The second-ever MSPT stop in Ohio continued on Friday with the second of three starting flights in the $1,100 buy-in, $300K GTD Cleveland Poker Open. Day 1B brought 265 entrants to JACK Cleveland Casino, again crushing last year’s Day 1B flight of 182 entries. With 422 entrants total after two flights, the state record for largest prize pool and and number of entrants for a single tournament, that was set by this very event last year, looks like it will be shattered with one flight remaining. After 15 levels of play only 41 remained with Igor Ioffe and his stack of 334,000 on top of the counts. Ioffe, from Reminderville, Ohio, has only six recorded cashes on Hendon Mob, but three of those were deep runs in the WSOP Main Event, showing that Ioffe has the chops to navigate huge fields.

Other big stacks include Vitaliy Neyman (318,500), Michael Pempin (291,500), Matt Harvey (240,500), and two-time WSOP Bracelet winner Adam Friedman (234,000). Some other notables that found a bag include Dante Powell (226,500), Minnesota’s Marc Harrell (177,500) and Sherry Hammers (161,000), John Mingus (143,500), Nick Davidson (140,500), Chris Moon (84,500), Alex Winter (65,500), and Mikiyo Aoki (63,500).

Not everyone was fortunate enough to survive to Day 2, including two-time MSPT champs Jason Zarlenga and Andy Rubinberg, two former MSPT POY winners Chris Meyers and Pat Steele, MSPT champs Ken Baime and Keith Heine, young phenom Ian Matakis, Brad Sailor, Season 9 MSPT Canterbury Park Finale runner-up Ronnie Lamb, and Gary Herstein.

Those players, as well as any newcomers, have one last chance to make Day 2. The third and final flight, Day 1C, will take place at the same time on Saturday. The surviving players from each flight will then return at 11 a.m. on Sunday to play down to a winner.

Join us tomorrow as we continue to bring you all the action and eliminations straight from the tournament floor of the JACK Cleveland Casino!