button in SafariChristopher Kennedy Wheels in a Massive Chip Lead on Day 1c of the Maryland State Poker Championship $1,700 Main Event
The biggest pot of the tournament so far rocketed Christopher Kennedy into a massive chip lead on Day 1c of the Maryland State Poker Championship $1,700 Main Event.
Yousef Zeibaq had flopped top set of queens, but Kennedy turned a wheel and called Zeibaq’s shove two spots off the money. “One million!” Kennedy yelled out, and while he didn’t quite reach seven figures, he did bag up 921,000 and far ahead of the 25 players who made it through the day.
Day 1c Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Kennedy | United States | 921,000 |
| 2 | Michael Bohmerwald | United States | 625,000 |
| 3 | Nicholas Verderamo | United States | 507,000 |
| 4 | Roy Kim | United States | 476,000 |
| 5 | Anton Makarevich | United States | 426,000 |
| 6 | Melanie Hennigan | United States | 384,000 |
| 7 | Dwight Shell | United States | 380,000 |
| 8 | Boris Kravets | United States | 361,000 |
| 9 | John Palermino | United States | 343,000 |
| 10 | Neal Liptak | United States | 330,000 |
Michael Bohmerwald is his closest challenger with 625,000. Bohmerwald earned a double up after flopping a set of tens and hanging on against Brian Mahler’s straight and flush draws. He then hit a set again holding two tens for a big pot off Jeffrey Yanchek near the end of the night.
Nicholas Verderamo (507,000), Roy Kim (476,000), and Anton Makarevich (426,000) round out the top five. Verderamo spiked a set of nines against two aces to double up, then flopped trips against kings to bust Mukul Pahuja. Makarevich took out defending champion Lucas Vergara after spiking a set of kings on the river after Vergara had flopped trip eights. Kim, meanwhile, brought the night to a close when he picked up two kings to bust Yanchek on the money bubble.
Others through to Day 2 include Melanie Hennigan (384,000), Boris Kravets (361,000), Dawn Lucarelli (188,000), Jason Koon lookalike Nathan Bertram (140,000), and Jose Cayetano (57,000).
The third and final starting flight attracted a big field of 193 entries, more than the first two flights combined. Among those who left empty-handed were James Hartigan, Arlie Shaban, Joe McKeehen, and Casey Hatmaker. Matthew Raudebaugh’s eventful day included shoving blind less than an hour into play, and then burning through at least seven bullets before he was finally busted for good.
The total field ended up at 380 entries, with 49 players returning tomorrow to the Live! Casino Maryland poker room for Day 2 at 11:15 a.m local time. Day 1c went longer than the previous two days, so blinds will revert back to Level 15 at 2,500/5,000 with a 5,000 big blind ante at the start of the day. All surviving players are already in the money, and the plan is to play down to the final six players tomorrow.
PokerNews will be back to follow all the action leading up to the final table, so stay tuned for live updates.