The two starting flights of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Maryland at Live! Casino Main Event are in the books and Brian Altman, the Day 1A leader, is still in the pole position (and as I have commented before, yes, it is “Maryland at Live! Casino, however awkward that is). Rajasekar Govindan came out on top of Day 1B with 220,400, a far cry from Altman’s 307,800.
Day 1B saw 176 entries, bringing the total field to 393. 89 players from Day 1B made it to Day 2; 204 survived from both Day 1’s altogether. Registration remains open until the beginning of Level 11 during Day 2 and the tournament allows for unlimited re-entries, so expect the total field to expand. Those who were eliminated on Day 1A or Day 1B can also try again on Day 2.
One interesting tidbit about Day 1 is that the WPT Maryland at Live! Casino Main Event, like some other tournaments, not only lets players enter Day 1B if they are knocked out of Day 1A, but also lets players give Day 1B a shot even if they survived Day 1A. As it turned out, Ed Sebesta was the only player in the tournament to make it through both starting flights with chips.
Sebesta finished Day 1A of the Main Event with 44,100, just ten percent more than his starting stack. He decided that it was worth $3,500 to give it another try and so far, that $3,500 was well worth it. Sebesta made it through Day 1B with 177,700 chips, good for fourth place on the flight and seventh place overall. We’ll see if it ultimately pays off in a cash.
Because the registration for the tournament closes during Day 2, the payout structure and total prize pool has yet to be announced. The plan for Monday is to play through ten hour-long levels with a one-hour dinner break. The money bubble may burst before the end of the night, but it will be close.
2019 World Poker Tour Maryland at Live! Casino – Day 1A Chip Leaders
- Brian Altman – 307,800
- Gansukh Sandagsuren – 221,000
- Carlos Requena – 218,500
- Ryan D’Angelo – 157,800
- Joe McKeehen – 153,600
- Lara Eisenberg – 151,300
- Jason Emmons – 144,000
- Frank Funaro – 141,200
- Darren Elias – 139,800
- Aaron Van Blarcum – 136,900
2019 World Poker Tour Maryland at Live! Casino – Day 1B Chip Leaders
- Rajasekar Govindan – 220,400
- Ken Adams – 200,900
- Ronald Hunt – 181,100
- Ed Sebesta – 177,700
- Dustin Semonavick – 171,700
- Marcos Exterkotter – 165,400
- Tom Barrett – 161,200
- Bryant Miller – 158,200
- Stephen Deutsch – 150,500
- Timothy Little – 149,300
2019 World Poker Tour Maryland at Live! Casino – Combined Day 1 Chip Leaders
- Brian Altman – 307,800
- Gansukh Sandagsuren – 221,000
- Rajasekar Govindan – 220,400
- Carlos Requena – 218,500
- Ken Adams – 200,900
- Ronald Hunt – 181,100
- Ed Sebesta – 177,700
- Dustin Semonavick – 171,700
- Marcos Exterkotter – 165,400
- Tom Barrett – 161,200
