ICYMI: Local Favorite Becomes First Female Champion at 2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open
Poker crushers from all over the East Coast made their way to the Borgata Summer Poker Open for the $650 Super Deep 6-Max. However, the player who captured the two beautiful trophies once the dust settled was local cash game and tournament regular Li Liang.
A total of 401 entries were tallied to generate a prize pool of $228,570, but all eyes were set upon the first-place prize of $41,150. Sixty-five players returned for Day 2, with the final six playing down to a winner on Friday.
It took just over two hours of play for Liang to lock up the title after defeating Giorgi Arveladze heads-up to more than double her prior live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob.
Liang was full of energy from the first shuffle and had the support of the entire Borgata staff on her way to victory. On the most pivotal hand of the day, she made a gusty call on the turn with second pair for her tournament life. It propelled her to the win, and was emblematic of her play the entire tournament.
$650 Super Deep 6-Max Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Li Liang | United States | $41,150 |
| 2 | Giorgi Arveladze | Georgia | $28,575 |
| 3 | Ryan Syrko | United States | $20,000 |
| 4 | Yuriy Kudrynskyy | Ukraine | $13,710 |
| 5 | Bin Weng | United States | $9,140 |
| 6 | Frank Costigan | United States | $7,430 |