There were a number of interesting storylines when cards got into the air at the start of the Season XV World Poker Tour Maryland Live! Main Event final table. Darren Elias was attempting to win his third WPT title. Cate Hall was appearing at her second consecutive WPT Maryland Live! final table after taking fifth in this tournament one year ago. And Benjamin Zamani was appearing at his third final table in 10 weeks to take a runaway lead in the Hublot WPT Player of the Year race.
The final table had other ideas for tonight’s headline, though, and Hall, Zamani, and Elias were the first three players to fall in succession. Online professional Mario Silvestri then fell in third place to set up a heads-up final between the two players making their first WPT final-table appearance.
In the end it was Zachary Smiley who defeated Ryan Belz in a final duel that lasted just over an hour.
Season XV WPT Maryland Live! Results
1st: Zachary Smiley – $356,536
2nd: Ryan Belz – $239,412
3rd: Mario Silvestri – $153,983
4th: Darren Elias – $113,905
5th: Benjamin Zamani – $85,429
6th: Cate Hall – $68,554
WPT reporter Brittany Paige caught up with Smiley to ask him a few questions, and he was all smiles after the victory. Ironically, Smiley admitted that he doesn’t play poker that often, but when he does he plays at the Hollywood Casino in Toledo, Ohio. He just dropped out of medical school last Monday and happened to be in the Baltimore area, so Smiley decided to buy into the tournament and take a shot since he loves Maryland Live! Casino. Outside of poker, Smiley likes to spend his time hanging out with friends.
When Paige asked him about playing in the WPT Tournament of Champions at the end of the season, he replied, “I can’t even process it. It’s going to be crazy.”
The final table started the same way the play-down day ended, with a slow period of play punctuated by double ups. Smiley (twice) and Hall were the beneficiaries of the doubles this time around. There were also two chops during the early stretch of play, and the tournament did not lose a player for the first two hours of play.
Hall was the first player to fall when her 
couldn’t find help against the pocket sixes of Belz. She took home $68,554 in sixth place for her second deep run at this stop.
Zamani was the next player to fall when his pocket eights couldn’t top the pocket queens of Belz or the 
of Smiley on a board that flopped an ace. Zamani took home $85,429 in fifth place, and he now holds a commanding lead in the Hublot WPT POY race with 2,500 points — James Mackey is second with 1,250.
The run of quick eliminations continued when Elias moved all in with the 
, but he was dominated by the 
of Silvestri, who made a club flush on the board. Elias was eliminated in fourth place, good for $113,905.
Silvestri was the next player to fall when his 
was dominated by the 
of Smiley. The board missed them both and Silvestri was eliminated in third place, good for $153,983.
That set up a heads-up final that few saw coming. Smiley stormed into the final match with the chip lead, holding 10.305 million for a nearly 2-1 chip advantage over Belz’s 6.345 million. Smiley steadily increased his lead over the course of an hour, and he held a 4-1 advantage by the time of the final confrontation.
On that final hand, Smiley raised to 300,000, Belz reraised to 800,000, and Smiley moved all in. Belz called all in with the 
, and he needed to improve to stay alive against Smiley’s 
. The board fell 
, and Smiley won the pot — and the WPT title — with a pair of fives. Belz finished as the runner-up, earning $239,412.
Smiley won WPT Maryland Live!, earning $356,536, which included his entry into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions. Smiley also received a WPT Champions Trophy, and his name will be inscribed on the one-and-only WPT Champions Cup, alongside every other WPT champion from all 15 seasons.
That concludes our coverage of the WPT Maryland Live! Main Event. Thanks to Maryland Live! Casino for hosting another great event. The next stop takes the tour to bestbet Jacksonville in Florida from Oct. 14-18. The WPT reporting team will be there to bring you all of the action in live updates, chip counts, and photos. Click here for more information.