button in SafariPhil Boyd Leads the Pack Into Day 2 of the Gateway Poker Classic Main Event
The race to the championship trophy is on when Day 2 of the RunGood Poker Series Gateway Poker Classic $800 Main Event begins at noon local time.
A total of 86 players return to the Hollywood Casino & Hotel in St. Louis today as they play down to a winner. Phil Boyd leads the field with 1,082,000 and is the only player above the million-chip threshold. The sharply-dressed Horace Ingram (767,000) and Day 1d chip leader Nick Lafata (742,000) follow behind.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Boyd | United States | 1,082,000 | 90 |
| 2 | Horace Ingram | United States | 767,000 | 64 |
| 3 | Nick Lafata | United States | 742,000 | 62 |
| 4 | Shelby Burton | United States | 698,000 | 58 |
| 5 | Mike Bell | United States | 693,000 | 58 |
| 6 | Travis Gillihan | United States | 644,000 | 54 |
| 7 | Gene Janushanis | United States | 643,000 | 54 |
| 8 | Stephen Martines | United States | 615,000 | 51 |
| 9 | Cameron Dugan | United States | 611,000 | 51 |
| 10 | Ben Miller | United States | 606,000 | 51 |
Other top stacks include Shelby Burton (698,000), Mike Bell (693,000), and Steph Martines (615,000). Bradley Young, who finished second in the RGPS event held here in March, also returns with 521,000, as does 2023 RGPS St. Louis champion Keith Heine (453,000), WSOP bracelet winner Jason Simon (343,000), and RunGood ambassador Jeffrey Copeland (260,000). David Nickel was the only player to double-bag, and will have his larger stack of 285,000 carry forward to today.
The four starting flights built up a massive field of 705 entries and a prize pool of $493,500. All remaining players are in the money, and the official list of payouts should be announced shortly after the start of play.
The action picks up with three minutes remaining in Level 17 with blinds of 6,000/12,000 and a 12,000 big blind ante. Each subsequent level will be extended to 40 minutes. Play is scheduled to go down to a winner by the end of the night.
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Stay tuned as PokerNews follows all the action and provides live updates throughout the day down to the crowning of a champion.