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Joshua Mammen took down the $3,500 buy-in BetMGM Poker Championship for $481,180 after one of the biggest chops you’ll see in a major tournament.
The event was initially supposed to pay $801,000 for first place, but a five-way chop at the final table flattened things out significantly as the top five finishers were all left taking home over $400,000.
Those who got in on the chop include Ariel Celestino, Paul Hofer, well-known pro Nick Palma and runner-up Erik Eisen.
The event drew 1,512 runners for a prize pool of $4,800,000, far exceeding the guarantee of $4 million.
BetMGM Poker Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Mammen | $481,180* |
| 2 | Erik Eisen | $431,180* |
| 3 | Paul Hofer | $431,180* |
| 4 | Nick Palma | $431,180* |
| 5 | Ariel Celestino | $431,180* |
| 6 | Mike Wilklow | $165,300 |
| 7 | Pavlos Xanthopoulos | $135,300 |
| 8 | Uri Kadosh | $106,500 |
| 9 | Nenad Cvetkovic | $79,935 |
*Denotes five-way chop
Five-Way Chop in Major Tournament
The final table, which was streamed on YouTube, began with five players with more than 30 big blinds and a few short stacks hanging around. Nenad Cvetkovic was the first to fall as he ran ace-queen into the Big Slick of Paul Hofer.
Next out was Uri Kadosh as he fell in a four-way pot that ultimately went to Mammen. Pavlos Xanthopoulos was in great shape to double with seven left as his pocket jacks were far in front of the ace-ten of Ariel Celestino. They stayed ahead until the river, which brought an ace to mark Xanthopoulos’s elimination in seventh place.
Wilklow then went out in sixth as his ace-king couldn’t crack the kings of Celestino, and it ended up being a pivotal bustout. The five remaining players decided to chop the event evenly for $431,180, leaving the trophy and an additional $50,000 in prize money to play for.
The eliminations picked up rapidly from there before a final confrontation between Erik Eisen and Josh Mammen. Hofer had the best of it with ace-nine against jack-five, but Mammen turned a jack and rivered another one to secure the trophy, title, and extra $50,000 in prize money.
Mammen had $83,297 in live earnings heading into the event and improves on a previous best cash of $19,300. That came from a 25th-place finish in the 2025 PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Main Event.
This isn’t the first time there has been a big chop in a major tournament. Last year, 15 players in Florida chopped the $30,000 guaranteed St. Augustine Championship. at bestbet St. Augustine. The same year, there was an 11-way chop at Canterbury Park in Minnesota.
Check out the whole final table for yourself by watching the YouTube stream.
Senior Editor U.S.