Lions of the East Reaches Borgata With $2 Million Guaranteed
Eight Atlantic City starting flights feed into a combined Day 2 for qualifiers from Borgata and MGM National Harbor.
- Lions of the East began its Borgata portion Oct. 13 with eight starting flights and a $2 million guarantee.
- The event’s opening flights were split between MGM National Harbor and Borgata before a combined Day 2 in Atlantic City.
- The advertised $600 entry sends $500 to the prize pool, with a voluntary $30 staff add-on increasing stacks to 35,000 chips.
- Only a player’s largest qualifying stack advances to Day 2, while additional qualifying stacks pay $1,200.
Lions of the East is underway at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, where the eight-flight portion of the tournament carries a $2 million guaranteed prize pool. The Borgata flights began Oct. 13 and run through Oct. 17, with the final Day 1H using a turbo structure.
The event began with eight qualifying flights at MGM National Harbor in Maryland from Oct. 7 through Oct. 12. Survivors from both properties will combine at Borgata for Day 2 on Sunday, Oct. 18. Borgata’s official poker-room calendar lists the Day 2 start at 11:15 a.m., while PlayUSA listed noon.
Buy-in is advertised at $600, made up of $500 for the prize pool, a $70 registration fee and a voluntary $30 staff add-on. The add-on gives players 15,000 extra chips, taking the starting stack from 20,000 to 35,000, and Borgata says the gratuity goes directly to tournament personnel.
At $500 reaching the prize pool from each entry, the event needs 4,000 entries to meet its $2 million guarantee solely through buy-ins. Borgata no longer takes a percentage of the prize pool for dealer gratuities.
Registration opens at 9 a.m. for each Borgata flight and remains available until the beginning of Level 13. Players can enter through the designated Borgata poker registration area or the BetMGM Poker app, and must be at least 21 and have an MGM Rewards card.
Unlimited re-entries are allowed through the first 12 levels. Players may also play multiple starting flights, but only their largest qualifying stack moves on to Day 2; every additional qualifying stack earns a $1,200 payout.
Standard Day 1 levels last 30 minutes through Level 24 before rising to 40 minutes from Level 25. Each flight ends when roughly 8% of its field remains, while about 12.5% of entries receive payouts, rounded down. Every Day 1 payout is $1,200.
Day 2 will play until three tables remain or 12 hours pass, with a third day available if needed to decide the winner. Payouts for Day 2 will be set after every opening flight has finished.
Each Day 2 qualifier receives a custom BetMGM Poker jersey for the property where they advanced, plus a Borgata hotel stay for Oct. 17 and Oct. 18, with checkout set for Oct. 19. The tournament uses Tournament Directors Association rules, and the tournament director’s decisions are final.
