Daniel Maor emerged as the winner of the BetMGM Poker Championship at Las Vegas ARIA Resort & Casino on Tuesday, June 11. Maor outlasted a field of 1,141 entrants who played down to seven players for the live-streamed final table from the PokerGo Studio at ARIA, BetMGM said.
Maor knocked out four of the final five players and entered heads-up play against Shannon Shorr with a chip lead. Maor took home the top prize of $613,914, which surpassed his previous biggest single-tournament winnings ($101,000) and his total career earnings ($465,659).
“I’ve had some close calls at final tables and couldn’t close the deal. It feels great to win a prestigious event like this,” said Maor. “When looking at the overall schedule for the summer, this was something I earmarked because a $3,500 buy-in, $3 million guarantee events don’t come around every day. The structure was great, and I wanted to play in this, especially at a nice venue like ARIA.”
The 2024 ARIA Poker Classic, presented by BetMGM, was highlighted by the six-day BetMGM Poker Championship and concluded with record-breaking numbers. The $3,500 buy-in no-limit Hold ‘em tournament drew a field of 1,141, including more than 150 BetMGM online qualifiers, and a $3.6 million prize pool, surpassing the $3 million guarantee.
In 2022, the event drew 343 entries and a $1.1 million prize pool. Last year, the $2 million guarantee hit $3.2 million, with the winner, Leo Taffe, taking home $560,442.
Luke Staudenmaier, BetMGM’s Director of Poker, said: “The BetMGM Poker Championship is quickly becoming a summer staple for Las Vegas poker players as we, once again, showed notable growth. A sincere thanks to all participating players as well as the highly skilled and professional ARIA staff. We look forward to returning bigger and better in 2025!”
Ryan Kirk, ARIA’s Director of Poker Operations, said: “The BetMGM Poker Championship at ARIA was a huge success for the third consecutive year. The tournament field was the largest to date, we awarded more prize money than ever before, and the competitors enjoyed their ARIA experience. Our partnership with BetMGM has further strengthened our position as a global leader in the Poker industry.”
The ARIA Poker Classic continues through July 13. BetMGM Poker players in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania can win their way to the ARIA Poker Classic through June 20.