button in Safari49 Players Chase a Spot at the Final Table on Day 2 of the Maryland State Poker Championship $1,700 Main Event
The race to the final table is on when 49 players return for Day 2 of the Maryland State Poker Championship $1,700 Main Event at 11:15 a.m. local time.
Christopher Kennedy leads the way into the event’s penultimate day with a massive stack of 921,000, nearly 300,000 ahead of his closest challenger. Matthew Zambanini follows in second place with 663,500, while Valentin Lita (656,000), Michael Bohmerwald (625,000), and Kevin Grabel (552,000) round out the top five.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Kennedy | United States | 921,000 | 184 |
| 2 | Matthew Zambanini | United States | 663,500 | 133 |
| 3 | Valentin Lita | United States | 656,000 | 131 |
| 4 | Michael Bohmerwald | United States | 625,000 | 125 |
| 5 | Kevin Grabel | United States | 552,000 | 110 |
| 6 | Nicholas Verderamo | United States | 507,000 | 101 |
| 7 | Roy Kim | United States | 476,000 | 95 |
| 8 | Justin Arnwine | United States | 471,000 | 94 |
| 9 | Jeffrey Boyd | United States | 458,500 | 92 |
| 10 | Anton Makarevich | United States | 426,000 | 85 |
Others still in contention include Nicholas Verderamo (507,000), Justin Arnwine (471,000), Melanie Hennigan (384,000), Daniel Iachan (370,000), Christopher Caruso (347,000), and Diane Zimmerman (305,500). Further down the leaderboard are Dominic Lake (271,500), Aaron Pinson (225,000), Dawn Lucarelli (188,000), and Brandon Mueller (160,500).
A total of 380 players came to the Live! Casino Maryland over three starting flights to chase state supremacy. The remaining 49 players have already secured a piece of the $570,000 prize pool, with the eventual champion earning $111,000.
Action picks up on Day 2 with 36 minutes remaining in Level 15, with blinds of 2,500/5,000 and a 5,000 big blind ante. Each subsequent level will be 60 minutes. The plan is to play down to the final six players today, and they’ll return tomorrow at 2:15 p.m. for the final table.
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PokerNews will be following the action the entire way, so stay tuned for live updates throughout the day.