The 2022 Spring Series of Poker, hosted by Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, concluded on March 28 with Ake Ngamsa of Virginia Beach taking home the top prize of the Main Event tournament.
Ngamsa was the final, but not the only, winner of the SSOP. Events began on March 16 with players of all skill levels buying in.
Maryland Poker enthusiasts and players from as far away as Romania came to Hanover hoping to cash in, though the most significant winners may have been the town of Hanover and its Maryland casino.
Buy-ins from $200-$2,200
The SSOP at Live! launched on March 16 with a HORSE event featuring a $10,000 guarantee and a $400 buy-in.
Multiple events took place every day, with a Tag-Team tournament featuring the lowest buy-in ($400 per team or $200 per player) and the main event featuring the highest ($2,200).
Notable winners include David McNew of Kingsville, Md., who won $6,954 in the $400 DeepStacks Freezeout, and Zachariah Kates of Ellicott City, who won $4,838 in the $400 QuadStacks Freezeout.
The Main Event
The main event of the SSOP started at 11:15 a.m. ET on March 25. The opening round consisted of two flights, and prospective players could buy in until Flight B ended play at 8 p.m.
With a $2,200 buy-in, players received 40,000 chips to try and win the largest share of a guaranteed $400,000.
Two hundred and sixty-two participants bought in for a prize pool totaling a whopping $512,996.
Those playing multiple flights who qualify for Day 2 are only permitted to play their highest qualifying stack from Day 1. Players could re-enter once per flight.
Days 2 and 3 took place on March 27 and 28. Day 2 started at 11:15 a.m. and was played down to 16 participants. Day 3 kicked off at 2:15 p.m. and played until determining a final winner.
At the end of Day 3, Ngamsa stood tall. His main-event victory yielded $79,666 in actual winnings.
An economic boost
Poker players from across Maryland and the United States came to Maryland for the SSOP. This event will keep the revenue rolling in for Live! Casino.
In February, Live! Casino’s revenue jumped 32% from 2021. With the SSOP, March’s revenue numbers should skyrocket.
With a 310-room hotel and Live! Casino’s proximity to the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, the SSOP should give Hanover and the greater Baltimore area an economic lift.
Upcoming poker events
Maryland poker doesn’t end with the conclusion of the SSOP.
This month, Live! Casino Maryland’s April tournament schedule is loaded with events, including a $130 TripleStacks Turbo at 6:15 p.m. on Easter Sunday.
