button in SafariMaryland State Poker Championship Rolls On With Day 1b at 11:15 a.m.
Players get another shot at securing a piece of the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool when Day 1b of the Maryland State Poker Championship $1,700 Main Event begins at 11:15 a.m. local time.
The first opening flight yesterday saw 63 players descend on the Live! Casino Maryland, with eight surviving to make Day 2. Matthew Zambanini ended up atop the leaderboard with 663,500, followed by Valentin Lita (656,000). Clint Houck (344,000), Marcia Kuntz (271,500), Brandon Mueller (160,500), and Ari Katz (159,000) also made it through the day.
Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Zambanini | United States | 663,500 |
| 2 | Valentin Lita | United States | 656,000 |
| 3 | Clint Houck | United States | 344,000 |
| 4 | Marcia Kuntz | United States | 271,500 |
| 5 | Brandon Mueller | United States | 160,500 |
| 6 | Yuriy Kudrynskyy | Ukraine | 159,500 |
| 7 | Ari Katz | United States | 159,000 |
| 8 | Kevin Golshan | United States | 117,000 |
New and returning hopefuls will look to join them today. Players on Day 1b will begin with a 40,000 starting stack. Levels will be 40 minutes, with a break after every three levels and a 45-minute dinner break at the end of Level 9. Late registration remains open until the start of Level 10, with unlimited reentries allowed.
The day will conclude once 12.5 percent of the field remains. All surviving players from the three opening flights combine for Day 2 on September 6. The action on Day 2 will pick up at the earliest finishing time from one of the opening flights. Day 1a yesterday ended with 36 minutes remaining in Level 15 with blinds of 2,500/5,000 and a 5,000 big blind ante.
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