The famous Borgata Casino is under fire over chaotic scenes during registration where many players were turned away due to all available spots selling out early.
The Borgata President’s Day Series was offering a $400 buy-in event with a massive $200,000 guarantee, drawing many players down to Atlantic City for the weekend.
What these players got when they arrived was the sight of four-hour long queues and no guarantee of even playing a hand in the event.
POKER TOURNAMENT UPDATE: All flights for today’s Poker Tournament are full committed. There are no available spots at this time.
— BorgataPoker (@BorgataPoker) February 20, 2022
Borgata is holding a $400 tournament today. The line to register is 3 days long. Poker, not dead. pic.twitter.com/9I4ByXHLJb
— Cracking Aces (@CrackingAAces) February 20, 2022
One disgruntled poker player tweeted that he had driven for over three hours, only to be turned away.
Borgata Casino Disappoints Many Poker Players
As soon as this news hit the headlines, people have been asking for an explanation. The most iconic casino and poker room in the North East United States not being able to handle a $400 buy-in tournament is laughable.
Some questioned the availability of dealers, or lack thereof, being what really happened here. Many of Borgata’s veteran staff were laid off during the pandemic and fewer than expected have returned.
This is also the first decent event to run in the area since the Covid-19 pandemic began. The six-figure guarantee was enough to attract massive interest, but sadly ended up being a disappointment for many.
Incase you have not heard:
Do NOT go to the borgata today. they are sold out of both flights for the $400 $200k since like 12pm noon (1b starting 7pm)
I’m not being sarcastic not joking do not go it’s a mess and it’s sold out— Ryan Depaulo: Degenerate Gambler (@depaulo_ryan) February 20, 2022
One player said he was delighted to have finally registered and headed to his seat. Imagine how he felt to discover he’d queued for so long that his starting stack was now only worth a paltry 25 big blinds.
Opportunistic Players Sell Their Seats for Double Price
Poker players are always on the lookout for an edge, and what was witnessed on Sunday did nothing to change that view.
$800 anyone want this to get in? heard they sold for that much. @BorgataPoker @BorgataAC pic.twitter.com/UUHNAzpWrd
— Ryan lee (@ACpoker0271) February 20, 2022
Some players queued for hours to try and bag a seat, but then spent turned around and walked back down the line trying to sell it at $800—double the value!
Many of the players who still stood in this line were heard to be criticising Borgata’s owner MGM Resorts for not having an online registration system in place. In 2022 this is kind of ridiculous.
But given the massive outcry from what happened last weekend we can be certain that the guys in charge will not want to be embarrassed again in such a fashion.
- Get the best rakeback
- View all poker strategy articles
- View the latest poker news
- Watch more poker videos
- Get the biggest poker bonus
- Watch the best Twitch Poker streamers
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, please visit www.begambleaware.org