button in SafariMatthew Zambanini Bursts the Bubble to Take the Chip Lead on Day 1a of the Maryland State Poker Championship $1,700 Main Event
Matthew Zambanini brought the night to a close and snatched the chip lead at the end of Day 1a of the Maryland State Poker Championship $1,700 Main Event.
Zambanini busted Josh Mischel on the money bubble when he picked up ace-jack against ace-deuce as the remaining eight players secured a ticket for Day 2. The Delaware native bagged up 663,500, just ahead of Valentin Lita (656,000) atop the leaderboard.
Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Zambanini | United States | 663,500 | 133 |
| 2 | Valentin Lita | United States | 656,000 | 131 |
| 3 | Clint Houck | United States | 344,000 | 69 |
| 4 | Marcia Kuntz | United States | 271,500 | 54 |
| 5 | Brandon Mueller | United States | 160,500 | 32 |
| 6 | Yuriy Kudrynskyy | Ukraine | 159,500 | 32 |
| 7 | Ari Katz | United States | 159,000 | 32 |
| 8 | Kevin Golshan | United States | 117,000 | 23 |
Lita needed a little bit of luck to survive the day. He was all in for 158,500 with two queens but ran right into Aaron Pinson’s kings. Lita was already up from his seat and headed for the exit on the flop, but he spiked a queen on the turn to make a set and earn the massive double up. He then busted Diane Zimmerman two spots from the money to continue his late ascent.
Clint Houck (344,000), Marcia Kuntz (271,500), and Brandon Mueller (160,500) round out the top five. Others to survive the event’s opening flight include Yuriy Kudrynskyy (159,500), Ari Katz (159,000), and Kevin Golshan (117,000).
Pinson was among the chip leaders before losing that pot against Lita. He then lost a race with nines to Kuntz’s ace-king shortly after to hit the rail. PokerStars Team Pro Arlie Shaban busted two bullets today, while Justin Arnwine, Russ Dunlevy, Casey Hatmaker, and Charles Furey, who won the PokerStars Open Main Event here at Live! Casino Maryland last October, also couldn’t make it through the day.
A total of 63 players entered on Day 1a. There are still two more starting flights for players to take a shot at the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool. Day 1b is tomorrow at 11:15 a.m., while Day 1c takes place on Saturday, September 5, at the same time. All surviving players return for Day 2 on Sunday, September 6. The action on Day 2 will pick up at the earliest finishing time from one of the opening flights. Day 1a ended with 36 minutes remaining in Level 15 with blinds of 2,500/5,000 and a 5,000 big blind ante.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow following all the action from Day 1b, so stay tuned for more updates.