Joey McCaig opened for 4,500 and saw an opponent in the cutoff ship it for 29,000. McCaig took a couple of minutes but eventually dropped in a call.
McCaig: 
Cutoff: 
McCaig had his opponent crushed and she failed to catch up as the board ran out 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
145,000
43,000
|
43,000 |
As a tournament official told it, a player opened for a raise and Chris Conrad three-bet to 15,000. Will Berry pushed all in from the big blind, and Conrad called off with 
. He was racing against Berry's 
, and a queen on the flop sent the pot to Conrad. Berry shipped him 45,600.
"Watch out," Berry joked. "The fourth time will be mine."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
100,000
-15,000
|
-15,000 |
|
46,000
-54,000
|
-54,000 |
Level: 12
Blinds: 1,200/2,400
Ante: 400
Amanda Baker put in her last 4,300 and was at risk against two players. Daniel Hughes, who reraised preflop, bet out his lone opponent on the 
flop and showed 
, leading Baker's 
. The latter hit running queens to survive.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
19,000
-21,000
|
-21,000 |
Play has ended with the conclusion of Level 12, and Level 13 will not be played as previously reported.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
171,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
|
|
152,000
34,000
|
34,000 |
|
|
142,000
42,000
|
42,000 |
|
100,500
100,500
|
100,500 |
|
97,500
97,500
|
97,500 |
|
96,500
63,500
|
63,500 |
|
|
91,000
91,000
|
91,000 |
|
74,500
74,500
|
74,500 |
|
|
65,000
65,000
|
65,000 |
|
|
61,000
61,000
|
61,000 |
|
61,000
61,000
|
61,000 |
|
|
57,000
57,000
|
57,000 |
|
56,000
-12,400
|
-12,400 |
|
55,000
22,000
|
22,000 |
|
53,000
24,500
|
24,500 |
|
|
49,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
40,500
40,500
|
40,500 |
|
17,000
-39,500
|
-39,500 |
Joey McCaig is no stranger to deep tournament runs at Downstream Casino, having booked cashes in Heartland Poker Tour and Mid-States Poker Tour events here among his $43,000 in live scores, and now he's looking to add a RunGood Poker Series win to his list of accomplishments. He bagged 171,000 to lead the 18 survivors of Day 1a, as 72 players turned out for the first of three starting flights in the 2015 RunGood Poker Series Downstream Casino Resort Main Event.
McCaig got lucky in Level 7 (400/800/100) when he bet 3,000 on an 
flop after both blinds checked to him. The player in the small blind called, but the one in the big blind shoved all in for 12,150, and McCaig called with the 
, saying he was hoping to see a flush draw, and the player in the small blind folded. Instead, the player in the big blind held the , but watched helplessly as McCaig hit an ace on the turn.
From there, McCaig kept building and later busted another opponent when he opened to 4,500 at Level 11 (1,000/2,000/300) and a player in the cutoff seat shoved for 29,000. McCaig called with the and held on a dead board against the .
Ike Richmond (152,000), RunGood Pro Chris Conrad (142,000), and Daniel Stone (100,500) also bagged north of five starting stacks. RunGood Pro Ray Henson (96,500), Daniel Hughes (56,000), Terry Karn (55,000), Will Berry (49,000), and AP Phahurat (17,000) also survived.
Conrad picked up one of the most monstrous pots of the evening when he saw an Alex Scarlett open to 5,000 and a Berry three-bet to 10,500, only to peek down at two aces in the big blind. Conrad shipped it for about 45,000 and both players immediately called, with Scarlett holding the 
and Berry the 
. A couple of Broadway cards flopped to give Berry a sweat, but nothing else of consequence came out of the deck.
Despite that fortuitous hand, Conrad needed to win a flip with queens against Berry's ace-king a bit later to survive once more.
Some of the notables who fell during Day 1a included Justin Gardenhire, Amanda Baker, Ross Bybee, Rodney Spriggs, and John Heckenkamp, with the former three all among the roster of RunGood Pros.
All those who busted will have another crack on Day 1b, which is set for noon on Saturday, and PokerNews will continue to provide the live updates all the way to the end.
Main Event
Day 1a Completed
