A retiree won a $170,000 prize in Atlantic City based on a previous poker winnings record of $3,000.

Derek Childress defeated 2,390 players in the Borgata $600 deep-stack opening event to win the $170,610 first-place prize. His previous live winnings record was only $3,100, and this was his first tournament since retiring.

When Derek Childress hit the nut flush on the river yesterday, eliminating defending champion James Lauer, it not only ended Lauer's winning streak but also symbolized that he had taken over the championship crown.

A day later, the Virginia native emerged victorious in the 2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open $600 Deepstack Opening Event, sponsored by BetMGM Poker. Childress dominated a massive field of 2,390 players, taking home the trophy and the $170,610 first-place prize after a heads-up deal with Lingyu "Roger" Zen.

$600 Deep Stack Opening Event Final Table Results

This victory was particularly unexpected for Childress herself, who admitted that she never imagined she would be the final winner when the tournament began. Her expectations were much lower.

"I came here hoping to win at least the minimum prize. I was already surprised to make it to the second day, so to reach the final table and win the championship, I can't put my words into words. I'm really, really happy," he said.

Childress said he used a simple strategy throughout the tournament: go all in and pray. The rest was up to luck, and the last three days had been perfect for him.

"The main thing is to play tight, and decisively fold or go all-in when you have a good hand. I was lucky a few times—hitting a set on the flop or pairing on the river to stay alive. But usually when I went all-in, I had the best hand. I can think of only three or four times when I didn't, and those times luck was on my side," he said.

Childress did have one distraction during the final table: his watch. His watch kept buzzing with notifications as friends watched the live stream from home and kept messaging him. "My watch kept beeping, and my friends kept messaging me because they were watching the live stream at home. I was trying to concentrate on the game, but my wrist was just ringing," he said.

This prize money far surpasses anything Childress has achieved in her poker career. According to The Hendon Mob, she had only three winning records before this tournament, with a total live winnings of $3,100. Although she has been playing poker for nearly 30 years, her job prevented her from truly committing to tournaments like this. Now that she is retired, those plans may change, although she admits she will still only participate in a limited number of tournaments.

"I participated in my first casino tournament around 2005. It was a radio-sponsored tournament, part of a morning show I was living in Northern Virginia. I was lucky enough to win it. I haven't participated in many tournaments since, but I've always enjoyed playing," he said.

"I've retired, so now I have the opportunity to participate in competitions like this. In the past, due to work, I couldn't participate in multi-day tournaments. So I might be more dedicated, but it's probably only two or three times a year."

Zen swept the top four eliminations before the final table.

Childress entered the final day with the second-highest chip stack, and the final six players returned to the Borgata Poker Room for the live-streamed final table. Short-stacked player Leo Saiag only lasted two hands, his A-5 losing to Zen's A-10, and Saiag was eliminated in sixth place.

Craig Robertson went all-in with his final 3,800,000 chips in K-9, and Zen called with the same hand. The two were initially set to split the pot, but Zen hit a flush on the turn to win the pot, eliminating his opponent for the second consecutive time at the final table.

Coleem Chestnut, who started the day as chip leader, kept applying pressure to his opponents to extend his chip lead, but this overly aggressive style ultimately led to his defeat. Childress beat Chestnut with two pairs and held on, doubling up to over 30,000,000, leaving Chestnut with just over 2,000,000. He was soon eliminated in fourth place by Zen, who took the chip lead.

Jordan Williamson arrived more than 20 minutes late for the day. He doubled up twice against Zen, including when his 5 hit a set against Zen's Jack on the flop. However, Zen then hit a flush on the river, eliminating Williamson in third place.

Two pre-flop showdowns decide the champion

Zen and Childress were nearly evenly matched in chips when they entered heads-up play, with Zen holding a slight edge at 37,900,000 against Childress's 35,500,000. Zen won most of the big pots in the tournament, including firing two bullets with 5 pair, to which Childress called with Ace-high, and winning another pot with 7 pair, pushing his chip stack above 55 million. He then had a chance to close out the tournament pre-flop, but Childress's pocket fours held on, beating Zen's A-7, and Childress doubled up to take the chip lead. Just one hand later, the two faced off again, this time with Zen at risk with pocket sixes. Childress held AQ and hit an Ace on the flop to win the pot and clinch the championship.

“Roger played really well. He never really lost control. I knew he had a hand when he raised. He didn’t seem to like bluffing much, so I had to give him a lot of respect and I got lucky a few times,” Childress said.

"The turning point was that 4 against A-7. When he didn't hit anything on the flop to match my pair, and he didn't have a spade draw as backup, you know, I could only pray. The 4 held on, which put him in a difficult position. Then, he got a pair that he had to go all-in. I had AQ. I couldn't fold. So, I mean, everything just happened."

Childress is driving a long way back to Virginia tonight, and although he admits he probably won't be back for any more events at the festival, he spoke highly of the Borgata staff.

"I'm exhausted. I can't believe I have to drive back to Northern Virginia tonight. It's about a three-and-a-half-hour drive, and I barely slept last night. Unless I can get another room—I've been here since Wednesday night—I'm not sure I'll be back for any other events."

“You guys put on a fantastic tournament here. It was very well organized. The venue staff were friendly, and the dealers knew what they were doing most of the time. It was a really great time,” he said.

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