button in Safari$1,140 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2026 RPT South Dakota State Poker Championship
$1,140 Main Event
Day: 1a
Players Left 154 / 620
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Chip Counts
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
The town of Deadwood, made famous by “Wild Bill” Hickock in the days of the Wild West, conjures images of legendary gunslingers. Today on Day 1a of the $1,140 South Dakota State Poker Championship, Josh Matti proved quickest on the draw.
Matti ended up as the chip leader with 489,000 as 19 players made it through to Day 2. Alan Curl (452,000), Spike Smith (408,000), and Lorri Riley (404,000) complete the group who finished above 400,000.
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 |
Curl had some luck on his side on his way to building a big stack today. He first doubled up with quad sevens, then put a horrific beat on Stephen Berger when he made running trips to crack Berger’s aces. Smith scored the first knockout of Day 1a when he won an aces-versus-king cooler and stayed near the top of the chip counts for nearly the entire way. Riley, meanwhile, was the first player to crack the 300,000-chip mark when she cracked Patrick Davey’s queens with a full house.
A total of 148 players gathered inside the Silverado Casino today for the first of three starting flights. Also among those to survive the day were Rick Leonard (353,000), Richard Perkerewicz (312,000), Dave Ouellette (305,000), and Nathan Shervheim (120,000), who won this event in 2024. Three-time Roughrider Poker Tour Player of the Year Arlie Brandvold was a late entry but was eliminated by Matti, while Joshua Reichard and Brent Slaubaugh were also sent to the rail over the course of the day and will have to try again on another flight.
The second of three starting flights begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. All surviving players from the three flights return on Sunday, April 19, at 11 a.m. local time to play down to a champion. Day 1a played all of the scheduled 15 levels, and Day 2 will pick up on the earliest finishing time from one of the flights.
PokerNews will return to the Silverado tomorrow to follow all the action from Day 1b and provide live updates.
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
489,000
11,000
|
11,000 |
|
||
|
452,000
92,000
|
92,000 |
|
408,000
208,000
|
208,000 |
|
404,000
9,000
|
9,000 |
|
353,000
33,000
|
33,000 |
|
348,000
88,000
|
88,000 |
|
312,000
28,000
|
28,000 |
|
305,000
65,000
|
65,000 |
|
212,000
12,000
|
12,000 |
|
212,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
|
|
181,000
41,000
|
41,000 |
|
120,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
114,000
36,000
|
36,000 |
|
108,000
42,000
|
42,000 |
|
|
106,000
36,000
|
36,000 |
|
101,000
29,000
|
29,000 |
|
|
90,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
78,000 | |
|
|
60,000 | |
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Day 1a has ended with 19 players remaining out of 148 entries.
Stay tuned for chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Tournament officials announced that players will see four more hands before bagging up their chips for the night.
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Joseph Hurley moved all in for 38,000 from under the gun on a flop of 2♠10♥J♣ and Ralph Kingan called in the cutoff.
Joseph Hurley: J♦J♠ 
Ralph Kingan: Q♣Q♠
Kingan showed two queens, but Hurley had flopped top set to take the lead. The 9♦ turn gave Kingan outs to a straight, while the river came the 9♠.
Hurley thought Kingan had made his straight for a moment before realizing he had improved to a full house. "My butthole puckered so hard. If you're going to put that on the blog, make it sound more sophisticated. His eyes glistened," Hurley said as raked in the double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
150,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
140,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
500,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
395,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
|
|
360,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
|
320,000 | |
|
|
290,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Michael Campbell in middle position and Dave Ouellette on the button got all their chips in the middle before the flop.
Michael Campbell: 10♣10♠
Dave Ouellette: A♥K♦
It was a race situation, and Ouellette took the lead on the K♠5♣4♥ flop with top pair. The rest of the board ran out 4♣2♠, and Ouellette secured the pot.
The stacks were counted down, and Ouellette's remaining 120,000 had Campbell barely covered, sending Campbell to the rail.
With 19 players remaining, Day 1a will end once their is one more elimination.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
240,000
220,000
|
220,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Phillip Guillen limped in from the small blind, then called off his last 45,000 when big blind Spike Smith moved all in.
Phillip Guillen: K♠9♣
Spike Smith: 6♣6♥
It didn't remain a race situation for long, as Smith spiked a set on the 6♠5♣3♣ flop. The 9♦ turn arrived too late for Guillen, and he was sent to the rail once the 10♣ completed the board on the river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
200,000
120,000
|
120,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level: 15
Blinds: 3,000/5,000
Ante: 5,000
