The RunGood Poker Series Checkpoint $700 Main Event at The Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs Iowa has seen the final flight happen with 170 entrants putting their hats in the ring to win the title. 21 entrants from this flight survived, and they will join the 30 from the previous flight and the 24 from the one before that to see 75 players return on Sunday at noon to play for the title.
After the dust settled, it was Ryan Fetherkile who was leading the pack of Day 1c with 508,000. Fetherkile is no stranger to success at RGPS Council Bluffs, having taken fourth place in the 2021 iteration of the event. With his count where it is, he will have a good lead over most of the field to top his deep run from two years ago.
RGPS Council Bluffs Top Ten Day 1c Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Count
1
Ryan Fetherkile
508,000
2
Dien Tran
411,000
3
Adrian Griffith
370,000
4
Jeff Husmann
360,000
5
Marvin Schumer
355,000
6
Tyler Westra
332,000
7
Jordan Nelle
320,000
8
Danny Clarkson
313,000
9
Tom Foerster
264,000
10
Joshua Kopp
238,000
Others that made their way through the day included Dien Tran (411,000), Adrian Griffith (370,000), Jared Ward (232,000), Maxx Holland (159,000) and Dalton Smith (139,000), all of whom will look to make RGPS history.
Others found their dreams of a main event title at this stop dashed in this flight. Players like Sarah Stefan, Duster Ellis, Terence Reid, and Ashley “PokerFaceAsh” Frank. They will have to look elsewhere to secure a RGPS Main Event Title.
Play ended with 22 seconds left on the clock in Level 14. The blinds in this level are 4,000/8,000 with an 8,000 big blind ante. The tournament will return on Sunday at noon, with players returning at this level and all the following levels extended to 40 minutes rather than the current 30.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all updates regarding The RGPS Checkpoint Main Event at Council Bluffs.
A player in early position raised to 15,000 and Maxx Holland from middle position moved all in for 92,000. A player in the hijack called while action folded back around to the initial raiser who folded.
Maxx Holland: A♠Q♣
Opponent: 10♠10♣
The board ran out K♣Q♠4♠3♣7♣ and Holland's ace-queen found a pair on the flop and he survived as the tournament ticked closer to its end.
At another table, Jacob Long was eliminated from the tournament.
Action was picked up in a sizable pot between Jordan Nelle in the big blind, Tom Forster on the button, and Adrian Griffith in the cutoff.
On a board reading 9♣8♣7♥ action checked to Griffith who moved all in having both other players covered. Forster thought for a short bit before tossing his hand into the muck, but Nelle snap-called for his remaining 124,000.
Jordan Nelle: 9♦8♦
Adrian Griffith: Q♥Q♦
The board ran out J♦A♥ and the two pair held up for the double as Nelle moved up the chip counts as the night rolled on.
Tom Forster raised to 15,000 from early position and in the cutoff, Keith Jeffrey called.
The flop rolled out K♣J♥9♣ and Foster continued for 35,000 which saw Jeffrey raise to 100,000. Forster moved all in and Jeffrey called for his remaininig 35,000 and both hands were turned over.
Keith Jeffrey: 9♦9♣
Tom Forster: K♥K♠
The turn 10♦ saw a potential chop door open up, but the river 2♦ changed nothing and Jeffrey wished Forster luck as he exited the tournament
The second of three starting days of The RunGood Poker Series $700 Main Event at The Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa has come to a close with just 30 of the 247 entrants making it through the day. The prize pool has already met the $100,000 guarantee and with the final flight still yet to conclude its registration period, it could still grow rather significantly before the nights’ end.
Bagging the chip lead on the Day and the overall lead is Iowa resident Matt Morfitt who ended his day with 1,083,000. Morfitt’s rise came a little bit later in the day. In a confrontation with larger stack Jack Do (98,000), he made a wheel on the turn while Do turned a set of fours to take a pot worth over 800,000. After that he continued to apply pressure to medium stacks and stacked pot after pot to himself at over 1 million chips. Morfitt’s hendon mob speaks for itself as he possesses over $200,000 in lifetime earnings, with fantastic results on poker tours all around the country.
Morfitt has also received a large amount of success on The RunGood Poker Series tour, with a third place in the Council Bluff’s Main Event in 2017, and a ninth place in 2021. This week alone he has came in second and third in two preliminary events and with a chip lead of over one million, he looks to be one of the most dangerous players in the field.
RGPS Council Bluffs Main Event Top Ten Day 1b Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Count
1
Matt Morfitt
1,083,000
2
Dustin Schlickau
833,000
3
Mike Vanier
761,000
4
Dakotah O'Dell
469,000
5
Nick Stille
417,000
6
Logan Harrold
290,000
7
Alex Wheeler
226,000
8
Donald Nimneh
222,000
9
Adam Tolander
221,000
10
David Caron
215,000
Another player with not only success in Council Bluffs but around the country is two-time RGPS Main Event Champion Dakotah O’Dell who ended his day at 469,000. It was just last week when O’Dell was crowned only the fourth two-time main event champion at Downstream Casino in Joplin, Missouri, and his drive up to this spot and chase a third title.
O’Dell ended the registration period with just above starting stack, but as time went on, he amassed the piles of chips he’s known for bagging in these events, knocking out plenty of players along the way to become his table captain and in the top 10 of chips in the tournament. No player in RGPS history has ever been crowned a three-time champion, with Blair Hinkle coming close last week in Joplin. Will the 2022 RGPS Council Bluffs champion and 2023 RGPS Joplin Champion change that tomorrow?
Dakotah O'Dell is one of just four players to have won two RGPS main events. He bagged in the top 5 in chips in his flight.
Also making it through the day were Mike Vanier (761,000), Alex Wheeler (226,000), David Caron (215,000), Kevin O’Donnell (197,000), Caitlin Comeskey (149,000) and WSOP 2001 third Place finisher Stan Schrier (134,000). Each one of them is looking to carve their own piece in RGPS history.
Not all found fortunes this day, as many notables fell throughout the day including Taylor Howard, Heather Alcorn, Duster Ellis, Mo Nuwwarah, Mark Fink and Ashley “PokerFaceAsh” Frank. With registration still open on Day 1c, these players and more will likely fire one more time in the hopes of advancing to Day 2.
Play ended with 8:31 left on the clock in Level 15. The blinds in this level are 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante. The tournament will return on Sunday at noon, with players returning at this level unless the following flight ends earlier than this.
At this time, PokerNews will be taking a break. Updates will resume around 11:30 pm local time. Be sure to check back in then for all updates regarding The RunGood Poker Series Checkpoint.
A player in late position raised to 12,000 and action folded around to Caitlin Comeskey in the hijack who moved all in for 59,000 which saw action fold back around to the raiser who called.
Caitlin Comeskey: J♦J♥
Opponent: A♠A♣
The board ran out K♣J♠8♣6♦5♠ and Comeskey hit a set of jacks to stay alive as the tournament clock ticked down.
Ashley "PokerFaceAsh" Frank moved in her final 55,000 from late position and in the small blind Mo Nuwwarah called all in for less while the big blind called having both players covered.
Mo Nuwwarah: A♣K♥
Ashley "PokerFaceAsh" Frank: 6♥6♠
Big Blind: Q♠Q♣
The flop came out K♦6♦K♠ for Frank to flop a full house and Nuwwarah to flop three kings while the queens went from best hand to third best. The turn and river 9♠J♠ did not change the outlook and Nuwwarah exited the tournament area while Frank more than doubled through her opponent.
At another table, Sarah Stefan was eliminated from the tournament.
