$75k Awaits The Winner of The Great Lakes Poker Classic Main Event
A total of 314 players came out to play the first ever $1,200 Great Lake Poker Classic Main Event. The guarantee was passed as $329,700 was generated by the players to play for today at 12:00 p.m. All 44 survivors will be looking to bring their field size down by a quarter as only 33 players will see a piece of that purse, with eyes on the $75,601 yet to be awarded to the winner.
Leading the way of the field is Day 1f's chip leader Jack Hays (934,000), who won a seat into this tournament via a flip and go. Having just secured his biggest ever score earlier this year, he looks to more than double his own recorded live earnings with a win here today. He edged out MSPT hall of famer and HPT Champion Pat Steele (905,000) for the overall lead in the tournament, who will also be looking to make the money and cross the six-figure threshold on his Hendon Mob.
Alec Magdan (391,000) became the only player in this tournament to capitalize on the multi-bag bonus. While the field is not yet in the money, Magdan has already accrued $8,000 in bonuses this tournament. Others that found bags into Day 2 included WSOP bracelet winners Mark Schmid (239,000) and Christopher Moon (179,000), as well as MSPT champions Satish Thakur (160,000), George Janssen (145,000), and Thomas Midena (141,000).
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Hays | Tompkinsville, KY | 934,000 |
| 2 | Pat Steele | Chelsea, MI | 905,000 |
| 3 | Paul Lentschke | College Station, TX | 640,000 |
| 4 | Jeff Hill | Augusta, MI | 572,000 |
| 5 | Robert Strunk | Schoolcraft, MI | 548,000 |
| 6 | Frank Lucarelli | Woodhaven, MI | 504,000 |
| 7 | Andrew Olive | Wichita, KY | 481,000 |
| 8 | Jacob Baumgartner | Grand Rapids, MI | 478,000 |
| 9 | Brian Barnes | Augusta, MI | 407,000 |
| 10 | Alec Magdan | Warren, MI | 391,000 |
Players will return today with 18:15 left in Level 15 as Day 1b finished at this point to hit their hard stop for players. At noon cards will be in the air, with 40 minute levels to play down to a winner. 15 minute breaks will occur at the conclusion of every three levels.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the exciting updates on the ground here at Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan.