Borgata Big, Big Series | Andrew Chang's comeback from 5 big blinds to win the title and a career-best $182,000.

On September 16, 2026, the Borgata Big, Big Series Event #2:$2,200 Big Big Kickoff concluded at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, USA. Andrew Chang fought his way through a field of 456 players, reaching the final table with only 5 big blinds remaining and trailing David Stefanski by approximately 1 to 5 heads-up, before staging a remarkable comeback to claim the $182,000 first-place prize.

This achievement is not only Chang's largest live tournament winnings to date, but also far surpasses his previous best of approximately $38,000. From surviving with a short chip and repeatedly doubling down with all-in bets to ultimately overturning a long-term lead by Stefanski, this championship became the most dramatic story in the entire Big Big Kickoff.

456 people participated, and the entire $1 million prize pool was distributed.

Event #2 contains:

456 people participated

After two initial groups, the final result is:

$1,000,000 prize pool

Day 2 saw the return of 58 players, culminating in the selection of 9 finalists for the Final Table and the ultimate champion.

Final Table Results

Chang used to focus on cash games, but has only recently started seriously investing in tournaments.

Chang recalled after the tournament that he started mainly participating in cash games around 2018 to 2019, but he only really started to get more serious about tournaments in recent years.

Before entering this competition, his career-best live prize money was approximately:

$38,000

With the final five players remaining, he has already broken his personal record.

The final prize of $182,000 for the champion almost multiplied the previous record.

For Chang, this victory also marks the first time that his long-term dedication to training has truly translated into a major championship.

The two-table stage already had short stacks, and by the final table, they were down to 5 big blinds.

Chang's path to the championship was not one of leading all the way.

With only two tables remaining, he was already near the bottom of the scoreboard.

Although they successfully rebounded and entered the Final Table with a decent score, they were quickly dealt a heavy blow by Nick Pupillo, and their score at one point was reduced to only:

5 Great Blinds

At this point, Chang can only enter the typical short code survival mode.

He said that all he could do at the time was to stay calm, because anything could happen during the short code phase.

He survived multiple all-in bets, leading poker tables to call him "having nine lives."

Chang faced all-in risks multiple times, yet he survived each time.

His fellow players even started jokingly referring to his consecutive doubling-ups as:

Nine Lives

Interestingly, Chang himself admitted that he often loses the pot when he is not at risk of elimination, but as soon as he enters the real all-in situation, he can always find a chance to survive.

This highly volatile survival process became the foundation for his eventual championship comeback.

Final Table First-hand Cooler: KK Cracks AA

A huge Cooler appeared very early in the final table.

David Stefanski holds:

KK

Michael Wang received:

AA

After both players went all in, the community cards eventually revealed a King, allowing Stefanski to successfully turn the tide.

Wang therefore had very few scorecards left.

Shortly after, he put in the remaining chips with A10, facing Namit Patel's 76. Both players eventually made straights, but Patel's 7-high straight beat Wang's Wheel.

Michael Wang ultimately achieved:

9th place, $18,200

Chang's river card completes a straight, eliminating Dylan Lemery.

Dylan Lemery is one of the shortest codes in the Final Table.

He is in the BTN position as:

K8

Select all.

Chang received the following at position BB:

QQ

Complete the call.

When the flop came up with a King, Lemery briefly took the lead.

But the river card helped Chang complete the task:

Shunzi

They have completed the comeback.

Lemery ultimately achieved:

8th place, $22,050

Stefanski's four of a kind, a full house, earned him more than half of the score cards.

The real big pot in the Final Table appears between Stefanski and Nick Pupillo.

Stefanski flipped the card and finished the task immediately:

Four Articles

Pupillo, however, was formed on the turn:

K-Hulu 3

Both sides ultimately committed more than a third of the total scoreboard.

After Stefanski won the huge pot, his chip stack once exceeded:

Half of the total

He thus became the most obvious favorite to win the championship.

Chang repeatedly bought Constanzo and Becker, gradually closing the gap.

After Chang, the scoreboard starts accumulating again.

Matthew Constanzo had previously helped Chang double up twice, but in their third head-to-head encounter, Constanzo held:

A9

Chang is:

AJ

The larger A successfully defended.

Constanzo obtained:

7th place, $26,425

Then Jeremy Becker had less than one big blind left, with:

A7

All in.

After Stefanski raised at SB, Chang held at BB:

AQ

Go all in again, then choose to fold.

Although Becker made several straights and flush draws on the turn, he ultimately failed to complete the comeback, ending in:

6th place, $32,625

Leave.

Pupillo is in 5th place, while Stefanski continues to extend his lead.

Nick Pupillo's final all-in hold:

77

Stefanski received:

AJ

The flop came up with a Jack, and Stefanski took the lead.

Pupillo ultimately achieved:

5th place

bonus:

$40,950

At this point, Stefanski's chip count had exceeded eight digits, and he continued to dominate the entire final table.

Dylan Gordon finished 4th, while Chang has already broken his career-best prize money record.

Dylan Gordon holds a short chip at a 4-player table:

A8

All in.

Namit Patel received:

AK

Complete the call.

Gordon successfully defended his position and took the lead.

4th place

Takeaways:

$58,425

This is also Gordon's best result in his personal career.

For Chang, making it to the final four meant he was already set to surpass his previous best live prize of $38,000.

Stefanski controls the 75% scoreboard at the three-player table.

When the game moved to a three-player table, Stefanski's lead was already extremely large.

He holds the contract:

The scoreboard shows 751 TP3T across the board.

Chang and Namit Patel can only look for opportunities to double their winnings when using short codes.

The two players faced off against each other, and both managed to double their bets against Stefanski, successfully extending the match.

Overall, Stefanski continued to exert pressure, and their lead at one point even widened.

Patel's A3 crashed into an AQ, and he finished third, earning $87,700.

Patel was left with only a few blind men in the end.

He holds:

A3

Put all the scoreboards into play.

Stefanski received:

AQ

Complete the call.

Patel ultimately only hit the weaker cards and couldn't complete the comeback, ending with:

3rd place

Takeaways:

$87,725

Thus, the championship battle was formed:

Andrew Chang to David Stefanski

Heads-Up were down by about 5-1 at the start, and Chang had only 10 big blinds left.

When it came to a one-on-one duel, Chang was still at a huge disadvantage.

He only has:

Approximately 10 blind people

Stefanski, on the other hand, said:

5 to 1

The scoreboard advantage is leading.

But this time Chang once again demonstrated the resilience he showed during the previous short code phase.

In the next two levels, he gradually caught up with the scoreboard.

As the blinds increased, the situation gradually reversed.

After two weight classes, Chang went from 1-5 to 2-1 leading.

After two levels of Heads-Up, Chang, who was initially trailing 5-1, actually built a lead:

2 to 1

Leading.

At this point, the total scoreboard showed only about:

30 Great Blinds

The one-on-one match has entered a phase where any move could end the game.

Stefanski's final stance:

A3

Call all in.

Chang received:

KJ

The community cards show a Jack-high board, and Chang hits a pair of Jacks and holds until the river.

The match has officially ended.

Chang won the championship and earned $182,000, a new career high.

Ultimately, Andrew Chang achieved:

$182,000

David Stefanski finished as runner-up:

$126,375

From having 5 big blinds at the final table to only 10 big blinds at the Heads-Up and trailing by about 1 to 5, Chang managed to survive time and time again.

He attributed his victory to hard work, patience, and good luck with the cards at crucial moments.

"I feel like the cards have chosen me today."

After the competition, Chang admitted that all athletes would say they put in a lot of time to train, and this time, he truly felt that his efforts had finally paid off.

However, he did not ignore the large element of luck involved in the game.

Regarding his repeated successful all-in bets with short codes, doubling his winnings and ultimately reversing the situation against Stefanski, Chang described it as follows:

"I feel like the cards have chosen me today."

For a player whose previous career-best prize money was only around $38,000, this $182,000 championship was enough to change the entire trajectory of his career.

Several renowned athletes were eliminated on Day 2.

A total of 58 players returned for Day 2, but many well-known players failed to make it to the Final Table.

include:

Nicholas Verderamo became the final table bubble player, but his two pairs collided with Jeremy Becker's gourd, and he was eliminated in 10th place.

Chang changed his plans after winning the championship and decided to play the entire series.

Chang was initially unsure whether he would be fully involved in the entire Borgata Big, Big Series.

But this championship clearly changed the plans.

After winning the biggest live prize of his career, he confirmed that he will:

Stay in Borgata to participate in the remaining matches

From a cash game player to someone who has recently become serious about tournaments, and now to winning a million-dollar prize pool event with 456 participants, Andrew Chang has officially delivered his most representative live tournament results to date.

Want to change Texas Holdem from "can understand" to "can win"?

If you want to learn more about Texas Hold'em, you can continue reading：

The Origins of Texas Hold'em: Why is it the World's Most Popular Poker Variant?
Texas Hold'em Hand Rankings and Showdown Rules (Beginner’s Essentials)
Texas Hold'em Betting teaching: Check / Bet / Call /Raise and Betting Strategy Analysis
The importance of Texas Hold'em position? Why is the back position more advantageous?
How to play Texas Hold'em? Novices learn Texas Hold'em rules, processes and betting teaching in 10 minutes
Texas Hold'em Starting Hands Strategy Guide: Which Hands to Play?
Texas Holdem Starting Hands Chart Tutorial: Complete Starting Hand Chart and Position Strategy
How to play Texas Hold'em? Complete rules and a hand's flow (Preflop / Flop / Turn / River)

Hunter Poker offers comprehensive tutorials, hand analysis, and strategy sharing to help players upgrade from simply "reading the cards" to understanding the range . This allows you to make better decisions in every hand.

▶️ In Facebook Follow Hunter Poker.
📘 In Youtube Follow Hunter Poker.

Want to learn more about Texas Hold'em gameplay and strategies?

Online Texas Hold'em free tournaments typically have no entry fee, making them ideal for beginners to familiarize themselves with the rules and for advanced players to test strategies and gain experience. View full brand profiles to learn about each platform's free tournament schedule, features, and target audience.

Go to learn more