Darren Elias talks the Borgata WPO… and the mistake too many players are making

Sarah Herring talks to poker pro Darren Elias
Sarah Herring
Posted on: January 10, 2024 23:45 PST

Not only did Darren Elias enjoy his best ever result at the Borgata ($843k at the WPT Borgata Open, 2014), he’s also a long-time resident of the Garden State as well as BetMGM’s poker ambassador.

Who else would we go to for the inside scoop on the Borgata Winter Poker Open?

With the series in full swing, PokerOrg’s Sarah Herring took the chance to catch up with the four-time WPT champion. Click below for the full chat.

Advice from a local poker hero

If you’re planning on joining us at the Borgata WPO, or indeed any big-field poker tournament, Elias has some great advice:

“The biggest mistake players make is signing up late… In a big field tournament, when there's thousands of players, you have to realize the very worst players in that field, the weakest players, are not going to last very long…If you're going to wait three or four hours to register, those players won't still be in the tournament, they'll have been knocked out and somebody has their chips and you’ll miss your opportunity to to take out these weaker players.

The weak players get knocked out quick, so you really want to be there in the opening levels. I know a lot of people use these excuses, “Oh, the blinds are too low”... Speaking from experience, I can't tell you how many times I've stacked somebody at 100/200 for a 100,000 chip pot.”

If you can’t make it to the Borgata Winter Poker Open in person, make sure to follow all the action at PokerOrg Instant. And if you can, well, try to turn up on time...