$3,000 Main Event ($500K GTD)
Day 1a Completed
2020 Potomac Winter Poker Open
$3,000 Main Event ($500K GTD)
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2020 Potomac Winter Poker Open
Buy-in
$3,000
Prize Pool
$781,746
Entries
294
Level
30
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Entries
80
Players Left
15
McKeehen and Panzica Bag Big with Bittan in the Chip Lead of Day 1a of the 2020 PWPO Main Event
Level 13
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Day 1a of the 2020 Potomac Winter Poker Open $3,000 Main Event has come to an end after 13 45-minute levels which attracted 80 entries during the first nine levels of the day. Out of all those entries, 15 players have made it through to Day 2 to take a stab at winning their share of the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Claiming the Day 1a chip lead is Jeromy Bittan with 478,500 in chips. He is followed by another familiar name for the people who have been following the PokerNews coverage over the past week, Justin Arnwine will be coming back on Day 2 with 406,500. Completing the Day 1a chip lead podium is Sam Panzica with 384,500 in chips. Daniel Lim, Austin Morin, David Yoon, Carlos Chadha-Villamarin, Stephen Stokes, and Stephani Czap will all be back with a stack of over the 200,000-mark.
The first of three starting flights attracted a bunch of players who have been here all week playing the other events this jam-packed festival had to offer. Amongst the local players, some players who hadn’t been spotted before made their way to the pretty MGM National Harbor for the Main Event like Panzica. 2017 Potomac Poker Open Champion David Israelite finished the day with 140,500 chips to try and win once more.
Two WSOP Main Event Champions turned up at the start of the day, Joe McKeehen (2015) and Greg Raymer (2004) both decided to come in for Day 1a but only McKeehen managed to make it to Day 2 with 377,000 in chips. But Raymer fell to Lauren Monosson when he shoved his ace-king into her queens.
He wasn’t the only one who busted today, players like Justin Liberto, Adam Hendrix, Elia Ahmadian, Nicholas Salimbene, and Ryan Tamanini will need to try again on Day 1b or 1c. Day 1b will take place on Saturday, February 15 at 11 a.m. with Day 1c scheduled to start at 6 p.m. but that flight will only play nine levels. The survivors of Day 1c will return at noon on Sunday, February 16 to play the last four levels of their day. Players can late reg or do their single reentry per flight up until the moment the cards go back in the air at noon on that day.
Day 2 will take place at 3 p.m. local time on Sunday, February 16 with play continuing until 2 a.m. or until the final six players have been reached. The level duration will be increased to 45 minutes each on Day 2 until the final table of nine as the levels will then go up to 75 minutes. And on Monday, February 17, a first-ever Potomac Winter Poker Open Main Event Champion will be crowned!
PokerNews will be back at for all the Day 1b action and pick up the Day 1c coverage after Day 1b has concluded. So, stick around to see who else will be coming back on Sunday for Day 2.
The 2020 Potomac Winter Poker Open $3,000 Main Event Schedule
| Day | Date | Starting Time | Late Reg | Entries | Survivors | Further Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1a | Friday February 14 | 11:00 | Start of Level 10 | 80 | 15 | 13 levels of 45 minutes |
| Day 1b | Saturday February 15 | 11:00 | Start of Level 10 | tba | tba | 13 levels of 45 minutes |
| Day 1c (1) | Saturday February 15 | 18:00 | Start of Level 10 | tba | tba | 9 levels of 45 minutes |
| Day 1c (2) | Sunday February 16 | 12:00 | Start of Level 10 | tba | tba | 4 levels of 45 minutes |
| Day 2 | Sunday February 16 | 15:00 | - | tba | tba | 60-minute levels, play until final 6 or 2 a.m. |
| Day 3 | Monday February 17 | 13:00 | - | tba | - | final table levels increase to 75 minutes |
End-Of-Day Chip Counts (full)
Level 13
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
478,500 | 158,500 |
|
406,500 | 254,500 |
|
384,500 | 59,500 |
|
377,000 | -68,000 |
|
305,000 | -5,000 |
|
296,500 | -23,500 |
|
295,000 | 5,000 |
|
294,000 | 97,000 |
|
|
269,000 | -31,000 |
|
|
263,000 | -37,000 |
|
|
190,000 | -10,000 |
|
149,000 | -51,000 |
|
140,500 | 20,500 |
|
76,500 | -28,500 |
|
75,000 | -30,000 |
Play Ended
Level 13
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
The 15 remaining players have all made it through the final six hands and will return for Day 2 at 3 p.m. local time on Sunday.
The full chip counts and a recap are to follow.
Six More Hands
Level 13
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
The tournament clock has been paused and six more hands need to be played before play will end with the remaining players making it through to Day 2 on Sunday, February 16.
Israelite Looking for Another Deep Run
Level 13
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
David Israelite won this event back in 2017 for $175,500 by defeating An Hwang heads-up in a 234-strong field and is looking for another win.
He shoved from the button for around 77,000 and was called by Haofeng Xu in the small blind for around 33,000. Stephani Czap folded her big blind so the cards could go on their backs.
Haofeng Xu: 
David Israelite: 
The flop came 
for Israelite to hit top pair.
The turn was the 
for Xu to hit the lower pair for a glimmer of hope but the river completed the board with the 
to not help Xu as he was eliminated before the end of the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
120,000 | 25,000 |
|
Busted |
Monosson Gets the Fossilman
Level 13
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Greg Raymer shoved from the late position for 39,500 and so did Lauren Monosson on his left while the rest of the table folded.
Greg Raymer: 
Lauren Monosson: 
The board ran out 
for Monosson to eliminate the Fossilman who then proceeded to sign a fossil for her and was kind enough to pose with her for the photos.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
105,000 | 39,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 13
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 4,000
MGM Properties Join Forces to Launch MGM East Coast Poker Tour (ECPT)
Level 12
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
There’s a new poker tour in town as a trio of MGM properties – MGM National Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Borgata – have joined forces to establish the MGM East Coast Poker Tour (ECPT).
The tour consist of the following stops:
- Potomac Winter Poker Open at MGM National Harbor February 5-17
- Borgata Spring Poker Open April 7-24
- Borgata Summer Poker Open July 7-24
- Potomac Summer Poker Open at MGM National Harbor July 22-August 3
- The Armory Classic at MGM Springfield August 12-24
“MGM Resorts offers players the best poker product on the East Coast,” said Jorge Perez, Portfolio President. “Our East Coast Poker Tour is a great way for us to showcase three of our industry-leading properties while creating an exciting tournament series for our guests and poker enthusiasts.”
The Points Leaderboard
Linking the five events will be a leaderboard where players can earn points by participating in any qualifying events.
Leaderboard prizes consist of the following: the top 90 finishers on the leaderboard will earn entry into Borgata Fall Poker Open/MGM Resorts East Coast Poker Tour $2,000,000 Guaranteed Championship on November 15-20, 2020 ($3,500 value) including complimentary overnight stays. Others can win $250 room credits, Cartier watch ($2,500 value) and $500 MGM Resorts promotional gift cards.
Players can earn points in a variety of ways including “Participation Points” for buying into tournaments, “Entry Points” based on field sizes, and “Placement Points” for making the final table. Click here for more details on the point system.
The leaderboard will be posted to MGMECPT.com and updated daily when qualifying events are occurring. Points for the leaderboard will be finalized on August 25, 2020.
Morin Collects More Chips
Level 12
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Austin Morin raised to 7,000 from the hijack and was called by Carol Schulte on the button and Carlos Chadha-Villamarin in the big blind.
The flop came 
, it was checked to Schulte who bet 5,000. Chadha-Villamarin called but Morin raised to 16,000. Schulte folded and Chadha-Villamarin called.
The turn brought them the 
and Chadha-Villamarin checked again. This time Morin continued with a bet of 29,000 and that was enough to get the fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
445,000 | 80,000 |
|
|
320,000 | 180,000 |
|
|
320,000 | 15,000 |
|
|
197,000 | 118,000 |
|
|
190,000 | 58,000 |
|
|
152,000 | 109,000 |
|
|
50,000 | -31,000 |