After a long wait, American poker veteran Olivier Busquet made a spectacular return to the live tournament scene. Last night, he triumphed in the Main Event of the Borgata Summer Poker Open in Atlantic City, outlasting a field of 685 players to claim the champion's title and a prize of $255,135. For the 43-year-old Busquet, this marks his first major victory since 2019 and a symbolic return to the spotlight in the poker world.
The No-Limit Hold'em Championship, with a buy-in of $2,700, lasted four days and offered players a guaranteed prize pool of $1 million. However, thanks to massive participation, the pot swelled to $1,644,000, easily surpassing the guarantee. Busquet entered the final day as the chipleader, but still faced experienced competitors like Colombian pro Farid Jattin and seasoned American finalists with experience from WSOP and WPT.
Despite the challenge, the former EPT Barcelona Main Event champion stayed unfazed and made his way to the heads-up finale, carrying a slight chipleader advantage (about 60:40). Both players agreed on an ICM deal before the heads-up, but Busquet came out on top in the ensuing duel, securing the official champion's title, trophy, and the $255,135 reward. His final opponent, Abe Gordon, walked away with $233,255.
Olivier Busquet takes home the Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship trophy and $255,135 after making a 2-way chop deal @BetMGMPoker !! The event brought in a total of 685 entrants accumulating a prizepool of $1.6M.@olivierbusquet @BorgataPoker pic.twitter.com/HGxMNIqI5r
— Poker Org (@pokerorg) July 31, 2025
Final Table Results:
| # | Name | Nationality | Prize |
| 1 | Olivier Busquet | USA | $255,135 |
| 2 | Abe Gordon | USA | $233,255 |
| 3 | Matthew Beinner | USA | $138,076 |
| 4 | Sridhar Sangannagari | USA | $91,171 |
| 5 | Farid Jattin | Colombia | $63,339 |
| 6 | Ryan Dodd | USA | $49,176 |
| 7 | Jeremy Flieder | USA | $39,350 |
| 8 | Gerard Brady | USA | $31,750 |
| 9 | David Stefanski | USA | $25,614 |
Busquet's triumph is even more impressive given his long absence from the global stage. Originally from New York, he was once known as an online heads-up specialist. However, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he withdrew from public poker activities. Since early 2020, he only scored one minor cash and withdrew from live tournaments for over five years. During this "hiatus," Busquet got married and started a family. Although he never entirely stopped playing poker—continuing to play online—he gave up traveling for live poker.
The seasoned player, who has amassed over $9.1 million in tournament earnings, made a bigger splash this summer at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. There, he achieved 12th place in an event ($3,000 No-Limit Hold'em), marking his first paid finish in years and a clear sign of his intent to return to live play. "I fell in love, got married, and started a family. I played a lot online; essentially, I never really took a break from poker," Busquet explained, adding that it was this year's WSOP participation that reignited his competitive spirit. After his victory at Borgata, he admitted he now thoroughly enjoys the tournament atmosphere again: "I ran incredibly well here, and I definitely plan to play more. I love live poker and its social aspects—winning feels amazing, and you'll probably see me more often," the champion declared.
Busquet's unexpected return quickly made waves in poker circles. Many top players and fans congratulated him on social media, and media outlets are celebrating his comeback. The CardPlayer portal described Busquet's win as a return to prominence after years, with similar headlines appearing across poker websites from the USA to Europe. After such a long silence, the name Olivier Busquet is back in the spotlight, and we can likely expect to see him at more major events soon.
Sources – X, YouTube, MundoPoker, CardPlayerPoker.org
