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The final trophy event of the 2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open, the $580 Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty, drew 620 entries and built a $310,000 prize pool. The unique structure split the pool evenly between standard payouts and mystery bounties awarded throughout the tournament.
After 76 players advanced to Day 2, all guaranteed a min-cash, the field battled for 12 hours before Vance Martin III emerged victorious, taking home the trophy and a first-place prize of $25,650. Martin also proved to be the tournament’s biggest bounty hunter, collecting over $37,000 in bounties along the way, including the event’s largest single prize.
The Lebanon, Pennsylvania native started Day 2 with just 12 big blinds but built his stack steadily before dominating the final table as chip leader. His win pushed his career live tournament earnings to roughly $24,000, nearly doubling his previous total in a single event.
Martin’s most pivotal moment came when he eliminated two players in one hand, sending both Alan Johnson and David Lu to the rail after pairing his king with ace-king against queen-jack and ace-nine. That knockout also earned him the tournament’s two largest remaining bounties, worth $27,650 and $6,125.
The final table saw dramatic swings, with Robert Bernstein and George Grabe trading the chip lead before Grabe advanced to heads-up play against Martin. After the two agreed to flatten the remaining payouts, the match stayed tight until Grabe shoved 18 big blinds with ace-deuce suited, only for Martin to call with ace-queen and hold to seal the title.
