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BetMGM Poker’s 2026 Potomac Summer Poker Open concluded this month at MGM National Harbor in Maryland, crowning nearly two dozen champions and distributing more than $3 million in prize money. Among the headline winners were $3,000 Main Event champion Kyle Smith, who collected $136,054, and $600 Opener winner Ivan Tomic, who earned $156,190 after topping a field of 1,508 entrants.
Despite the strong competition, no player had a more consistent series than Matt Mullins, a Virginia-based mixed-game specialist from the small town of Aldie. Mullins reached four final tables, securing two victories along with a pair of podium finishes.
Mullins, who has amassed more than 20 career wins at MGM National Harbor according to The Hendon Mob, said he began as a cash game player before transitioning into mixed games around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He now helps run a regular $20/$40 mixed game that he considers among the best in the country.
He credited fellow Maryland regular Justin Arnwine, who holds an unofficial record for Hendon Mob victories, with inspiring his move into tournament poker. Mullins said he studied Arnwine’s disciplined and fearless approach while building his own tournament game.
During the series, Mullins chopped the $400 Mixed PLO event with fellow local Fred Hoban for $5,990 each, then won the $400 8-Game Mix outright for $8,201. He added a third-place finish in $400 PLO8 and another third-place result in the $400 40/40 for $9,127 following a five-way chop.
Mullins also highlighted his home game community, noting that six of seven finalists in the 8-Game Mix event were regulars from his $20/$40 game.
