Brandon Mueller won the PLO championship with 14 A's.

Brandon Mueller won the Borgata Summer Poker Open $650 PLO tournament, taking home the $24,575 first-place prize. He held an Ace 14 times in the tournament, almost always managing to hold on.

When someone first embarks on their journey into Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO), they quickly realize that an Ace doesn't have the same power in PLO as it does in Texas Hold'em.

However, this didn't seem to be a problem for Brandon Mueller today. The Pennsylvania native and longtime tour grinder Mueller made the Ace work for him all day and ultimately won his first live PLO title.

In the 2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open Event #8:$650 Pot Limit Omaha Championship, there were 197 entries, and the total prize pool reached $112,290, which was shared by the top 25 players.

All eyes were on the $24,575 prize pool, which Mueller claimed after a long heads-up match against Danny Chang. The champion maintained a lead from start to finish, holding a chip advantage for almost the entire day on his way to the title.

$650 PLO Championship Final Table Results

Post-championship remarks

"I'm really, really super excited," Mueller told PokerNews shortly after his victory. "This is my first time winning a live PLO event."

"I had absolutely no idea how to play PLO. I don't know how I won, but I just won."

Mueller entered the day with the second-largest chip stack, but in the first level of the day, his Ace beat two high-equity draws in a three-way all-in, winning a huge pot. Mueller became the largest chip holder on the field and maintained that position in almost every subsequent hand.

Getting an A is important, but maintaining that A is even more important; that was Mueller's theme for the whole day.

"In the first nine hands we played today, I had an Ace seven times. I'm not kidding," Mueller continued. "I don't know if the dealer shuffled the cards wrong or what."

However, winning with Aces is a different challenge in itself, but it doesn't seem to be a problem for him today.

"I got an A at least 14 times, and I made it through every single one of them, except for one."

Mueller plans to participate in all remaining events at Borgata over the next ten days.

"I'll probably win at least six more tournaments," the champion joked. "I'm not sure, but it's very likely if I have the time to participate."

Second day battle situation

Following the two starting groups on Monday, a total of 25 players returned to the day's events, and all of them were in the money, guaranteed at least the minimum prize of $1,525.

The eliminations started quickly and fiercely, with many short-stacked players returning after the bubble burst. Within the first 30 minutes of the tournament, nine players were eliminated, reducing the field to just the last two tables.

It took Mueller less than an hour to reach the final table, where he held a significant chip lead, with almost twice the chips of his closest competitor (eventually runner-up Danny Chang).

Piotr Sowinski was the first player to be eliminated in ninth place, followed by a break. The eight-player battle lasted 75 minutes before the deadlock was broken. Ultimately, Brian Cole hit a three-of-a-kind with a top kicker on the turn, but lost to a full house and was eliminated.

Joseph Arena and the energetic Elan Chabi were eliminated one after another, followed by Mario Damiao, who finished fifth after failing to beat Chang's A.

Shortly after, Terence Beaman became the next victim in fourth place, followed by Mark Aridgides, who started the day as chip leader, securing third place and the podium. After running out of chips, he flopped top pair against Mueller's two pair, which Mueller held on to eliminate Aridgides.

Mueller held a slight lead over Chang at the start of heads-up play, but quickly extended his lead after a few cautious hands. Chang was caught bluffing multiple times, while Mueller always seemed to know his opponent's position, making effective value bets and bluffing catches.

After yet another failed bluff, Chang was left with less than ten big blinds. He launched a small comeback but quickly handed the advantage back. In a single-raise pot, Chang check-raised with 5 on a KK-5 flop. He told a story of a strong hand, but Mueller hit a set with a top kicker on the flop and slow-played the entire pot. Chang went all-in on the river, and Mueller instantly called, securing the title. The two exchanged a polite handshake.

The current champion of the Borgata Summer Poker Open

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