button in SafariPatrick Martorella Grabs the Final Table Chip Lead on Day 2 of the Potomac Summer Poker Open $3,000 Main Event
Patrick Martorella raced to a double up on the first hand of the final table, and he ended the night atop the leaderboard as the final six were set on Day 2 of the Potomac Summer Poker Open $3,000 Main Event.
Once the nine-handed final table was set, Martorella was all in for 975,000 on the first hand and racing with ace-king against Nicholas Verderamo’s jacks. Martorella hit trips on the flop, and then improved to a full house on the river to secure the double up. The New York native kept climbing from there, and by the time Verderamo was eliminated in seventh place to bring Day 2 to a close, Martorella had moved atop the leaderboard with 3,805,000.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Martorella | United States | 3,805,000 | 63 |
| 2 | Phong Nguyen | United States | 3,750,000 | 63 |
| 3 | Justin Liberto | United States | 3,530,000 | 59 |
| 4 | Kyle Smith | United States | 2,840,000 | 47 |
| 5 | Jonathan Moritz | United States | 1,610,000 | 27 |
| 6 | Chris Kiani | United States | 1,290,000 | 22 |
Just one big blind, however, separates him from Phong Nguyen in second place. Nguyen bagged up 3,750,000, while Justin Liberto rounds out the podium with 3,530,000. Liberto already has more than $8 million in live earnings on his impressive poker resume, including winning his second WSOP bracelet earlier this summer.
Kyle Smith (2,840,000), Jonathan Moritz (1,610,000), and Chris Kiani (1,290,000) complete the lineup that will return to the MGM National Harbor poker room tomorrow at 1 p.m. local time to battle for the trophy. Moritz earned his seat into this event in a BetMGM online qualifier and has already locked up $37,204 for making it this far out of the 280-player field.
Day 2 began with 58 players, but only 35 would make the money. Faraz Jaka was the first bustout of the day, while Kyle Lin, Elia Ahmadian, and Christian Harder also fell short of the money. Yabetse Wedeneh and James Morris were both all in on the money bubble, but Thomas Barry hit top pair to send them both to the rail. Morris had Wedeneh covered by just 1,000, and that made all the difference between a min-cash for 35th place and Wedeneh leaving with nothing as the bubble boy.
Conservative pundit and podcast host Tim Pool sneaked into the money and finished in 34th place, while Yonnas Banteamlak (30th), Ari Katz (28th), Michael Bohmerwald (25th), and last year’s fourth-place finisher Samuel Rosen (20th) soon followed. Dejan Ristov qualified for just $25 online, and turned that investment into $9,232 for a 16th-place finish. Day 1a chip leader David Van Noy fell in 14th, while Waleed Mian, who began as an overwhelming chip leader, busted in 12th when he lost a race with tens against Liberto’s ace-queen.
Casey Hatmaker was the first casualty of the final table, and Nguyen then counterfeited Kevin Kwak's sevens to send him out in eighth. Nguyen also busted Verderamo, and the final six bagged up their chips for tomorrow.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $154,006 | ||
| 2 | $112,048 | ||
| 3 | $83,320 | ||
| 4 | $60,640 | ||
| 5 | $48,544 | ||
| 6 | $37,204 | ||
| 7 | Nicholas Verderamo | United States | $28,132 |
| 8 | Kevin Kwak | United States | $20,118 |
| 9 | Casey Hatmaker | United States | $14,902 |
The action at the final table picks up with 36 minutes remaining in Level 25 with blinds of 30,000/60,000 and a 60,000 big blind ante. The eventual champion will earn $154,006 out of the $756,000 prize pool.
PokerNews will be following along throughout the final table, so be sure to return tomorrow for all the action.