Maryland State Poker Championship Surpasses Guarantees with Record Turnout

The Maryland State Poker Championship (MSPC), sponsored by PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel, concluded after nearly two weeks of intense tournament action at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland. The series, which ran from August 26 to September 7, 2026, featured 16 trophy events and nearly $1.1 million in guaranteed prizes. The event attracted a strong turnout across its schedule, with 3,032 entries generating $1,491,760 in total prize money, 40% above the combined guarantees.

The $500,000-guaranteed Main Event was the headline tournament of the series. Its buy-in was reduced this year from $2,200 to $1,700, and the lower entry fee helped attract 380 entries. That created a $570,000 prize pool, taking the tournament 14% above its guarantee. Justin Arnwine, Daniel Iachan, and Aaron Pinson shared the top prizes in the Main Event, with Iachan taking home the trophy.

Several other tournaments drew substantial fields. Event #2: NLHE, which featured a $600 buy-in and a $250,000 guarantee, recorded the largest field of the series with 728 entries and a $373,464 prize pool. Event #10: Mini-Main had a $220 buy-in, drawing 651 entries and generating a $113,925 prize pool. Event #7: 6-Handed NLH brought in 160 entries for its $400 buy-in. The Seniors event, open to players aged 50 and above, attracted 175 entries and nearly doubled its guarantee, creating a $58,450 prize pool. The Women’s event featured a $300 buy-in and drew 55 entries. The opening H.O.R.S.E. event attracted 90 runners and produced a $30,060 prize pool, while R.O.S.E. drew 55 entries for $18,370 in prize money. Filippos Stavrakis was the only player to win two trophies during the series, taking down both Omaha-based events. PokerStars on FanDuel is giving away an all-expenses-paid EPT Main Event package, with the winner selected at random from the 16 trophy event winners. The 2026 festival marked the eighth edition of the MSPC, with the series first taking place in 2019. PokerStars has sponsored the festival on multiple occasions, but this year’s event carried the PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel branding. Several players reached the Main Event through online qualifiers on PokerStars on FanDuel. The Maryland State Poker Championship was the second live poker festival hosted or sponsored by PokerStars in the US market this year.