Day 1a of the RunGoodGear.com Downstream Casino Main Event saw a total of 95 entrants pony up the entry fee with a dream of returning on Sunday. By the end of the day, just 16 remained with Darren Attebery and his stack of 250,000 leading the way. Attebery went on a mad rush during the middle of the day to surge into the chip lead while crippling RunGoodGear pro and World Series of Poker bracelet winner Bryan Campanello over the course of two hands. It would be a lead he never relinquished.
Of course there were plenty of recognizable names that failed to make it to the end of Day 1a including Amanda Baker, Lauren Blase, Jamie Kerstetter, Ryan Tepen, and the previously mentioned Campanello.
An even bigger turnout is expected on Saturday for the Day 1b and 1c flights, which will take place at 12:00 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time respectively. Of course the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be there through both flights to provide you coverage of all the comings and goings here at the RunGoodGear.com Main Event. Tune in to find out who moves on to the final day on Sunday.
Bryan Campanello went from a big stack to out in a matter of three hands. On the first hand he doubled up Darren Lara when his lost a race to Lara's . The very next hand saw Campanello pick up but he would lose again to Lara who picked up and the kings would prevail.
Ryan Tepen would finish a short-stacked Campanello off on the next hand when his hit a set of eights when the board ran out . Tepen would also double up on the hand as he was all in and at risk against another player's .
At the adjacent table, Amanda Baker would move all in over the top of her opponent's bet on a flop of and was quickly called. Baker held for an open-ended straight draw and was in bad shape against the set of nines her opponent had flopped with his . The on the turn and the on the river did not give Baker the straight she needed to survive and she was eliminated.
After a successful 2014 tournament series, RunGoodGear.com is back for more in 2015 and today sees the first Main Event of their three tournament tour get underway at Downstream Casino just outside of Joplin, Missouri.
RunGoodGear.com CEO Tana Karn expects approximately ten of his stable of professional poker players to take part in this event. Among those already spotted in the tournament room were the likes of Bernard Lee, Jamie Kerstetter, Amanda Baker, and Ross Bybee who won one of the 2014 tour stops at Hard Rock Tulsa.
There are three starting flights and players may re-enter for the first nine levels of each flight. Cards will be in the air within the next 30 minutes and we'll be here to bring you the action until a winner is determined on Sunday.