The 2019 Card Player Poker Tour Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland $200,000 guaranteed $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event kicked off at 12:15 p.m. local time on Friday, Nov. 1. A total of 66 entries were made throughout day 1A, with late-registration and re-entry still available through the start of day 2 at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3. After 12 levels of action, the 66-entry turnout was narrowed down to just 20 players that moved on to day 2.

Richie Smith bagged up the largest stack of the day with his 349,000 representing just shy of nine starting stacks. The Edgewater, MD resident is no stranger to success at Live! Hotel & Casino Maryland. He won a $225,000 guaranteed $550 buy-in event back in 2014, topping a field of 499 entries to win $60,466.

Other big stacks from day 1A include Sonny Lee (233,000), Chris Caruso (199,000), Undrakh Dovdontseren (196,000), and Rajasekar Govindan (176,000).

The most accomplished player in the field today was inarguably two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Joe McKeehen. The Wales, PA native won the 2015 WSOP main event for $7,683,346. He will be looking to add to his career live earnings of just shy of $16.4 million with a deep run in this event. He bagged up 75,000 heading into day 2.

Timothy Little has been on quite the run so far at the 2019 CPPT Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland series. He has made three final tables already, including earning a win in the $20,000 guaranteed $300 buy-in seniors event.

Day 1B will start at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2. Players will begin with 40,000 in chips with initial blinds of 100-100. Blind levels will last 40 minutes throughout the day, with 12 levels on the schedule and 15-minute breaks planned after every third level.

Here is a look at the chip counts for the remaining 20 players:

With a final board of J82K10 Lara Eisenberg moved all-in for arounhd 57,000.

Kevin Ryan thought it over before eventually calling for his tournament life with AA.

Eisenberg revealed the KJ for a turned two pair. With that she took down the pot and sent Ryan to the rail. Eisenberg now sits with 176,000.

With a flop of 932 Sonny Lee checked and Lara Eisenberg bet 7,000. Richie Smith raised to 18,000 on her direct left. The player who was last to act moved all-in for 57,100.

It folded around to Smith and he went into the tank. After some thought, he made the call with 98 for top pair. He was up against the AK for two overcards and a flush draw.

The turn was the 3 and the river the 4, securing the siable pot for Smith. He chipped up to 358,000 and sent his opponent to the rail in the process.

The player in the hijack raised to 3,300 and Richie Smith called from the button. Undrakh Dovdontseren called from the big blind and the flop came down KQ4.

Dovdontseren checked, the initial raised bet 3,500 and Smith called. Dovdontseren also made the call and the turn brought the A. Dovdontseren bet 10,000 and both his opponents called. The river was the 7 and Dovdontseren fired out 25,000, The player in the hijack folded and Smith thought it over for a while before check-raising to 60,000.

Dovdontseren went into the tank. After a while, Smith said, “You ain’t never folded to me in your life.”

Dovdontseren ultimately made the call with 96 for a flush and beat out Smith, who had turned a straight with the J10. Dovdontseren took down the huge pot and increased his stack to 233,000.

Smith is still the largest stack in the room with over 270,000.

With a few bustouts happening in rapid succession, the field has been narrowed to 27 players, prompting the tournament staff to break the fourth table in action and combine the remaining 27 onto just three tables.