$600 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2024 RGPS Destination RunGood Joplin
$600 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2024 RGPS Destination RunGood Joplin
Buy-in
$600
Prize Pool
$316,200
Entries
620
Level
31
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
400,000
Entries
81
Players Left
10
Jolley Cracks Aces & Bags Chip Lead in Day 1a of RGPS Joplin; Winter & Lowery In the Mix
Level 13
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
The first of four starting flights in the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Joplin $600 Main Event has reached an end with Arkansas' Brant Jolley bagging the chip lead with a stack of 741,000. He bagged the chip lead in rather spectacular fashion as he burst the bubble by cracking aces with running cards holding nine-four offsuit.
Jolley will have his work cut out for him when he returns for Day 2 as two of RunGood's biggest crushers, Daniel Lowery and Brian Winter, both found bags after battling it out at the same table. Also among the ten players who bagged Day 1a are Jordan Russell, Mark LaFata and Joseph Gatlin.
End of Day 1a Chip Counts
| RANK | PLAYER | CHIP COUNT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brant Jolley | 741,000 | |
| 2 | Daniel Lowery | 447,000 | |
| 3 | Jordan Russell | 341,000 | |
| 4 | David McFeely | 221,000 | |
| 5 | Lucas Hughes | 181,000 | |
| 6 | Brian Winter | 164,000 | |
| 7 | Brandon Robinson | 114,000 | |
| 8 | Mark LaFata | 104,000 | |
| 9 | Joseph Gatlin | 72,000 | |
| 10 | Josh Friend | 52,000 |
The first of four starting flights kicked off at 6 p.m. and drew 81 runners on the quest for a piece of the $600 prize pool. Some of the players who couldn't find luck on Thursday were Rachel Sawyer, Rodney Spriggs, Deborah Phillips and content creator Ashley Frank, who had a chance to triple with Big Slick but couldn't pull ahead of an opponent's jacks.
Another player who couldn't find a bag, William Willis, had better luck with ace-king against the queens of Mark Martin, but neither player made it to bagging time.
Another highlight of the day was Winter, the current RGPS Player of the Year frontrunner, cracking ace-ten with seven-five after getting it in with an open-ended straight draw only to spike a pair on the river to double up.
There are still three more flights to go before Day 2, including Day 1b getting underway on Friday, April 12 at 6 p.m. local time. That flight will follow a similar structure as today's flight, with 30-minute blind levels starting with a level of 100/200/200.
Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team is on-site and will be back tomorrow for continued coverage of the RGPS Joplin Main Event.
End of Day 1a Chip Counts (full)
Level 13
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
741,000 | |
|
||
|
447,000
257,000
|
257,000 |
|
341,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
|
221,000 | |
|
181,000 | |
|
164,000
104,000
|
104,000 |
|
114,000 | |
|
104,000
-141,000
|
-141,000 |
|
72,000 | |
|
52,000 | |
"It Feels Good to Run Good": Jolley Cracks Aces to Burst Bubble
Level 13
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
A late position player moved all in with a short stack and chip leader Brent Jolley called out of the blinds.
Opponent: AxAx 
Brant Jolley: 9♦4♥
The opponent picked up aces at a good time was in great shape to double as the flop of K♣J♣8♠ left Jolley looking for running cards. He got them as the board proceeded to run out 9♠4♣ to give Jolley two pair and for the opponent to be eliminated on the money bubble in the most brutal fashion.
"It feels good to run good," remarked Jolley as he bagged up his chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
741,000 | |
|
|
||
Hand-for-Hand Underway
Level 13
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Hand-for-hand play is now underway with 11 players remaining and ten advancing to Day 2.
O'Kane Runs Into Aces
Level 13
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Daniel O'Kane opened from the hijack and Jordan Russell three-bet to 24,000 in the big blind. O'Kane responded with a four-bet jam and Russell snap-called with a bigger stack.
Daniel O'Kane: A♣K♠
Jordan Russell: A♠A♦
O'Kane knew before the cards were even turned over. He had run into aces and couldn't pull ahead as the board ran out 7♦8♦7♣Q♠ to mark his elimination near the bubble.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
340,000 | |
|
|
Busted |
Level: 13
Blinds: 3,000/5,000
Ante: 5,000
Another Break
Level 12
: Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
The remaining 15 players have been sent on another 15-minute break. The plan is to play until ten players remain.
Updated Counts Before Break
Level 12
: Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
270,000
270,000
|
270,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
245,000
185,000
|
185,000 |
|
|
190,000 | |
|
|
60,000 | |
|
|
55,000
-10,000
|
-10,000 |
O'Kane Doubles Through Lowery
Level 12
: Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Daniel Lowery opened to 10,000 in the hijack and the button called before Daniel O'Kane three-bet jammed a stack of around 66,000 from the big blind. Lowery re-shoved a bigger stack to get the button to fold.
Daniel O'Kane: 7♥7♣
Daniel Lowery: K♠J♥
O'Kane's sevens stayed ahead as the board ran out A♣4♣5♥A♥6♣ to earn him the double.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
190,000
-20,000
|
-20,000 |
|
|
135,000
135,000
|
135,000 |