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Heath McAllister Rockets to the Overall Chip Lead on Day 1b of the RPT South Dakota State Poker Championship
Heath McAllister built up a big stack on yesterday’s opening flight of the $1,140 Roughrider Poker Tour South Dakota State Poker Championship, but he busted a few spots shy of making it through. Today on Day 1b, he made no such mistake.
McAllister built up a massive stack when he spiked a full house on the river to bust Eric Hanson, ending up with 667,000 and an overwhelming chip lead as 36 players survived to make it to Day 2. Blain Ovind, celebrating his 27th wedding anniversary today, followed behind with 538,000, while Mikiyo Aoki (400,000), Monty Klistoff (384,000), and Jon Wurden (348,000) round out the top five.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heath McAllister | Canada | 667,000 | |
| 2 | Blain Ovind | United States | 538,000 | |
| 3 | Mikiyo Aoki | United States | 400,000 | |
| 4 | Monty Klistoff | United States | 384,000 | |
| 5 | Jon Wurden | United States | 348,000 | |
| 6 | Corey Zedo | United States | 333,000 | |
| 7 | Kevin Clyde | United States | 325,000 | |
| 8 | Preston Dean | United States | 303,000 | |
| 9 | Noah Borchard | United States | 302,000 | |
| 10 | Steve Buell | United States | 282,000 |
Preston Dean, the RPT Casino State champion from January, scored a quadruple knockout with a rivered straight on his way to bagging up 303,000. John Schroer, the 2023 champion of this event, brought the night to a close when his pocket tens won a flip to score a double knockout. He finished with 204,000, while Steve Buell (282,000), Miles Barnum (130,000), Mikiyo's brother Nobu Aoki (84,000), three-time RPT Player of the Year Arlie Brandvold (78,000), and Brent Slaubaugh (43,000) also made it through the day.
Among those to fall over the course of Day 1b were Joshua Reichard, 2019 champion Sergio Mireles, Silas Sneed, Robert Hawkenberry, and Terence Reid. They’ll have to try again on tomorrow’s Day 1c flight if they hope to take home the trophy.
The Silverado Casino poker room was packed today as 230 players took their shot at the title. The total field stands at 378 entries through two starting flights, with tomorrow’s flight expected to be the biggest one yet which would surpass last year’s total of 602 and make this the biggest poker tournament in South Dakota history. Day 1b ended with 32 minutes remaining in Level 14 with blinds of 2,000/4,000 with a 4,000 big blind ante, which is currently projected to be the starting point for Day 2 at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 19.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow from what promises to be another busy day in historic Deadwood as another crop of hopefuls join what is shaping up to be a massive field.