Million Dollar Main Event Day 1b | 2023 RGPS Checkpoint Thunder Valley

07-29-2023 19:32 UTC-7

Fierce Play from Kerstetter

Kirk Brown

Level 7 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

After limping preflop, three players went to a flop of 5♦3♠9♥ and action checked through to the 3♣ on the turn.

The small blind checked once more but then, miraculously, Jamie Kerstetter found the courage to bet 1,600 from the big blind with one player still behind!

The middle position player must have sniffed out this strong play and quickly folded while the small blind did the same to award Kerstetter the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jamie Kerstetter	47,000 9,600	9,600

Tags: Jamie Kerstetter

07-29-2023 19:22 UTC-7

Quaile Cant Stop the Tran Train

Kirk Brown

Level 7 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

After a preflop betting war, short-stacked JC Tran and Joseph Quaile got it all in the middle with Tran at risk.

JC Tran: 6♠6♣
Joseph Quaile: K♦K♣

Quaile was a huge favorite to knock out Tran in this spot, especially when the flop came out K♠2♠5♠ to give him top set of kings, but the runout of 4♦7♠ gave Tran a six-high flush on the river to take the pot for the double.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joseph Quaile	81,000 -20,200	-20,200
JC Tran	32,000

Tags: JC Tran Joseph Quaile

07-29-2023 19:03 UTC-7

After-Dinner Mints... I Mean Chips

Kirk Brown

Level 7 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Anthony Hernandez	221,800 152,600	152,600
Fudong Li	187,300 62,300	62,300
Girish Apte	183,900 108,500	108,500
Ralph Topete	169,000 22,200	22,200
Jason Bundy	168,900 111,900	111,900
Ravi Udayakumar	158,000 106,500	106,500

Alejandro Castellano	155,900 6,900	6,900
Wesley Nally	155,000 12,000	12,000
Michael Abratique	154,000 -7,000	-7,000
Reginald Pears	150,000 55,200	55,200
Joseph Blackwell	149,700 62,700	62,700
Jonathan Epstein	149,000 33,000	33,000
Paul Arguelles	148,400 -16,600	-16,600
Adam Hannula	145,000
Mehran Moeinzadeh	133,000 13,000	13,000
Jaime Haletky	130,000 78,000	78,000
Richard Troendly	128,500 89,600	89,600
Bin Duan	127,400 91,200	91,200
James Schipsi	125,500 83,500	83,500
Zephyr Peling	125,000 -10,300	-10,300
Joel Calcagno	123,600 41,100	41,100
Pierce Mckellar	120,200 77,900	77,900
Jared Smith	115,900 28,000	28,000
Stanislav Kriventsov	112,000 38,000	38,000
Phatseluck Yang	108,000 54,200	54,200

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Level: 7

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 1,000

07-29-2023 17:33 UTC-7

Dinner Time!

Kirk Brown

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

The players are now on an extended 75-minute dinner break and will return at approximately 6:50 p.m. local time.

07-29-2023 17:30 UTC-7

Nally Flops the Joint

Kirk Brown

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

On a heads-up turn of 9♦K♠J♥5♥, Loren Cloninger led out 6,200 into the pot of 13,000 and Wesley Nally made the call after some thought.

The river came the 5♣, pairing the board and Cloninger fired again for 10,500 but then Nally moved all in to cover him.

"Arghhh!" Cloninger groaned as he did not like the position he was currently in. After some inner debate, he decided to make the call and tabled A♠A♦ for a big two-pair, but it was no good as Nally tabled Q♥10♥ for a flopped straight to win the pot, eliminating Cloninger.

Player	Chips	Progress
Wesley Nally	143,000 10,000	10,000
Loren Cloninger	Busted

07-29-2023 17:11 UTC-7

Abra-Kad-Abratique! Watch Fours Beat Kings!

Kirk Brown

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

On a heads-up flop of 4♥10♣3♥, the action checked around to Christopher Ewing who placed out a wager of 15,000 but was then check-raised all-in by Michael Abratique.

Ewing hesitated only for a moment before making the call to put himself at risk and tabled K♦K♥ for an overpaid of kings, but it was no match for Abratique's flopped set with 4♠4♣.

The runout of A♠5♠ did not provide Ewing the king that he needed and he was eliminated.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Abratique	161,000 90,000	90,000
Christopher Ewing	Busted

Tags: Christopher Ewing Michael Abratique

07-29-2023 16:53 UTC-7

Buchman's Five Outflops Sixes

Kirk Brown

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

After some pre-flop back-and-forth, Jeffry Buchman moved all in and big stack Joey Gargiulo made the call to put him at risk.

Jeffry Buchman: A♣5♣
Joey Gargiulo: 6♥6♣

"No stop, sit down, you got this, I'm an ace magnet today," Gargiulo told Buchman as he began to stand up and gather his things.

Although no ace came, the flop of 8♠5♠5♥ was pretty good for Buchman as he made trip fives to crush Gargiulo's sixes.

"See! I told you!" Gargiulo told him as the board completed with the 3♥K♣ for Buchman to secure the pot for a double-up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joey Gargiulo	175,000 -40,000	-40,000
Jeffry Buchman	70,000 46,000	46,000

Tags: Joey Gargiulo Jeffry Buchman

Level: 6

Blinds: 400/800

Ante: 800

07-29-2023 16:37 UTC-7

Brown Puts Pressure on Salameh

Kirk Brown

Level 5 : 300/600, 600 ante

On a completed board of J♣6♦4♦7♥J♦, Yousef Salameh checked it over to Paul Brown who set out a bet of 20,000 into the bloated pot of 52,500.

Salameh then stood up and went deep into the tank, as he only had around 24,000 left in his stack. After several full minutes, he finally tossed in his cards face-up to show 6♠7♠ for two pair on the two but he was counterfeited on the river.

"Absolute worst river," he said, shaking his head, as he watched the pot being pushed over to Brown.