button in SafariNew Group of Players Try to Track Down Chip Leaders Josh Matti and Alan Curl on Day 1b of the RPT South Dakota State Poker Championship
Another crop of hopefuls will face off in a Wild West duel when Day 1b of the $1,140 Roughrider Poker Tour South Dakota State Poker Championship begins at 3 p.m. local time.
The first starting flight yesterday saw 148 players descend on the Silverado Casino in historic Deadwood, with 19 securing a spot on Day 2. Josh Matti ended up as chip leader with 489,000, while Alan Curl (452,000), Spike Smith (408,000), Lorri Riley (404,000), and Rick Leonard (353,000) rounded out the top five.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Matti | United States | 489,000 |
| 2 | Alan Curl | United States | 452,000 |
| 3 | Spike Smith | United States | 408,000 |
| 4 | Lorri Riley | United States | 404,000 |
| 5 | Rick Leonard | United States | 353,000 |
| 6 | Dori Julius | United States | 348,000 |
| 7 | Richard Perkerewicz | United States | 312,000 |
| 8 | Dave Ouellette | United States | 305,000 |
| 9 | Jeffrey Bowen | United States | 212,000 |
| 10 | Zeph Irion | United States | 212,000 |
Other players to advance included Richard Perkerewicz (312,000), Dave Ouellette (305,000), Wright, Wyoming mayor Ralph Kingan (181,000), 2024 champion Nathan Shervheim (120,000), and the tequilla-loving Joseph Hurley (108,000).
Players on Day 1b begin with a 30,000 starting stack. Blinds begin at 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante, and levels will be 40 minutes. Late registration remains open through the end of Level 12. The plan is to play 15 levels or down to the final 12 percent of the field, whichever comes first.
This is the second of three starting flights. Day 1c is tomorrow at 3 p.m. All surviving players then return for Day 2 at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 19, to play down to a champion. The action on Day 2 will pick up on the earliest finishing time from one of the opening flights.
Stay tuned as PokerNews follows all the action and provides live updates throughout the day.