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$1,200 Main Event
Day 1cd Completed
2026 Great Lakes Poker Classic
$1,200 Main Event
Day: 1cd
Event Info
2026 Great Lakes Poker Classic
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1cd
Buy-in
$1,200
Prize Pool
$321,700
Total Entries
314
Level
26
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
80,000
Entries
88
Players Left
10
Players Left 1 / 314
Filter
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
61 entrants came out to play the third flight of the Great Lakes Poker Classic $1,200 Main Event at Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan. The biggest flight yet brought the overall total for entrants up to 124. From those starting players, just 8 have survived this flight to join the 10 players from the other flights. All of these players can sleep easy knowing that the $300,000 guaranteed prize pool is a little bit closer to their wallets.
Leading the way is Robert Strunk, who bagged up 548,000. The past three years of tournament poker have seen the Michigan player add to his Hendon Mob resume just over $210,000 in live earnings. Among his accomplishments were a deep run in the 2024 WSOP Main Event, a third place finish in the MSPT Battle Creek Main Event, and a WSOP bracelet win for $116,708. Now sitting with the overall second biggest stack, he looks to further carve his name in Firekeepers history with a major title in the casino itself.
Frank Lucarelli (504,000) became the late night executioner as he eliminated more than half of the players falling at the final two tables. Having also came in third place in an MSPT Battle Creek Main Event for a career best $85,699, Lucarelli’s late night ascent came courtesy of the departure of players like Brady Wieland, Patrick Korty, and WSOP bracelet winner Jean “Prince” Gaspard. He now sits with one of the biggest stacks left to potentially take down his first recorded live title.
Third on the podium today is Andrew Olive (481,000), who started his day off by hopping into this morning’s satellite. After winning the satellite, he ended up knocking out Grant Henderson (163,000) in level 1 of the tournament and then knocked out Jennifer Williams shortly after in the same level. Holding the early day chip lead for multiple levels, he fell down the counts in the later levels of the night only to come roaring back by night’s end. The Wichita Kansas native sits chasing his biggest live score as he rounds out Day 1c’s top three.
Day 1c Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Hometown | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Strunk | Schoolcraft, MI | 548,000 |
| 2 | Frank Lucarelli | Woodhaven, MI | 504,000 |
| 3 | Andrew Olive | Wichita, KS | 481,000 |
| 4 | Zachary Matice | White Lake, MI | 266,000 |
| 5 | Shawn Rings | Grand Rapids, MI | 261,000 |
| 6 | Grant Henderson | Holt, MI | 163,000 |
| 7 | Steven Stout | Milford, MI | 114,000 |
| 8 | Alec Magdan* | Warren, MI | 102,000 |
Not everyone was able to see their chips be put into a bag by the end of the night. Many of the Michigan regulars fell by the wayside, like Buck Bucceri, Henry Zou, Adam Lamphere, and Todd Estes. Dominic Choma became the final casualty of the night as he fell just shy of the bagging process. They will have ample opportunity in the last flight today and tomorrow's two flights to put chips in a bag.
Day 1d continues on the other side of the room with registration still open. Players who 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.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the exciting updates on the ground at Firekeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan.
*Player has already bagged up and received his bagging bonus and will not be playing this stack on Day 2
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
548,000
103,000
|
103,000 |
|
||
|
504,000
44,000
|
44,000 |
|
481,000
132,000
|
132,000 |
|
329,000
329,000
|
329,000 |
|
||
|
266,000
27,000
|
27,000 |
|
261,000
32,000
|
32,000 |
|
163,000
209,000
|
209,000 |
|
114,000
21,000
|
21,000 |
|
78,000 | |
|
24,000
24,000
|
24,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
The final eight players have bagged up after the final minutes of Level 15 completed.
Stay tuned to a full recap and chip counts for the flight.
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Andrew Olive raised to 12,000 from early position and action folded to Dominic Choma in late position who moved all in for 125,000. Action folded back around to Choma who snap-called.
Dominic Choma: A♦Q♠
Andrew Olive: 7♥7♣
The board ran out 10♦9♣7♦4♣5♥ and the set on the flop was good for Olive to eliminate Choma from the tournament.
Players are now just one player away from bagging up for the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
349,000
164,000
|
164,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 15
Blinds: 3,000/6,000
Ante: 6,000
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Patrick Korty raised to 10,000 from the cutoff and both Shawn Rings on the button and Frank Lucarelli in the big blind called.
The flop roled out Q♠10♠2♥ and Lucarelli checked over to Korty who bet 20,000 and Rings folded. Lucarelli moved all in 88,000 effective and Korty called.
Patrick Korty: Q♣8♣
Frank Lucarelli: Q♥10♣
Korty's top pair was no good against Lucarelli's top pair and he failed to improve on the runout of 7♣3♣.
All nine of the remaining players have been put at the same table.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
460,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
|
|
293,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Frank Lucarelli raised to 10,000 from the button and in the small blind, Brady Wieland moved all in for 100,000 to see Dominic Choma fold his big blind while Lucarelli snap-called.
Brady Wieland: A♣10♠
Frank Lucarelli: A♥A♠
The board ran out Q♦9♣4♠9♥5♣ and the aces held up for Lucarelli to eliminate Wieland from the tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
310,000
165,000
|
165,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 14
Blinds: 3,000/5,000
Ante: 5,000
Level 13
: Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Action was picked up with cards on their backs with Areef Syed all in for 145,000 in the small blind up against Robert Strunk in the big blind, with a board reading 9♠6♠3♣.
Areef Syed: J♥9♦
Robert Strunk: 9♣8♣
The turn 8♦ gave Strunk top two pair and it held up on the river 10♠ to eliminate Syed from the tournament and take down the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
445,000
127,000
|
127,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
