$1,100 Main Event
Day 1c Completed
$1,100 Main Event
Day 1c Completed
The busiest day of the 2026 PokerStars Open Philadelphia series has come to a close, as the $1,100 Main Event gets closer to surpassing the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool.
The third flight of the week attracted 217 entries at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, bringing the overall total to 486. Of those playing on Day 1c, just 28 found a bag to return on Sunday, March 22. That leaves 62 players in the money so far, with one last flight to complete the Day 2 draw on Saturday, March 21.
Leading the way through this flight was Rajath Tangam, who became the first player in the tournament to crack the seven figure chip mark while ammassing 1,100,000. That is good for the overall lead after three days of action, as the New Jersey native looks to add a big score to his resume here in Philadelphia.
Tangam bagged a big lead over David Kinane, who finished in second spot after winning the final hand of the night to burst the money bubble.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rajath Tangam | United States | 1,100,000 | 183 |
| 2 | David Kinane | United States | 724,000 | 121 |
| 3 | Thilbaud Martin | France | 721,000 | 120 |
| 4 | Stephen Miller | United States | 489,000 | 82 |
| 5 | Scott Fetterhoff | United States | 431,000 | 72 |
| 6 | Arlie Shaban | Canada | 427,000 | 71 |
| 7 | Michael Sciucco | United States | 418,000 | 70 |
| 8 | Craig Gould | United States | 397,000 | 66 |
| 9 | Grant Wang | United States | 362,000 | 60 |
| 10 | Erald Hazizi | United States | 357,000 | 60 |
Among the leaders from Day 1c was PokerStars Ambassador Arlie Shaban (427,000), who steadily built his way to sixth place when play concluded. The Canadian now joins fellow Team Pro Jennifer Shahade in the money, looking to make a deep run on Day 2.
The leaderboard also includes Stephen Miller (489,000), who cracked aces to stay alive on the bubble in a hand that saw Martin Ryan (87,000) also stay alive. Edric Nicoli (168,000) improbably finished that hand in third place despite holding pocket aces, but he too bagged up for the final day.
The final hand of the night saw Aaron Fischer shove from the small blind, running into Kinane's aces to finish outside of the money.
That left the remaining 28 players advancing to action on Sunday, March 22, where the full field will combine to play down to a champion.
| Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mar. 21 | Day 1d | 10:15 a.m. |
| Mar. 22 | Day 2 | 11:15 a.m. |
One last flight remains on the schedule, as Day 1d will begin at 11:15 a.m. local time on Saturday, March 21. Players will sit down with 40,000 chips, and blinds kick off once again at 100/100 along with a 100 big blind ante.
All levels are 40 minutes in duration, with breaks in play occurring after every three levels are completed. The schedule also includes a dinner break of 40 minutes at the end of Level 9.
The day continues until the final 12.5% of the field remains, when they will fill their bags for the final day. The last chance for players to join the action will be the start of Level 13, when late registration closes for the final time this week.
The final field will then combine on Sunday, with all players in the money ready to battle until the PokerStars trophy is awarded.
Action continues through the weekend at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia and PokerNews will have you covered every step of the way, so don’t miss a moment from this exciting $1,100 Main Event.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,100,000
228,000
|
228,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
724,000 | |
|
|
721,000
59,000
|
59,000 |
|
|
489,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
|
|
431,000
186,000
|
186,000 |
|
|
427,000
17,000
|
17,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
418,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
|
397,000
215,000
|
215,000 |
|
|
362,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
|
|
352,000
44,000
|
44,000 |
|
|
342,000
27,000
|
27,000 |
|
|
312,000
24,000
|
24,000 |
|
|
238,000
42,000
|
42,000 |
|
|
223,000
67,000
|
67,000 |
|
|
221,000
91,000
|
91,000 |
|
|
201,000
14,000
|
14,000 |
|
|
190,000
134,000
|
134,000 |
|
|
168,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
|
158,000
158,000
|
158,000 |
|
|
153,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
|
135,000
97,000
|
97,000 |
|
|
118,000
118,000
|
118,000 |
|
|
118,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
106,000
32,000
|
32,000 |
|
|
89,000
49,000
|
49,000 |
The final 28 players have filled their bags for Day 2, and will return on Sunday, March 22.
Stay tuned for final chip counts, and a recap of the day.
After dueling a few hands earlier, Aaron Fischer shoved the small blind and was called by initial raiser David Kinane in middle position.
Aaron Fischer: A♦Q♣
David Kinane: A♠A♥
This time, Fischer was unable to connect on the 5♥K♣3♠2♦10♦ board as Kinane took down the final hand of the night.
That left the remaining 28 players to bag up for the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
724,000
14,000
|
14,000 |
|
|
Busted |
At risk on the stone bubble, Aaron Fischer was facing off against David Kinane for his tournament life.
Aaron Fischer: A♣6♣
David Kinane: 9♠9♦
Fischer found the help he needed on the [4cAs8c3h%c] runout, earning the double through Kinane.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
710,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
|
|
95,000
11,000
|
11,000 |
With 29 players remaining, the clock has been paused for hand-for-hand play.
The next elimination will bring an end to Day 1c.
Three-handed action to the 10♥4♥J♣ flop saw Stephen Miller and Martin Ryan both get their stacks in the middle, at risk against Edric Nicoli.
Stephen Miller: A♥5♥
Martin Ryan: K♣Q♥
Edric Nicoli: A♠A♣
Nicoli's pocket aces were ahead until th 9♥ turn, which gave Ryan and straight and Miller a flush. The 2♦ river completed the board, as Miller took the main pot while Ryan survived by winning the side pot. That left Nicoli stunned, as his aces came third-best to lose both pots.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
515,000
321,000
|
321,000 |
|
|
165,000
163,000
|
163,000 |
|
|
85,000
183,000
|
183,000 |
Danny Focarelli led out for 25,000 from the small blind after seeing the A♣10♥6♣ flop, and Abbas Hadizadeh let his hand go in middle position.
Daniel Schmertz took some time on the button before announcing all in, pushing forward his stack of 121,000.
It was then Focarelli's turn to take some time, opting to send his cards into the muck as Schmertz collected the chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
215,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
|
|
160,000
129,000
|
129,000 |
|
|
85,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
872,000
437,000
|
437,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
780,000
312,000
|
312,000 |
|
|
620,000
105,000
|
105,000 |
|
|
410,000
105,000
|
105,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
336,000
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
|
328,000
288,000
|
288,000 |
|
|
315,000 | |
|
|
288,000
148,000
|
148,000 |
|
|
280,000
162,000
|
162,000 |
|
|
245,000
171,000
|
171,000 |