Carlos Chadha-Villamarin finished 51st from a field of 9,208 in the 2026 World Series of Poker $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event in the middle of July. While he earned a healthy $180,000 payday for his efforts, he was tantalizingly close to the final table and the prospect of multiple millions.
Just a couple of weeks removed from that run, Chadha-Villamarin battled his way to an outright victory in the Borgata Summer Poker Open $2,700 no-limit hold’em championship, besting the 565-entry field to earn the title and the top prize of $242,385.
This score was the second-largest yet for the Washington, DC resident, trailing only the $286,850 he earned for a fourth-place finish in a $25,000 high roller at the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. With this win, Chadha-Villamarin now boasts over $3.9 million in lifetime cashes on the circuit.
In addition to the hardware and the money, Chadha-Villamarin also scooped up 1,260 Card Player Player of the Year points with this triumph. This was his first POY-qualified score of 2026, but it alone was enough to move him just outside the top 350 in the overall standings presented by CoinPoker.
Chadha-Villamarin And Young Dominate The Final Table
The solid turnout for this event saw the $1 million guarantee surpassed by $356,000. The top 71 finishers earned a share in the end, with notables like Anthony Zinno (44th), Paul Volpe (35th), Bin Weng (11th), and Michael Dentale (9th) running deep.
The final day began with seven remaining and Chadha-Villamarin well out in front. He bagged up 79 big blinds, with the next-largest stack being the 29 big blinds of ten-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Maxwell Young.
The top two stacks took turns busting the shorter players in the early going, with Young sending Andrew Porter (7th – $34,620) and Michael Renna (5th – $54,100) packing with Chadha-Villamarin landing the knockout blow on Russ Dunlevy (6th – $42,975) in between.
Young had overtaken the lead by the time the final four took a 15-minute break. He then extended it when his A♥5♣ outraced 10♦9♣ for James Tedrow (4th – $77,345) in a preflop showdown. The Q♣10♠4♠ flop put Tedrow ahead, but the 3♦ turn and 2♠ river saw Young hit a runner-runner wheel to win the pot.
From Three To One
Nicholas Verderamo made his final stand with A♦7♦, opening for a 400,000 min-raise from the button. Chadha-Villamarin three-bet to 1,300,000 from the big blind with K♥K♣ and Verderamo four-bet jammed for 6,700,000. That shove was quickly called by Chadha-Villamarin, and the board ran out 10♦8♥2♣2♦3♥ to give him a 2:1 lead going into heads-up play.
The lead expanded to more than 3:1 by the time the final hand was dealt. Young limped from the button for 200,000 with 5♦3♦ and called when Chadha-Villamarin raised to 675,000 with 8♥4♣. The flop of 5♥4♠3♠ drew a check from Chadha-Villamarin. Young fired 600,000 and was called. The 7♣ saw Chadha-Villamarin check-call again, this time for 1,100,000. The 8♠ completed the board and Chadha-Villamarin checked a third time. Young shoved for 2,450,000 and was eventually called by the higher two pair of Chadha-Villamarin to bring the event to a close.
Young earned $167,985 as the runner-up. This was the fourth-largest score of his career. He now has just shy of $3.9 million in recorded cashes to his name.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Carlos Chadha-Villamarin | $242,385 | 1,260 |
| 2 | Maxwell Young | $167,985 | 1,050 |
| 3 | Nicholas Verderamo | $116,525 | 840 |
| 4 | James Tedrow | $77,345 | 630 |
| 5 | Michael Renna | $54,100 | 525 |
| 6 | Russ Dunlevy | $42,975 | 420 |
| 7 | Andrew Porter | $34,620 | 315 |
| 8 | Ricky Guan | $28,160 | 210 |
| 9 | Michael Dentale | $22,945 | 105 |
Photo credit: BetMGM X account.
