button in SafariScott Aulds Tops First Flight of San Diego Poker Classic $600 Main Event
The first flight of the San Diego Poker Classic $600 Main Event Day 1a hosted a total of 91 entries, which permitted 11 players to punch their ticket and continue the chase for their piece of the $100,000 guarantee at Jamul Casino Resort.
Scott Aulds (592,000) was the chip leader when the dust settled on Day 1a, followed by Kyler Somer (500,000) and Robert Fortuno (426,000) as the top three in the chip standings.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Aulds | United States | 592,000 | 59 |
| 2 | Kyler Somers | United States | 500,000 | 50 |
| 3 | Robert Fortuno | United States | 426,000 | 43 |
| 4 | Wesley McGraw | United States | 355,000 | 36 |
| 5 | Chris Sabin | United States | 270,000 | 27 |
| 6 | Anthony Bland | United States | 158,000 | 16 |
| 7 | Jorge Ruiz | United States | 128,000 | 13 |
| 8 | Alan Leon | United States | 128,000 | 13 |
| 9 | Jason Tran | United States | 126,000 | 13 |
| 10 | Mahmood Mahdavi | United States | 30,000 | 3 |
Jamul Casino Resort has been good to Aulds, as Aulds’ The Hendon Mob page is littered with first-place finishes. He has racked up five RunGood Poker Series rings and a total of four San Diego Poker Classic trophies at this venue. The San Diego resident has been playing poker since 2002 and shared with PokerNews that he is still on a mission to continue his success here on his home turf.
“Last year I was chasing the trophies to prove a point to myself,” said Aulds. “This year I’m chasing the money.”
Well, if it’s money he’s chasing, Aulds will have a chance to do just that as well as add a fifth and the most illustrious SDPC title to his name with a win in the main event on Sunday.
Somers sent everyone from Day 1a when he eliminated Robin Brown on the bubble. Somers is more known for his exploits in cash games where he is a regular on the Jamul Poker Live stream. Somers will have a chance to make a name for himself in the tournament scene if he can make a splash on the final day of the SDPC $600 Main Event.
Fortuno was all but down and out late into Day 1a. He managed to find a diamond on the river to overcome the better ace of Alan Leon to get a toehold in the match. Fortuno found another double-up shortly after when he picked up a timely pocket aces to double through Jason Tran. Fortuno then won a major pot off of Leon again to continue his hot streak. He did not slow down as he managed to continue to add chips to his stack to finish Day 1a on a strong note.
Day 1b is currently underway. The second flight has attracted 76 entries thus far. Day 1c will begin at 11 a.m. on Sat. Aug. 8, with the last flight taking place at 6 p.m. later on Aug. 8. The top 12.5% of each field, rounded down, will advance to Day 2 from each starting flight. The Day 2 blind level will begin at the lowest level of play during the Day 1 flights.
SDPC Main Event Schedule
| Flight | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1c | Sat. Aug. 8 | 11 a.m. |
| Day 1d | Sat. Aug. 8 | 6 p.m. |
| Day 2 | Sun. Aug. 9 | 12 p.m. |
Registration will close at the start of Level 9. Players are allowed unlimited re-entries, and participants are allowed to play in all Day 1 flights. Should a player qualify for Day 2 more than once, they will advance with the higher chip stack and forfeit the lower stack(s) and receive the lowest Day 2 payout for each stack they remove.
Entries are given a starting stack of 30,000. Blind levels are scheduled for 30 minutes on Day 1, with them bumping up to 40 minutes on Day 2. A 15-minute break is scheduled every four levels on Day 1, with a 10-minute break after Level 14. 15-minute breaks are scheduled after every three levels on Day 2.
Stay tuned here at Pokernews for continued coverage of the SDPC Main Event here at Jamul Casino Resort.