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- Andrew Chang won the Borgata’s $2,200 Big Big Kick Off in Atlantic City, defeating David Stefanski heads-up to claim a career-best $182,000 prize from a 456-entry field.
- Despite starting heads-up with a massive 5:1 chip disadvantage and surviving multiple all-in scares, Chang mounted a dramatic comeback to secure the title and announced plans to play out the rest of the series.
Andrew Chang won Borgata’s $2,200 Big Big Kick Off in Atlantic City on Sept. 16, topping a 456-entry field and earning $182,000 after defeating David Stefanski heads-up.
The result marked the biggest live score of Chang’s career to date at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in New Jersey, a venue that is also well-known for its prominent online casino. According to PokerNews, the event began Day 2 with $1 million still to play for and featured a final table that included several recognizable tournament names.
Chang closes out career-best result at Borgata
Chang entered the event with a previous best live cash of $38,000 and had already locked up a new high by the time play reached five-handed.
After the win, Chang told PokerNews: “Everyone’s going to say they put in a lot of work, but I felt like today they just chose me. I’m very grateful that the hard work paid off.”
He also described the run as one that required patience and some timely breaks. “I just told myself to stay calm. Anything can happen, you just have to stay focused and hope they choose you,” Chang said.
PokerNews reported that Chang survived multiple all-in spots during the tournament, with tablemates referring to his string of escapes as his “nine lives.” Chang said: “The ones where I wasn’t at risk I started losing and then when I was at risk, I happened to pull one of the nine lives. Very lucky.”
Final-table payouts and notable finishers
Stefanski finished runner-up for $126,375, while Namit Patel placed third for $87,725.
The rest of the final-table payouts were:
- Dylan Gordon — $58,425
- Nick Pupillo — $40,950
- Jeremy Becker — $32,625
- Matthew Constanzo — $26,425
- Dylan Lemery — $22,050
- Michael Wang — $18,200
According to the report, Stefanski held about 75% of the chips during three-handed play and began heads-up with a 5:1 chip advantage, while Chang was down to around 10 big blinds. Chang ultimately reversed that position to win the Borgata’s title.
Among the other notable players who made deep runs or cashed before the final table were Jonathan Tamayo, Michael Lavin, Brock Wilson, Joe McKeehen, Darren Elias, Mike Dentale, Kharlin Sued, Justin Liberto, Aubrey Williams, Thomas Cannuli, Bin Weng, and Nicholas Verderamo.
Chang told PokerNews he had been playing cash games since around 2018 or 2019 and had only taken tournaments more seriously over the past couple of years. After the win, he said he now plans to stay for the rest of the series: “I wasn’t sure whether or not I was going to extend, but now I’m here for the whole way!”
Source: As reported by Liam Gannon.
