button in SafariPhil Boyd the Lone Millionaire on Day 1b of the Gateway Poker Classic Main Event
Phil Boyd stormed to the top of the leaderboard on Day 1b of the RunGood Poker Series Gateway Poker Classic $800 Main Event.
Boyd became the first player to eclipse the million-chip milestone, ending the second opening flight with 1,082,000 and far ahead of the rest of the 22 players who survived the day. The High Ridge, Missouri native capped off his triumphant day inside the Hollywood Casino by knocking out Robert Weeks on the money bubble.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Boyd | United States | 1,082,000 | 68 |
| 2 | Mike Bell | United States | 693,000 | 43 |
| 3 | Travis Gillihan | United States | 644,000 | 40 |
| 4 | Ben Miller | United States | 606,000 | 38 |
| 5 | Janelle Rettig | United States | 474,000 | 30 |
| 6 | Keith Heine | United States | 453,000 | 28 |
| 7 | Stephen Dolle | United States | 379,000 | 24 |
| 8 | Andreas Kastanas | United States | 302,000 | 19 |
| 9 | Peter Brooks | United States | 286,000 | 18 |
| 10 | Lance Brendel | United States | 286,000 | 18 |
Mike Bell is his closest challenger with 693,000, while Travis Gillihan (644,000) completes the podium. Gillihan won a massive pot when he turned a straight and snap-called a shove on the river to bust an opponent, and he stayed near the top of the leaderboard for the rest of the day.
Others to secure a spot on Day 2 include Ben Miller (606,000), Janelle Rettig (474,000), 2023 RunGood St. Louis champion Keith Heine (453,000), and Paul Fehlig (203,000). Among those to fall short of the money were Papa Karn, WSOP November Niner Dennis Phillips, WSOP bracelet winners Jason Simon and Brent Gregory, Michael Estes, and RunGood ambassador Chris Audrain.
The 179 entries on Day 1b brought the total field up to 284 through the first two starting flights. There are still two more flights tomorrow, and they are expected to be the biggest yet as the field should grow substantially by the time the prize pool is announced. All surviving players return for Day 2 on August 9 at noon local time to play down to a champion. The action will pick up on the earliest finishing time from one of the starting flights, and Day 1b happened to end at nearly the same time as yesterday with 25 minutes remaining in Level 18 with blinds of 8,000/16,000 and a 16,000 big blind ante.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow for what promises to be a busy day, so stay tuned for further updates.