After a chip lead on Day 2 at the $ 1,700 Main Event, Daniel Iachan moved into pole position for the Maryland State Poker Championship. He made a late push and collected 5,140,000 at the end of the day. This put him ahead of the remaining field.
Five other players will join the Maryland native at the finale as they compete for the $111,000 first-place prize. Iachan enters the finale with $630,000 in live career earnings, yet to secure his first live tournament victory.
Daniel Iachan Builds Chip Lead With Late-Day Charge
Iachan ended strongly after gaining two crucial coin-flip situations late in the session on the second day. He first won with ace-king against John Hall’s pocket queens before picking up pocket jacks against Nicholas Verderamo’s ace-king. The latter half brought the day to a close and secured Iachan the top spot to the final six players.
Iachan ended with 5,140,000 chips, which is equivalent to 171 big blinds. Justin Arwine is in second position with 2,990,000 chips, followed by Kevin Grabel with 2,620,000 and Valentina Lita with 2,470,000. Aaron Pinson and Robert Salera complete the final two contestants with 1,090,000 and 895,000, respectively. Iachan has a momentous record, including back-to-back deep finishes within the top 100 of the last two WSOP Main Events. Despite $630,000 in live career earnings, he is yet to acquire a live tournament title.
Arnwine possesses more title-winning experience in the finale. He has 150 poker titles and $2.1 million in live earnings. His run seemed close to the finish when the final nine players were declared. Arnwine was all in for 980,000 with ace-queen on a queen-high board against Boris Kravets, who turned two pairs. Arnwine was near eviction before an ace arrived on the river. This helped him gain aces and queens, allowing him to double up. Known for his unique Hello Kitty attire, Arnwine ended the second day at 2,990,000.
Vincent also adds noticeable tournament experience. His prior results include a WPT final table at Live Casino Maryland in 2018 and a runner-up finish in the WPT Prime Championship in Las Vegas in 2023.
Six Players Compete for $111,000 Top Spot
The second day began with 49 players, with a starting field of 380. Every remaining contestant was guaranteed a portion of the $570,000 prize pool. Multiple players were knocked out throughout the tournament, including Diane Zimmerman in 46th place, Ari Katz in 41st, Michael Bohmerwald in 32nd, and Brandon Mueller in 21st.
The most dramatic eviction of the day was Dominic Lake. Lake hit a set on the turn to advance Jeffrey Boyd. Boyd completed a full house on the river to evict him in 37th place. Previous chip leaders were also unable to reach the top six. Day 1a chip leader Matthew Zambanini was knocked out in 15th position. Pinson eliminated start-of-the-day chip leader Christopher Kennedy in 12th.
Iachan continued his growth by hitting a king on the river to evict John Palermino in 10th place and create the no-handed final table. Neal Liptak was the player to be knocked out from the final table, finishing ninth for $11,100. Kravets followed in eighth place for $14,000 after he couldn’t recover from his prior defeat against Arnwine. Verderamo was evicted in seventh place for $18,000, bringing the second day to an end.
The last six players will each receive at least $23,000, while the winner will take $111,000 home. The runner-up will get $75,000, with $55,000, $41,000 and $31,000 going to third, fourth, and fifth place. The remaining six will return at 1:15 pm local time with 48 minutes remaining in Level 23. Blinds will resume at 15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 big blind table tax.
With the stack, alleged to be worth more than 80 big blinds, the final table could take some time to declare a winner. Iachan will enter with a bigger lead, but Arnwine’s experience and a deep stack at the table leave the title within reach for all six players.
