$575 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2022 RGPS Tunica
$575 Main Event
Day: 1a
Three RunGood Ambassadors Bag on Day 1a of RGPS Tunica Main Event; Phan Leads the Field
Level 12
: 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante
Day 1a of the 2022 RunGood Poker Series Contenders Tour Tunica $575 Main Event saw 184 entries turn up to Horseshoe Tunica with the hopes of making it through 12 full levels of play for the first of the tournament's three starting flights. By the end of the night, 46 players remained to take part in the celebratory bag 'n tag and advance to Sunday's Day 2.
Donnie Phan (213,000) finished play atop the counts, scoring a knockout in the final three hands of play that would ultimately land him as the chip leader. Cody Stanford, who spent much of the day atop the counts, ended play second in chips with 187,000. Papa Karn (185,000) was just behind him, with Michael Monaghan (170,000) in fourth before Kyle Cartwright and Edward Fisher finished the day tied for fifth with 165,500 each.
A trio of RunGood Ambassadors in Preston McEwen (163,000), Michael Sanders (102,000; pictured), and Daniel Lowery (56,500) also made it through the day, and the list of notables did not stop there: JW Carter (162,000), Chase Turner (158,500), and Ryan Phan (55,500) were just a few of the others that also advanced.
Two ClubGG Qualifiers in Virginia “P5145-5606” Bereis (105,500) and Colyn “Old Man Coff” Fuson (60,500) also found a bag, and will be back at it on Sunday in the hopes of making a deep run. Meanwhile, plenty more were less fortunate, including RunGood Ambassadors "Boston Rob" Mariano and Julie Cornelius, as well as lifetime seven-figure money earner Johnny Landreth and recent RGPS Council Bluffs third-place finisher Kaleb Dunn.
Two more starting flights remain in the RGPS Tunica $575 Main Event, both of which will take place Saturday. Day 1b begins at noon local time, and all who have yet to advance upon its completion will have one final shot at 7 p.m. for Day 1c. PokerNews will be back on the floor for all the action tomorrow, so be sure to come back then.
End of Day 1a Chip Counts (full)
Level 12
: 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
213,000
-2,000
|
-2,000 |
|
187,000
-123,000
|
-123,000 |
|
185,000
9,000
|
9,000 |
|
170,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
165,500
12,500
|
12,500 |
|
||
|
165,500
29,500
|
29,500 |
|
163,000
81,000
|
81,000 |
|
162,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
158,520
158,520
|
158,520 |
|
143,500
143,500
|
143,500 |
|
134,500
29,500
|
29,500 |
|
131,500
131,500
|
131,500 |
|
|
129,500
129,500
|
129,500 |
|
119,000
119,000
|
119,000 |
|
117,500
117,500
|
117,500 |
|
|
115,500
115,500
|
115,500 |
|
112,000
112,000
|
112,000 |
|
|
105,500
35,500
|
35,500 |
|
||
|
102,000
-9,000
|
-9,000 |
|
100,500
33,200
|
33,200 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
96,500
96,500
|
96,500 |
|
95,500
95,500
|
95,500 |
|
89,500
89,500
|
89,500 |
|
|
86,500
86,500
|
86,500 |
Play Finishes
Level 12
: 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante
Play has concluded on all six remaining tables, and players are in the process of racing off T-100 chips prior to bagging their stacks for Sunday's Day 2.
A complete list of chip counts and a recap of the day's action will be posted later this evening.
Phan Culls the Field By One
Level 12
: 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante
A player was just seen making his way from Table 19 as Donnie Phan was stacking chips from earning the pot that sent the player packing. Tablemate Michael Sanders filled in the action, saying that Phan opened under the gun and saw the player re-jam for around 35,000. Phan made the call when action was back on him.
All-In Player: 
(offsuit)
Phan: 
"They held," said Sanders of Phan's fives, and Phan now looks to put more than 200K into a bag in the coming minutes.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
215,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
Three More Hands
Level 12
: 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante
Ten minutes remain in Level 12, and the tournament clock has now been stopped with the tournament clock displaying 53 players still in contention. Three hands will be played on all remaining tables before players bag and tag their chips.
Cartwright Notches a Knockout Before Bagging
Level 12
: 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante
With less than 20 minutes of play left in the night, RunGood Ambassador Daniel Lowery opened to 6,000 in early position and saw the cutoff re-jam for around 42,000. Kyle Cartwright was next to act on the button and also announced he was all in, forcing all remaining players out of the hand.
All-In Player: 
Cartwright: 
Cartwright flopped top pair, top kicker on 
, but the turn 
gave him four outs to sweat to a backdoor gutter. Such a draw did not complete on the river 
and he reached over and took his opponent's stack, adding it to his own and bringing him up to above 150K.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
153,000
89,000
|
89,000 |
|
|
||
|
86,000
14,000
|
14,000 |
Chad Marsh Wins Event #5: $200 RunGood Double Green Chip Bounty
Level 12
: 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante
It was a late night on Thursday as Event #5: $200 RunGood Double Green Chip Bounty drew 207 entries for its 7 p.m. start time. Play continued into the wee hours of the morning as the top 21 places made it into the money and those who cashed continued to battle en route to the final table.
Eventually, five remained, all of whom agreed to an even chop of $3,295: Chad Marsh, Brian Rogers, Darrin Askew, Robert Logan, and Shannon Hamblen. Of the five, Marsh was the one to claim the title.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad Marsh | $3,295* |
| 2 | Brian Rogers | $3,295* |
| 3 | Darrin Askew | $3,295* |
| 4 | Robert Logan | $3,295* |
| 5 | Shannon Hamblen | $3,295* |
| 6 | Jared Henderson | $1,162 |
| 7 | Sean Arrington | $898 |
| 8 | Robert Leth | $705 |
| 9 | Rodney Adell | $562 |
*Denotes five-handed deal.
Carter Hooks an Opponent
Level 12
: 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante
A player under the gun raised to 5,000 with 21,600 to start the hand and received calls from middle position and the cutoff before JW Carter three-bet to 25,000 in the small blind. The original raiser called all in and both other players folded.
All-In Player: 
Carter: 
The all-in player found some help on the flop 
, but his open-ended straight draw was left hanging as the turn and river 
completed the runout to earn Carter the pot and the knockout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
137,000
92,000
|
92,000 |
Level: 12
Blinds: 1,500/2,500
Ante: 2,500