Pat Steele Holds A Massive Lead in Day 1e of Great Lakes Poker Classic Main Event
The biggest flight yet of the Great Lakes Poker Classic drew out a total of 114 entrants to play in the penultimate flight of the event. This number, combined with the growing field in the final flight of play, ensures that the $300,000 guarantee will be passed. Today’s field only saw 17 able to advance to the next step of seeing any piece of the prize pool, so be sure to check back in tomorrow for confirmed payouts on the event.
Leading the way of the largest batch of survivors yet is Pat Steele, who sits with the overall lead of 905,000. Hailing from Chelsea, Michigan, Steele’s been a staple of the midwestern poker scene for the past 13 years. Winning an HPT Main Event back in 2013 for $155,636, he managed to final table many MSPT Main Events throughout the country before winning his first in 2020. He sits as one of only seventeen players inducted into the MSPT hall of fame and with his massive stack here today, he looks to further enrich his legacy on the midwestern poker scene and cross the seven-figure threshold.
Paul Lentschke held the lead for most of the latter part of the night and if not for a hand between Steele and Aaron Brown, he would have likely bagged the chip lead with 640,000. Sitting down in Level 1 and continuing since, Lentschke saw quite a few swings that saw him near the top of the stacks at dinner, only to drop down afterward. He recovered and hopped back up to the top of the chip counts towards the later levels of the night. Lentschke has traveled around playing the poker tournament circuit for some time and his deep runs and wins come from states from Texas to Pittsburgh. With the second biggest stack going into Day 2, he looks to add a Michigan title to his resume and sits in good position to do so.
Day 1e Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Hometown | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pat Steele | Chelsea, MI | 905,000 |
| 2 | Paul Lentschke | College Station, TX | 640,000 |
| 3 | Dan Schmitt | Lakewood, CO | 343,000 |
| 4 | Connor Vachon | Grand Rapids, MI | 329,000 |
| 5 | Jamie Eisenhut | Bluffton, IN | 301,000 |
| 6 | Rudy Mamo | Southfield, MI | 300,000 |
| 7 | Kannon McCavit | Hillsdale, MI | 237,000 |
| 8 | Mark Schmid | Henderson, NV | 237,000 |
| 9 | Joseph Damon | Highland, MI | 223,000 |
| 10 | Jake Kolbicz | Cadillac, MI | 185,000 |
All of the other players see their chip counts bunched up together, but a stacked field of tournament regulars remain. Players like MSPT champions Satish Thakur (160,000), George Janssen (145,000), Thomas Midena (141,000), as well as WSOP bracelet winner Mark Schmid (237,000). They look to further expand their trophy shelf for room for the first ever GLPC Main Event trophy.
It was not the friendliest to some of the regulars around the midwestern poker circuit. Poker mainstays like Scott Sisler, Angela Gambino, WSOP bracelet winners Jean “Prince” Gaspard, and Brek Schutten all found their chance in this flight up in smoke. They all have just one more flight to be able to advance into Day 2.
Day 1f continues on the other side of the room with registration still open. Players who bag two times will receive a $3,000 bonus for their second bag and $5,000 for every additional bag they secure. Chip counts for the players advancing in that flight will be posted tomorrow morning. Currently only Alec Magdan has succeeded in that endeavor, bagging up three times to get $8,000 in bonuses so far. All of the surviving players will return tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. to play down to a winner.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the exciting updates on the ground at Firekeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan.