Day 1 Recap: "Abelnator," "Sureloc4444" and Eric “alwaysliquid” Vanauken Winners in Event #1: $535 Warm-up
BetMGM's March Poker Mania kicked off today in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania with four tournaments running in each of the respective states.
The series, hosted by acclaimed poker pros Darren Elias, Matt Berkey, and Andrew Neeme, began with Event #1: $535 Warm-up, which attracted hundreds of players across the three states.
In Michigan, "Sureloc4444" got through a field of 73 players to win $13,132 for the lion's share of the guaranteed $40,000 prize pool after less than that, $36,500, was collected. Other players who made deep runs in the event include "coNNB" (2nd - $7,400), "opppps" (3rd - $5,240) and "YourwifesBF" (4th - $4,040).
"Abelnator" took down the Pennsylvania tournament, meanwhile, to earn $13,281 from an event that had 85 runners and generated $42,500 in prize money. Those runners included "TheTunaMan" (2nd - $7,438), "Whitey1199 (3rd - $5,419) and "CaptainLevi" (4th - $4,038).
The opening event in New Jersey generated $51,500 in prize money off of 103 entrants. Eric “alwaysliquid” Vanauken took the event down for $15,193 after getting through a field that included "Gags30" (2nd - $8,961), "ZenRead" (3rd - $6,438) and "Core4" (4th - $4,841).
Vanauken has a stellar record playing the partypoker US Online Network series that includes winning back-to-back titles twice in July 2020.
New Jersey native Elias, who will host a meet-up at the BetMGM Sportsbook at Borgata Hotel, Casino, and Spa on March 24, found a fifth-place finish worth $3,734.
The first day of March Poker Mania continued with Event #2: $109 Half-price PKO, which "mangocoin" won in Michigan for $6,039, including $2,776 in bounties. The Michigan event attracted 246 runners and had a guarantee of $30,000 with $24,600 collected.
"phillytaxguy" won the Pennsylvania event for $6,730, including $3,375 in bounties, after getting through a field of 85 runners with a prize pool of $30,000 with $23,600 collected.
In New Jersey, the curiously named "DixonKuntz" got through 308 runners to win $7,240, including $3,411 in bounties, of the $35,000 prize pool.
Event #3: $55 Phase I to Phase II Main Event awarded 21 tickets to the second phase. The Michigan event awarded 11 tickets, while the Pennsylvania and New Jersey events each awarded five tickets.
The day wrapped up with Event #4: $215 NLH Turbo, which "rickystackerz77" took down for $6,250. The tournament had 88 runners to generate $17,600 to keep the prize pool at the guaranteed $20,000.
"davelower2" finished first for $5,900 in the Pennsylvania event, which had 97 entrants and generated $19,400 in prize money, just under the guaranteed $20,000.
In New Jersey, "Wyeth" found a first-place finish worth $7,813 after getting through 88 runners. The tournament generated $16,400 to stay under the $25,000 guarantee.
The full results from the first day of BetMGM's March Poker Mania are available below. PokerNews will continue bringing you updates on the action throughout the online series.
BetMGM March Poker Mania Michigan Day 1 Results
| DATE | STATE | EVENT | ENTRIES | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
| March 20 | MI | Event #1: $535 Warm-up | 73 | $40,000 | "Sureloc4444" | $13,132 | |
| March 20 | MI | Event #2: $109 Half-price PKO | 246 | $30,000 | "mangocoin" | $6,039 | |
| March 20 | MI | Event #3: $55 Phase I to Phase II Main Event | 83 | $4,150 | "CavemanMpn" | Ticket | |
| March 20 | MI | Event #4: $215 NLH Turbo | 88 | $20,000 | "rickystackerz77" | $6,250 |
BetMGM March Poker Mania Pennsylvania Day 1 Results
| DATE | STATE | EVENT | ENTRIES | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
| March 20 | PA | Event #1: $535 Warm-up | 85 | $42,500 | "Abelnator" | $13,281 | |
| March 20 | PA | Event #2: $109 Half-price PKO | 236 | $30,000 | "phillytaxguy" | $6,730 | |
| March 20 | PA | Event #3: $55 Phase I to Phase II Main Event | 54 | $2,700 | "LetMeWin3437" | Ticket | |
| March 20 | PA | Event #4: $215 NLH Turbo | 97 | $20,000 | "davelower2" | $5,900 |
BetMGM March Poker Mania New Jersey Day 1 Results
| DATE | STATE | EVENT | ENTRIES | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
| March 20 | NJ | Event #1: $535 Warm-up | 103 | $51,500 | Eric “alwaysliquid” Vanauken | $15,193 | |
| March 20 | NJ | Event #2: $109 Half-price PKO | 308 | $35,000 | "DixonKuntz" | $7,240 | |
| March 20 | NJ | Event #3: $55 Phase I to Phase II Main Event | 40 | $2,000 | "GlennQuagmire" | Ticket | |
| March 20 | NJ | Event #4: $215 NLH Turbo | 82 | $25,000 | "Wyeth" | $7,813 |