RGPS Thunder Valley Golden Ticket $575 Main Event, $200K GTD
Day 1a Completed
2021 RunGood Poker Series Thunder Valley
RGPS Thunder Valley Golden Ticket $575 Main Event, $200K GTD
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2021 RunGood Poker Series Thunder Valley
Buy-in
$575
Prize Pool
$282,500
Entries
565
Level
28
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
100,000
Entries
138
Players Left
18
Joe Nguyen Bags Big Chip Lead at End of Day 1a in RGPS Thunder Valley Golden Ticket $575 Main Event, $200K GTD
Level 15
: 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Joe Nguyen of Sunnyvale, California ended Day 1a of the RGPS Thunder Valley Golden Ticket $575 Main Event, $200K GTD with a massive stack of 563,000 after running hot throughout the day and eliminating multiple opponents in the process. He is joined by 17 other players who finished the day in the money and will move on to compete on Day 2 with the other Day 1 flights.
Dawson Dvorak ended the day second in chips with 366,000 and was followed by Ed Miller with 352,000. Other players who made it to the end of nearly eight hours of play include Bong Nguyen, Anubhav Jolly and Leonard Boltasiu.
Nguyen, who has $1.1 million in live tournament earnings, per HendonMob, built a chip lead early in the day and kept the momentum going up until the end of play. He took down one of the biggest pots of the day when he got it in with trip queens against a royal flush draw and filled up on the river. Not long after, he busted Yani Fangayen with a straight.
Hector Martin was sent home on the money bubble in a cooler where he flopped a set of jacks against the aces of Dawson Dvorak, and Dvorak spiked an ace on the river.
The Day 1a survivors will be joined by whoever is alive at the end of the Day 1b and Day 1c flights, which will respectively take place on Sept. 24 at 10 a.m. and Sept. 25 at the same time.
That wraps up the PokerNews live reporting team's coverage of Day 1a, but stay tuned as action picks up again tomorrow.
Full Chip Count At End of Day 1a (full)
Level 15
: 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
563,000 | 103,000 |
|
366,000 | 236,000 |
|
352,000 | -8,000 |
|
203,500 | 143,500 |
|
161,000 | 161,000 |
|
153,500 | 153,500 |
|
141,500 | -3,500 |
|
124,000 | 124,000 |
|
120,000 | 120,000 |
|
108,500 | 108,500 |
|
|
98,500 | 43,500 |
|
80,500 | 80,500 |
|
78,000 | -47,000 |
|
|
74,000 | 74,000 |
|
|
73,500 | 73,500 |
|
40,500 | 40,500 |
|
28,000 | 28,000 |
|
12,500 | 12,500 |
Martin Eliminated on Money Bubble in Set Over Set Hand
Level 15
: 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Hector Martin flat-called a three-bet from Dawson Dvorak pre-flop.
Hector Martin then got all his chips in on the flop of 
with Dvorak having him covered.
Hector Martin: 
Dawson Dvorak: 
Martin had a massive lead with a set. However, the board ran out 
and Dvorak made the bigger set, sending Martin out on the money bubble
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Level: 15
Blinds: 2,500/5,000
Ante: 5,000
Hand-For-Hand Play Begins
Level 14
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Had-for-hand play began with 19 players left and 18 moving on to Day 2.
Flush for Estrada
Level 14
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
An out of position opponent got all in against Dustin Estrada pre-flop.
Opponent: 
Dustin Estrada: 
Estrada's opponent was dominated and ultimately eliminated when the board ran out 
and Estrada made a flush.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
125,000 | 16,000 |
Nguyen Eliminates Fangayen
Level 14
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Joe Nguyen eliminated Yani Fangayen when Nguyen check-jammed from the big blind on the river on a board of 
with Fangayen covered.
Fangayen eventually called and Nguyen announced he had a straight and showed 
. Fangayen did not show but said he had an overpair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
460,000 | 110,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Assorted Chip Counts
Level 14
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
360,000 | 302,000 |
|
|
140,000 | 85,000 |
|
|
130,000 | -40,000 |
Level: 14
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 4,000