We’re on to Day 2 of the 2017 World Poker Tour (WPT) Maryland Live! Main Event, as the second of two starting flights concluded last night at the Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover. Day 1B drew approximately 50 percent more entrants than did Day 1A; more than 200 entries were logged on the first starting flight and more than 300 were recorded for the second. The total field to this point is 528, with 211 players making it to Day 2. Players can still register up until the start of Day 2, which is right about now, as this is being written. We should know the exact registration figures, prize pool, and payout structure a bit later.
Joseph Cashen emerged as the chip leader of Day 1B and his 221,200 chips put him atop the overall leaderboard, as well. In these types of tournaments, we often see one or two players get out to huge leads after Day 1, but in this case, the top of the leaderboard is quite condensed. After Cashen on the combined Day 1 leaderboard is Zachary Donovan with 215,700 chips, Ari Engel with 210,400, Jesse Rockowitz with 200,300, and three more players with more than 190,000 chips.
Cashen was one of the players to take advantage of the re-entry rules, as he busted out during Level 5 on Sunday, victimized by an opponent’s pocket Aces. He bought back in, but even then he struggled, seeing his starting stack of 30,000 quickly get chopped by more than half. In Level 6, though, he started his comeback. WPT.com picked up the proceedings in the middle of a hand with the board reading Q-9-8-8. One player bet 4,500, Vivian Leslie called, and then Cashen moved all-in for 10,275 chips. The original bettor called and Leslie folded. Cashen had A-8 for turned trips, while his opponent held T-8 suited, for the same, but with a worse kicker. The river was a King, improving neither hand and allowing Cashen to grow his stack to just above its starting point.
“I ran pretty well here today on my second bullet,” Cashen told WPT.com afterward. “I was in for two [buy-ins] yesterday, too. A couple guys went all in a little weak and I had the nuts, so that helped. I ran good, enjoyed the day. I had a lot of fun playing here with all the guys.”
As mentioned, Day 2 is just getting underway at Maryland Live! Casino.
2017 World Poker Tour Maryland Live! Main Event – Day 1B Chip Leaders
1. Joseph Cashen – 221,200
2. Ari Engel – 210,400
3. Cherish Andrews – 205,000
4. Richard Foster – 204,000
5. Ben Eilers – 197,800
6. Art Papazyan – 195,700
7. Ashraf Fahim – 178,500
8. Dan Heimiller – 171,000
9. Jon Gilliam – 164,300
10. Belgica Dardon – 153,800
2017 World Poker Tour Maryland Live! Main Event – Overall Day 1 Chip Leaders
1. Joseph Cashen – 221,200
2. Zachary Donovan – 215,700
3. Ari Engel – 210,400
4. Jesse Rockowitz – 200,300
5. Ben Eilers – 197,800
6. Art Papazyan – 195,700
7. Richard Foster – 194,900
8. Robert Sherry – 181,200
9. Ashraf Fahim – 178,500
10. Dan Heimiller – 178,000
