Welcome to Day 1a of Mid-States Poker Tour Maryland Live! Casino
The Mid-States Poker Tour comes into a new venue and a fresh market with an event starting today at Maryland Live! Casino, one of the premier poker destinations on the East Coast. The tour rolls in with considerable momentum, having drawn one of the largest fields in tour history at Potawatomi with 635 players. That event was won by Jason Mirza, who took down a first-place prize of $147,529.
Unlike some other MSPT events, this one begins on Thursday and features three starting flights rather than the usual two. Cards are scheduled to fly at 4:15 local time for Day 1a, with 14 levels on the docket. Things begin with blinds of 50/100 and 40-levels, and each player will begin with 20,000 in starting chips. Ten-minute breaks are given every three levels, and each player is allowed one reentry per starting flight.
The usual MSPT crowd might be mostly absent at an event so far from the tour's epicenter, but one thing we can be sure of is the presence of MSPT team pros Matt Alexander and Blake Bohn. Currently Player of the Year points leader Mark Hodge has also made the trip. We'll keep an eye on all of them as Day 1a unfolds.