Justin Arnwine Bags Big Chip Lead on Day 1a of the RGPS Grand Prix Maryland Main Event
Justin Arnwine is easy to spot in a tournament room. The colorful Maryland-based pro can usually be found sporting a Hello Kitty-themed outfit, but he stood out today on Day 1a of the $1,700 RunGood Poker Series Grand Prix Maryland Main Event for another reason: his massive chip stack.
Arnwine ended the first starting flight as the overwhelming chip leader with 801,000, as nine players out of 67 entries survived to bag up for Day 2 on November 2. Arnwine was helped by a series of massive all in confrontations, first spiking a straight on the river to crack an opponent’s two aces, then hitting an ace on the flop to beat Brandon Friedman’s two kings. A hand after losing a chunk of his stack after running his tens into Morgan Petro’s kings, Arnwine got it right back by winning a big flip against Michael Lisman’s jacks.
Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Arnwine | United States | 801,000 | 134 |
| 2 | Nicholas Rigby | United States | 561,500 | 94 |
| 3 | Kashka Corpening | United States | 329,000 | 55 |
| 4 | Morgan Petro | United States | 284,000 | 47 |
| 5 | Jeffrey Chang | United States | 217,000 | 36 |
| 6 | Russell Brooks | United States | 156,000 | 26 |
| 7 | Lara Eisenberg | United States | 125,000 | 21 |
| 8 | Nathan Bomey | United States | 117,000 | 20 |
| 9 | Changfeng Fan | United States | 99,000 | 17 |
Arnwine will try to convert his chip lead into a victory once play resumes on Sunday, something he knows how to do. He has nearly 150 tournament victories on his career resume, many of them here at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill. Most of his results have come in small buy-in events, but Arnwine has still managed to compile nearly $1.3 million in live earnings.
Nicholas Rigby ended up in second place with 561,500. The Pennsylvania pro, who first shot to fame by playing the “Dirty Diaper” three-deuce, used his relentless aggressive style to quickly amass a big stack after entering right after the dinner break. He quadrupled his starting stack within 30 minutes, then flopped a wheel to bust Christopher Caruso. A hand later, he picked up queens to take out Caitlin Comeskey, then had two jacks against Adam Glasgow’s fours for another knockout. Rigby finally brought the night to a close by rivering a straight to bust Nicholas Eckhart on the money bubble. Rigby already has an RGPS title to his name, taking down the RGPS Grand Prix Southern Indiana Main Event in August for $52,323.
Kash Corpening was on the fortunate end of the most highlight-worthy pot of the day, showing down two aces against two opponents both holding two kings on one of the first levels. He then doubled up off Rigby on the money bubble to finish with 329,000 and in third place. Petro (284,000) and Jeffrey Chang (217,000) round out the top five, while WSOP bracelet winner Lara Eisenberg (125,000) also survived the day.
Day 1a ended with seven minutes remaining in Level 15 with blinds of 3,000/6,000 and a 6,000 big blind ante. The action on Day 2 picks up on the earliest finishing time for one of the starting flights. Day 1b begins tomorrow at 11:15 a.m., while Day 1c is on November 1. All surviving players return on November 2 at 12:15 p.m. for the event’s final day, with everyone already in the money.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow following all the action from the second starting flight of the RGPS Grand Prix Maryland.