compared with the buy-in, the possibility of an overlay (where the prize pool is topped up by the house) can add expected value. We discussed that concept in our coverage of tournament overlays.
Take care of yourself. Long live days are physically demanding. Schedule breaks, eat properly and avoid playing marathon sessions back-to-back.
Why Atlantic City Matters
Atlantic City's poker rooms have long been a destination for East Coast players, and the Borgata's festivals are among its biggest draws. The combination of a physical festival, an online tie-in through BetMGM and a variety of formats gives the series broad appeal. For many readers, it will be the biggest live poker event of the month.
Information is based on PokerNews reporting published in late October 2026. Check the Borgata and BetMGM Poker for the official schedule, structures and any changes.