Nolan Garrett Bags Big in Opening Flight
The first of three starting flights is in the books in the $800 Main Event here at the RunGood Poker Series Grand Prix hosted by Horseshoe Council Bluffs. Of the 91 entries tallied in Day 1a, only 11 players will return for Day 2 on Sunday, all of whom have locked up a min-cash.
Nolan Garrett finished the opening flight as the player on top, bagging an impressive 560,000. He ascended atop the leaderboard with three tables remaining and never looked back during the last few levels of play.
Right on Garrett's heels is Robert Sherraden in second with 532,000. He won a huge pot on the last hand of the night when he woke up with pocket queens to knock out Marvin Donaldson on the stone bubble.
Rounding out the podium is Robert Kirk with a respectable 413,000. He is the only other player to surpass the 400,000 chip mark during Day 1a.
Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nolan Garrett | United States | 560,000 |
| 2 | Robert Sherraden | United States | 532,000 |
| 3 | Robert Kirk | United States | 413,000 |
| 4 | Mark Coffin | United States | 296,000 |
| 5 | Carl Masters | United States | 271,000 |
| 6 | Dave Mark | United States | 169,000 |
| 7 | James Mullin | United States | 168,000 |
| 8 | Liam Gannon | United States | 98,000 |
| 9 | Robert Renaud (US) | United States | 98,000 |
| 10 | Brent Gregory | United States | 75,000 |
| 11 | Jessica Anderson | United States | 50,000 |
Notable Eliminations
Blair Hinkle, who currently sits third on the RunGood all time money list with $366,071 in cashes, made a deep run in Day 1a but fell short on the soft bubble when his ace-six ran into the Big Slick of Kirk.
Some other familiar faces who made appearances but couldn't find a bag for Day 2 include Eric Kyle, Ryan Anderson, Dalton Smith, Michael Esquivel, and Brian Craig. They will all have another chance on Saturday when the Main Event continues with Day 1b and 1c flights.
Day 1b will begin Saturday, November 22 at 12:00 p.m. and Day 1c will get underway later in the day at 6:00 p.m. Play for Day 1 flights will conclude once 12.5% of the field (rounded down) remains and those who bag will be in the money. Day 2 will then start at the earliest blind level of the three flights on Sunday, November 23, where the event will play down to a winner.
Be sure to follow PokerNews throughout the entirety of the $800 Main Event here at the 2025 RGPS Grand Prix Council Bluffs.