Day 1 of $1,100 NLH is underway in the MGM National Harbor Poker Room, and the field is already growing with hopes of passing the $100,000 guarantee.
There are 82 runners so far in the field for the two-day event, which will play to a winner on Friday.
The field includes family man Clint Houck, who finished 47th in the $500 Monumental Stack for $754. Let's see if he can get his kids in another winner's photo this time around.
One of the grossest runouts of the summer just took place deep in a poker tournament at Maryland's MGM National Harbor.
The hand between Linda Swears and Kyle Dishongh took place with just 18 players remaining in the $100,000 Monumental Stack at the 2026 Potomac Summer Poker Open.
Swears flopped a set to give Dishongh only a 5% chance of winning the hand, but the dealer had other plans.
Here's the hand as reported by PokerNews live reporter David Salituro:
Valentin Lita raised to 210,000 under the gun and Linda Swears three-bet to 320,000 on the button. Kyle Dishongh then moved all in for 760,000 in the small blind, and only Swears called.
Kyle Dishongh: A♦9♠ 
Linda Swears: 7♥7♦
Dishongh hit top pair on the A♣3♠7♠ flop, but Swears spiked a set to leave Dishongh drawing thin. He picked up some hope on the 9♥ turn, while the A♠ fell on the river to give him a full house and the miracle double up.
Swears quickly recovered by winning a flip to eliminate Day 1a chip leader Matthew Faust. She now leads the remaining 13 players with a stack of 5,500,000.
Dennis Backhaus was excited to make Day 2 of the $500 Monumental Stack, but the cards weren't kind to him today.
The Virginian told PokerNews he suffered two bad beats, including when he got rivered with ace-queen against the ace-jack of Russell Sherry. He ended up finishing in 37th place for $754.
But it has still been a summer to remember for Backhaus' camp. He spent the first week of August in Las Vegas on the rail of Lucas Jumalon, cheering the 22-year-old to a $10 million victory in the WSOP Main Event.
Backhaus, who was wearing a colorful lego-themed tracksuit and matching bucket hat, is a music connoisseur and a fan of the Swedish metal band Amon Amarth. The Scandanavian death metallers like singing about Norse gods, but it was the poker gods that were shining on Backhaus' friend group this summer.
The $100,000 guaranteed $500 Monumental Stack has reached its final three tables.
Those still in contention include current chip leader James Freeman, Day 1a chip leader Matthew Faust, Day 1b chip leader Shahab Shirazi and Linda Swears with her sentimental card protector.
Follow PokerNews' live updates of the event here.
Linda Swears has been playing the Potomac Summer Poker Open with a special card protector in front of her, one dedicated to her late boyfriend and fellow poker player Jordan Fishman.
"He's here with me all the time," Swears told PokerNews earlier in the series.
The card protector seems to be a good luck charm for Swears, who is among the 25 players remaining in Day 2 of the $500 Monumental Stack. Her stack received a big boost earlier today as she turned a set to crack the queens of Joshua Mischel, as captured by PokerNews live reporter David Salituro.
Let's see if Swears can take down the event for $36,428 and get a winner's photo with her special card protector.
It's time for another day of tournament poker action here at the 2026 Potomac Summer Poker Open in Maryland. Today will see the completion of $500 Monumental Stack, as well as the start of another two-day event and one single-day event.
Day 1 of $1,100 NLH kicks off at 1 p.m. local time. The two-day event, which will play to a winner on Friday, comes with a $100,000 guarantee attached.
Meanwhile, $300 Double Board PLO Bomb Pot will get underway this evening at 7 p.m. and will play to a winner. Expect a late night for that one.
There is also another satellite running, giving players a chance to get in the $750,000 guaranteed Main Event for cheap. The $250 Main Event Super Satellite, which guarantees five seats, will get underway at 5 p.m.
| Time | Buy-In | Event | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. | — | Event 10 Day 2 | Restart |
| 1 p.m. | $1,100 | NLH | $100,000 |
| 5 p.m. | $250 | Main Event Super Satellite | 5 Seats Guaranteed |
| 7 p.m. | $300 | Double Board PLO Bomb Pot | $10,000 |
The two starting flights of $500 Monumental Stack have combined for Day 2 here at the 2026 Potomac Summer Poker Open.
Action kicked off at 11 a.m. with 52 players remaining and Shahab Shirazi leading the way. Other big stacks include Matthew Faust, Jong Han, Edward Tufarelli, and Rick Aasen.
PokerNews is live reporting the Day 2 action, and you can follow along here.
In a three-way limped pot, Solomon Tibebu shoved from the small blind on a flop of 5♦Q♦8♠ and the under-the-gun player quickly called for his last 150,000.
All-In Player: K♠K♦
Solomon Tibebu: Q♥7♥
The at-risk player was ahead with his kings as the turn came the 2♠, but Tibebu spiked the 7♣ on the river to make two pair and send his opponent to the rail on the bubble.
The remaining 29 players are bagging up their chips for the night.
Timothy Conrow moved all in for 650,000 from the cutoff and MacLaren Chatham put him at risk in middle position.
Timothy Conrow: K♥K♦
MacLaren Chatham: J♣J♠
Conrow had Chatham crushed with his kings, and he ended up making a flush on the 10♣8♦2♦9♦6♦ board to secure the double up and leave Chatham on an extreme short stack.
Chatham was eliminated shortly afterward, while Robert Colucci also busted to bring the field within two spots of the money
At the same table, Shahab Shirazi is currently sitting on the biggest stack in the room with more than 2,000,000.
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