Red-Hot Donovan Dean Wins 2024 Borgata Poker Open Main EventRecent WSOP Circuit Harrah's Cherokee Main Event Champion Bests 755-Entry Field In $3,500 Buy-In To Earn $410,452 |
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In the span of just over five weeks, Donovan Dean has managed to win two large-field no-limit hold’em main events. He first took down the 2024 World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah’s Cherokee $1,700 buy-in on Aug. 12, besting 1,451 entries to win $326,206 and his second main event title at the venue (he won the same tournament during a winter stop back in 2022). On Sept. 17, Dean triumphed over a field of 755 entries in the 2024 Borgata Fall Poker Open $3,500 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event, earning a career-best payday of $410,452.
These two huge victories have propelled Dean’s career earnings past $2.1 million. The latest win also awarded him 1,368 Card Player Player of the Year points. With three POY-qualified titles and seven final-table finishes, Dean now has 3,010 total points to his name. As a result, he has climbed to 49th place in the 2024 POY standings presented by Global Poker.
Dean’s other win this year saw him best a field of 72 in a $1,100 buy-in at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood back in May for $24,420.
Dean had plenty of stiff competition to deal with down the stretch at Borgata. Two-time bracelet winner Frank Funaro finished seventh for $54,992, bringing his lifetime haul to more than $4.3 million. Tournament regular Andrew Ostapchenko grew his career earnings to over $3 million thanks to his sixth-place finish for $69,330.
2021 Mid-States Poker Tour Venetian main event runner-up Ryan Dodd placed fifth for $89,002, while five-time World Poker Tour final-tablist Josh Kay earned $128,699 as the third-place finisher.
After Kharlin Sued (3rd – $195,599) bowed out, Dean was able to overcome Luis Ortiz heads-up to secure the title. Ortiz walked away with a career-best score of $283,446 as the runner-up.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:
| Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Donovan Dean | $410,452 | 1368 |
| 2 | Luis Ortiz | $283,446 | 1140 |
| 3 | Kharlin Sued | $195,599 | 912 |
| 4 | Josh Kay | $128,699 | 684 |
| 5 | Ryan Dodd | $89,002 | 570 |
| 6 | Andrew Ostapchenko | $69,330 | 456 |
| 7 | Frank Funaro | $54,992 | 342 |
Photo credit: Poker.org / Borgata / Matthew Berglund.
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