Festival headliners D. Elias, M. Berkey, A. Neeme will host in-person events and online streams across all three live markets
JERSEY CITY, NJ (February 28, 2022) – BetMGM announced today that ‘March Poker Mania’ will anchor the operator’s poker offerings next month. With nearly $1.3M in total guarantees, the festival will run simultaneously from March 20th – 27th in New Jersey ($472k GTD), Michigan ($397k GTD), and Pennsylvania ($397k GTD). March Poker Mania’s main draw comes in the form of its hosts: three of poker’s most renowned personalities, Darren Elias, Matt Berkey, and Andrew Neeme, will emcee the omni-channel festival in their respective home states.
- In New Jersey, players will have the chance to interact with BetMGM Poker brand ambassador Darren Elias. Born in the Garden State, Elias will host a BetMGM Sportsbook meet-up at Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa on March 24th and the live Spring Rebound Poker Tournament by BetMGM and Borgata Poker – a $1k buy-in, $100k GTD NLH 8-max – on March 25th. The four-time World Poker Tour® champion will also host his first-ever live stream during March Poker Mania.
- In Pennsylvania, high stakes pro and content creator Matt Berkey – a self-proclaimed “Yinzer” – will stream March Poker Mania events starting on March 24th and provide online poker giveaways to the audience. The Pittsburgh native will also live stream several cash games, and handicap college basketball on the Solve For Why YouTube channel.
- Finally, Michigan native and longtime poker vlogger Andrew Neeme will stream several festival events on his YouTube channel throughout the week – after hosting the BetMGM Poker Cash Game Meetup at MGM Grand Detroit on March 23rd and a college basketball hangout at its BetMGM Sports Lounge the very next evening.
Luke Staudenmaier, Director of Poker - BetMGM
In addition to its Main Event, March Poker Mania features two events new to the BetMGM Poker platform. First, the $1k buy-in Heads-up Bracket Battle pits 32 players directly against each other in a single-elimination, tournament-style event; the organization has also committed to adding $10k in value to the prize pool in each state. Next, players have multiple opportunities to win their way into the Phase II Main Event through a continuous $55 buy-in multi-day tournament. A separate leg will take place each day and roll directly into a $535 buy-in event on the final day of the festival.
March Poker Mania (guarantees vary by state)
- March 20, 5 p.m. ET: Warm-up ($535 buy-in)
- March 20, 6 p.m. ET: Half-price PKO ($109 buy-in)
- March 20, 7 p.m. ET: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 20, 8 p.m. ET: NLH Turbo ($215 buy-in)
- March 21, 7 p.m. ET: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 21, 8 p.m. ET: PLO 6-max ($215 buy-in)
- March 22, 7 p.m. ET: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 22, 8 p.m. ET: NLH Progressive Knockout 6-max ($535 buy-in)
- March 23, 7 p.m. ET: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 23, 8 p.m. ET: NLH 8-max ($320 buy-in)
- March 24, 7 p.m. ET: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 24, 8 p.m. ET: NLH PKO 6-max ($320 buy-in)
- March 25, 7 p.m. ET: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 25, 8 p.m. ET: PLO 6-max ($215 buy-in)
- March 26, 6 p.m. ET: Heads-up Bracket Battle 32-max ($1,060 buy-in)
- March 26, 7 p.m. ET: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 27, 5 p.m. ET: NLH Main Event 8-max ($1,060 buy-in)
- March 27, 6 p.m. ET: Phase II: Main Event ($535 buy-in)
- March 27, 7 p.m. ET: NLH Turbo Second Chance ($215 buy-in)
To participate in March Poker Mania, players must be physically located in New Jersey (BetMGM Poker, Borgata Poker, partypoker NJ), Pennsylvania (BetMGM Poker, Borgata Poker), or Michigan (BetMGM Poker). For more information, visit poker.betmgm.com.
