Rob Hium Bags Huge Chip Lead in Day 1b of the Montana State Poker Championship
Action has concluded in Flight B of the RPT Montana State Poker Championship here at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center after 15 levels of play. Of the 166 runners who started the day, only 23 players will return for the Championship Day on Sunday.
Rob Hium emerged as the overwhelming chip leader of Flight B, bagging an impressive 1,259,000. He is no stranger to the Roughrider Poker Tour, having taken down the 2023 Spring Poker Showdown for a career-best $23,220. He will enter the Championship Day as the overall chip leader and will look to leverage his stack in search of another big payday.
Finishing Flight B second in chips is Will Anderson, sitting just shy of a million with 954,000. Right behind him is Chris Dangerfield with 931,000 who rounds out the podium.
Flight B Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Hium | United States | 1,259,000 | 126 |
| 2 | Will Anderson | United States | 954,000 | 95 |
| 3 | Chris Dangerfield | United States | 931,000 | 93 |
| 4 | Dan Burcham | United States | 738,000 | 74 |
| 5 | Andrew Hilleren | United States | 536,000 | 54 |
| 6 | Steve Miller | United States | 532,000 | 53 |
| 7 | Shane Broesder | United States | 485,000 | 49 |
| 8 | Jessica Cotton | United States | 423,000 | 42 |
| 9 | Keat O'Hearn | United States | 316,000 | 32 |
| 10 | Tim McFarland | United States | 312,000 | 31 |
Those who qualified for the finals on Sunday with two stacks include Richard Bennett and John Majdic. They will each receive a $2,000 double bag bonus and their smaller stack will be removed from play.
RPT Montana State Poker Championship Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $35,000 | 9 | $3000 |
| 2 | $21,000 | 10-12 | $2,400 |
| 3 | $14,000 | 13-15 | $2,100 |
| 4 | $10,075 | 16-18 | $1,800 |
| 5 | $8,000 | 19-21 | $1,500 |
| 6 | $6,000 | 22-24 | $1,200 |
| 7 | $4,500 | 25-27 | $1,100 |
| 8 | $3,700 | 28-36 | $1,000 |
The 18 players from Flight A and the 23 players from Flight B will all return on Sunday, April 6 at 11:00 a.m. local time for the Championship Day. Action will resume at the beginning of level 16 with blinds at 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante and the tournament will play down to a winner.
Be sure to follow PokerNews all weekend long for coverage and updates of the RPT Montana State Poker Championship.