Lopez Finishes as Day 1a Chip Leader
Day 1a of the RunGood Poker Series Grand Prix Tulsa $800 Main Event attracted a total of 140 entries, meaning that 17 players were permitted to bag to advance to Day 2 at the Tulsa Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Several players jockeyed for position at the top of the leaderboards, but John Lopez was the one to finish as the day’s chip leader, as he passed the seven-figure mark, amassing 1,006,000 in chips.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Lopez | United States | 1,006,000 | 201 |
| 2 | Dax Alexander | United States | 520,000 | 104 |
| 3 | Merritt Kuhn | United States | 311,000 | 62 |
| 4 | James Fleming | United States | 301,000 | 60 |
| 5 | Allen Roberts | United States | 285,000 | 57 |
| 6 | John Bredengerd | United States | 273,000 | 54 |
| 7 | Forrest Kollar | United States | 203,000 | 40 |
| 8 | Justin Coliny | United States | 194,000 | 38 |
| 9 | Rob Gardner | United States | 168,000 | 33 |
| 10 | Melinda Hettick | United States | 153,000 | 30 |
Lopez was followed by Dax Alexander (520,000) and Merritt Kuhn (311,000) to round out the top three stacks of the opening flight.
Lopez was aided by a strong late push to separate himself from the rest of the pack after he ended up clashing with Kuhn, who was moved to his table after players combined down to two tables. The two big stacks were not shy about clashing despite being only one away from bagging, as Lopez got the best of Kuhn when he flopped the nut straight versus Kuhn’s two pair, which resulted in Kuhn losing a significant portion of his chips late to Lopez.
Lopez stated, “The cards just fell in place,” as he reflected on the surge he experienced late on Day 1a to PokerNews.
Lopez is from the Springfield, Missouri area and is no stranger to finding success at the Tulsa Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Lopez boasts a successful track record, winning a WSOP circuit event in 2023 for six figures in cash. Lopez shared he primarily plays cash games, and only plays tournaments roughly five times a year, but despite his infrequent participation in tournaments will enter Day 2 of the RGPS Tulsa $800 Main Event as someone to watch out for.
The main event will host two more starting flights on Saturday, with Day 1b beginning at 11 a.m. local time. Day 1c will be the final starting flight of the tournament and will begin at 6 p.m. local time.
Check back here at PokerNews for continued coverage of the RGPS Tulsa $800 Main Event.