The Maryland State Poker Championship (MSPC) sponsored by PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel has come to an end after nearly two weeks of tournament action at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland.
The live series, which ran from August 26 to September 7, featured 16 trophy events and nearly $1.1 million in guaranteed prizes.
The series attracted a strong turnout across its schedule, with 3,032 entries generating $1,491,760 in total prize money. That put the final prize pool almost 40% above the combined guarantees, making it a successful return for the MSPC.
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.
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According to PokerNews, which provided live coverage of the PokerStars Live event, the Main Event ended in a three-way deal. Local professional Justin Arnwine, who PokerNews identifies as the unofficial record holder for the most tournament victories, received the largest share of the deal, taking home $86,167.
Daniel Iachan finished with $78,112 and the Main Event trophy, while Aaron Pinson collected $76,221.
The result was a notable turnaround from last year’s Main Event. The 2025 edition carried a $2,200 buy-in and attracted only 228 entries, leaving the tournament short of its $500,000 guarantee. The organizers had to cover the difference themselves to avoid an overlay.
This year, reducing the buy-in to $1,700 produced a very different result. The tournament not only avoided an overlay but also exceeded the $500,000 guarantee by $70,000.
Strong Turnout Across Schedule
The Main Event was only one of 16 trophy events on the Maryland State Poker Championship schedule, with several other tournaments drawing 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. The turnout created a $373,464 prize pool. Event #10: Mini-Main also attracted a large field, with the $220 buy-in tournament drawing 651 entries and generating a $113,925 prize pool. Event #7: 6-Handed NLH, meanwhile, brought in 160 entries for its $400 buy-in.
The restricted-field tournaments also produced solid numbers. 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 schedule also included a couple of mixed-game tournaments. 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. He took down both Omaha-based events, winning Mixed Omaha and Big O to become the festival’s only double-event winner.
As revealed previously, PokerStars on FanDuel is also giving away an all-expenses-paid EPT Main Event package, with the winner selected at random from the 16 trophy event winners. The prize includes a €5,300 EPT Main Event entry, hotel accommodation, and travel expenses to an EPT festival of the winner’s choice. It is not yet known which of the 16 winners receives the package.
Eighth Edition of MSPC
By the time the final trophy was awarded, the Maryland State Poker Championship had generated $1,491,760 in prize money from 3,032 entries across the 16 events.
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 following the operator’s transition to the FanDuel Poker platform in the US online poker market earlier this year. It was the first Maryland State Poker Championship sponsorship under the new branding.
Several players reached the Main Event through online qualifiers on PokerStars on FanDuel, giving the platform a direct role in sending players to the live series. The success of the qualifiers could lead to more online routes into future editions of the festival.
The Maryland State Poker Championship was also only the second live poker festival hosted or sponsored by PokerStars in the US market this year. Earlier in 2026, the operator held PokerStars Open Philadelphia at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia.
With the Maryland festival now complete, PokerStars has another successful live series under its new FanDuel branding, while the strong turnout for the MSPC Main Event provides a clear indication of the impact a lower buy-in can have on participation.
Maryland State Poker Championship Results 2026
| Event | Buy-in | Guarantee | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1: H.O.R.S.E | $400 | $15,000 | 90 | $30,060 | Cameron Tahmasebi |
| #2: NLHE | $600 | $250,000 | 728 | $373,464 | Joshua Mischel |
| #3: Mixed Omaha | $400 | N/A | 67 | $22,378 | Filippos Stavrakis |
| #4: 5-Card PLO | $400 | $15,000 | 52 | $17,368 | Ellis Wong |
| #5: R.O.S.E | $400 | $15,000 | 55 | $18,370 | Eric Lucas |
| #6: Freezeout | $400 | $15,000 | 67 | $22,378 | Eric Davis |
| #7: Six-Max | $400 | $30,000 | 160 | $53,440 | Brian Fuchs |
| #8: NLHE Turbo | $200 | $10,000 | 56 | $10,000 | Scott Sommer |
| #9: Seniors (50+) | $400 | $30,000 | 175 | $58,450 | Maclaren Chatham |
| #10: Mini-Main | $220 | $100,000 | 651 | $113,925 | Vladimir Grechnikov |
| #11: MSPC Main Event | $1,700 | $500,000 | 380 | $570,000 | Daniel Iachan |
| #12: Women’s NLH | $300 | $10,000 | 55 | $13,475 | Gina Tuttle |
| #13: Big O | $400 | $15,000 | 72 | $24,048 | Filippos Stavrakis |
| #14: Live! Stacks | $1,100 | $40,000 | 79 | $76,630 | Jeffrey Yanchek |
| #15: Quadstack NLH | $200 | $10,000 | 156 | $24,648 | Roy Kim |
| #16: Deepstack | $400 | $40,000 | 189 | $63,126 | Richard Pezeshkian |
