$400 Opening Event
Day 1a Started
2020 Potomac Winter Poker Open
$400 Opening Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2020 Potomac Winter Poker Open
Buy-in
$400
Prize Pool
$588,900
Entries
1,812
Level
34
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Entries
207
Players Left
16
Inaugural Potomac Winter Poker Open Set to Start at 5 PM with Day 1a of the $400 Opening Event
Welcome to the first-ever event of the brand-new East Coast Poker Tour which is the $400 Opening Event of the 2020 Potomac Winter Poker Open at the stunning MGM National Harbor. This is one of the three events PokerNews will cover in this inaugural festival which features a guaranteed prize pool of over $1,000,000. The Opening Event itself has an amazing guarantee of $500,000!
The new East Coast Poker Tour (ECPT) has five events slated for 2020 with the first one starting today with the Borgata Spring Poker Open, Borgata Summer Poker Open, Potomac Summer Poker Open, and The Armory Classic to follow later this year. Players who register and play in any of these main events and championship events will participate in the leaderboard.
The five winners of the ECPT Main Events plus five randomly selected participants from each event will join the top 90 of the leaderboard in Atlantic City as they will all receive a complimentary two-night stay at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa and an entry to the Borgata Fall Poker Open/MGM Resorts ECPT $2,000,000 Guaranteed Championship which is scheduled from November 15-20.
As this is the debut of the winter version of the Potomac Poker Open, there is no defending champion. In 2019, there was the $370 Opening Event six months ago and Laura Moore emerged victorious in a field that attracted 1,952 entries over five starting flights. She recorded her biggest score for $65,000 when she agreed to a three-way deal with James Canoles and Lalith Mannur after almost 16 hours of play on Day 2.
This year’s edition features a slightly increased buy-in of $400 and six starting flights. Day 1a is set to kick-off at 5 p.m. local time in the Poker Room with Day 1b scheduled for Thursday, February 6 at the same time and location. But Day 1c and onwards will be taking place in the Ballroom on the 2nd floor of the hotel with two starting flights each day, one at 11 a.m. and 1 at 5 p.m.
Players will get 25,000 in chips when they start the day with late registration and one reentry possible for the first 11 levels of the day. Level duration will be 30 minutes on Day 1 with a break assumed to take place after every four levels. Players can reenter once per starting flight.
Each starting flight will pay 12% of the field as they cash for a fixed $550 while play will stop when there’s 8% of the field left. Day 2 will begin at the shortest time played in any of the six starting flights and all Day 2 payouts will exceed the $550 Day 1 payout. The level duration for Day 2 will increase to 45 minutes until the final table when it will go up to 60 minutes and play will continue until a new winner has been crowned.
The 2020 Potomac Winter Poker Open $400 Opening Event Schedule
| Day | Date | Starting Time | Late Reg | Entries | Survivors | Further Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1a | Wednesday February 5 | 17:00 | End of Level 11 | tba | tba | 12% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 1b | Thursday February 6 | 17:00 | End of Level 11 | tba | tba | 12% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 1c | Friday February 7 | 11:00 | End of Level 11 | tba | tba | 12% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 1d | Friday February 7 | 17:00 | End of Level 11 | tba | tba | 12% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 1e | Saturday February 8 | 11:00 | End of Level 11 | tba | tba | 12% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 1f | Saturday February 8 | 17:00 | End of Level 11 | tba | tba | 12% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 2 | Sunday February 9 | 12:00 | - | tba | - | Level duration increases to 45 mins, FT to 60 mins, play down to a winner |
PokerNews will be there from the first shuffle up and deal until the final player has been paid so make sure to follow along with the updates right here.
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/100
Ante: 100
Shuffle Up and Deal
Level 1
: 100/100, 100 ante
The players have been welcomed to the first-ever event of the Potomac Winter Poker Open and the dealers have been instructed to shuffle up and deal.
One Out Already
Level 1
: 100/100, 100 ante
A player was seen leaving the tournament area and muttered: "That was a bad first hand."
Jerry Schraders was sporting the double starting stack and was kind enough to relay what had happened:
The other player raised big pre-flop and Schraders called with 
.
He flopped a flush and check-called the continuation-bet of his opponent. The turn was the 
, Schraders check-called another bet.
On the river, his opponent shoved out of turn so Schraders checked to let his opponent do as he wanted and then called. The other player claimed to have fives and made his way to the cashier to reenter.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
50,000 |
Carpenter Doubles Up
Level 1
: 100/100, 100 ante
All the chips went in on the 
flop in a blind versus blind situation.
Kevin Carpenter was sitting in the small blind with 
while his opponent held 
.
Carpenter was ahead with the pair of sevens but his opponent had the flush draw.
The rest of the board was completed with the 
on the turn and the 
on the river to keep Carpenter ahead and leave his opponent short.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
49,000 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 200
Over 120 Entries
Level 2
: 100/200, 200 ante
The second level has just started and the first of six starting flights has already attracted over 120 entries with 122 entries showing on the tournament clock.
My Stack App Activated
Level 2
: 100/200, 200 ante
PokerNews has activated the My Stack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone.
You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.
Click here to download the My Stack app for iPhone, or click here to download the My Stack app for Android.
Frazier Triples Up
Level 2
: 100/200, 200 ante
The flop read 
in a four-way pot.
Allen Alvarez in the big blind, Matt Frazier in the under-the-gun position, and the player in the hijack all checked to the player in the cutoff who bet 1,200. Alvarez responded with a raise to 5,000 which was called by Frazier and the player in the hijack while the cutoff folded.
The turn brought them the 
, Alvarez bet 10,000 and Frazier called. The player in the hijack shoved and Alvarez asked for a count. The dealer confirmed the shove was for 19,400. Alvarez called with the bigger stack and so did Frazier for the 16,700 he had behind.
Matt Frazier: 
Hijack: 
Allen Alvarez: 
Frazier was sitting on the flush draw, as did Alvarez and the player in the hijack although the latter had already turned a straight too.
The river completed the board with the 
to give Frazier the flush to triple up and for the player in the hijack to earn a double for the 2,700 he had left.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
65,000 | |
|
|
2,000 |