$600 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
$600 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
The action kicked off on Day 1a of the $600 Main Event at the 2025 RunGood Poker Series Grand Prix Tunica II with an overwhelming 184 entries taking to the felt. It's one of the largest opening flights on the RGPS Tour which bodes well for reaching the $200,000 guaranteed prize pool, nearly half of that already contributed.
By the day's end with just a few minutes remaining in level 14, the field was whittled down to just 23 players who will return on Sunday for Day 2 in the fight for the title. Near the top of the leaderboard, you could find Chad Link who was just cruising around at an average stack for the majority of the day. However, a late-night surge plus the elimination of Brad Wilkerson on the money bubble gave Link the boost he needed.
The Day 1a chip lead belonged to Mike Cordell who amassed a stack of 538,000 chips. Cordell has a previous WSOP bracelet under his belt already, and is now looking to add a RGPS Grand Prix ring to his jewelry collection. The only other player with a stack north of 500,000 chips belonged to Josh Borders who also claimed his fair share of victims en route to the bubble bursting. Borders will return with a stack of 512,000 when Day 2 gets underway.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Cordell | United States | 538,000 | 90 |
| 2 | Josh Borders | United States | 512,000 | 85 |
| 3 | Chad Link | United States | 494,000 | 82 |
| 4 | Brian Durr | United States | 479,000 | 80 |
| 5 | Rafael Lopez | United States | 404,000 | 67 |
| 6 | Jeremy Moore | United States | 396,000 | 66 |
| 7 | Dylan Lemery | United States | 338,000 | 56 |
| 8 | Vincent Freeman | United States | 308,000 | 51 |
| 9 | Tyler Burke | United States | 282,000 | 47 |
| 10 | Brandon Mayo | United States | 279,000 | 47 |
The field was littered with hometown regulars residing on both sides of the Mississippi River in Mississippi and Tennessee. There were also some notable names from across the United States, making their way to Horseshoe Casino Tunica specifically for this series. The likes of Chris Moneymaker (202,000), Matthew Higgins (150,000), and Cody Stanford (190,000) bagged up chips for Day 2 while Nicholas Rigby, John Holley, and Jacob Foley will have to return tomorrow in hopes of moving on.
The cards will be back in the air at 11 a.m. local time for Day 1b and the third flight will commence at 6 p.m. Both flights will mirror the first with 30-minute levels and play to 12.5% of the field (rounded down). Registration will remain open until the start of level nine for both of the flights and there will be flip 'n go satellites taking place throughout the day on a first-come, first-served basis.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be back to cover all of the action throughout the day so keep it locked here for all of your up-to-date information.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
538,000
115,000
|
115,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
512,000
152,000
|
152,000 |
|
|
494,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
|
|
479,000
11,000
|
11,000 |
|
|
404,000
404,000
|
404,000 |
|
|
396,000
396,000
|
396,000 |
|
|
338,000
338,000
|
338,000 |
|
|
308,000
308,000
|
308,000 |
|
|
282,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
|
|
279,000
49,000
|
49,000 |
|
|
202,000
13,000
|
13,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
190,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
|
|
185,000
55,000
|
55,000 |
|
|
162,000
162,000
|
162,000 |
|
|
161,000
161,000
|
161,000 |
|
|
150,000
121,000
|
121,000 |
|
|
122,000
22,000
|
22,000 |
|
|
114,000
114,000
|
114,000 |
|
|
103,000
103,000
|
103,000 |
|
|
67,000
78,000
|
78,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
57,000
5,500
|
5,500 |
|
|
40,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
34,000
34,000
|
34,000 |
Chad Link opened to 12,000 from under the gun and was called by the player on his left. Brad Wilkerson then shoved all in for 91,000 in the hijack. Link asked for a count and then called, forcing out the player on his left.
Brad Wilkerson: A♣8♦
Chad Link: A♦J♣
Link was in a dominating position and the flop of K♠7♠5♠ kept it that way with neither player holding a spade. The 9♣ on the turn gave Wilkerson a straight draw but the 2♣ on the river bricked out. Wilkerson was eliminated and the remaining 23 players will now bag their chips for Day 2.
A full list of chip counts and a recap of the day's action will be posted shortly.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
495,000
225,000
|
225,000 |
|
|
Busted |
The tournament will now be hand-for-hand on the bubble to reach Day 2. Keep in mind that if two players are eliminated, neither player will receive any money as only players who make Day 2 are considered to be in the money.
There was an all in for 36,000 in the hijack and Josh Borders reshoved all in over the top. The big blind also stuck in the last of his 136,000 and all three players showed their hands.
Hijack: A♠9♦
Big Blind: J♣J♦
Josh Borders: A♦K♣
"I feel so bad for you for how bad you're running," Chris Moneymaker said to Borders.
"I still need to hit," Borders pointed out.
"Don't worry. You're going to hit," Moneymaker responded.
Hit he did, as the flop came K♥8♠4♣ with the king right in the window for Borders. The 2♣ on the turn and the 5♣ on the river eliminated both of the shorter stacks.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
360,000
215,000
|
215,000 |
Brian Durr limped in from under the gun and the player on his left shipped all in for 51,000. The action folded back to Durr who asked for a count before flicking in the chips to call.
Opponent: A♦K♥
Brian Durr: 4♣4♦
It turned out to be a coin flip and the flop of J♦7♥5♣ favored Durr with the pocket pair. The turn was the 4♥ and Durr made a set, leaving his opponent drawing dead to the 9♠ on the river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
490,000
65,000
|
65,000 |
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Level: 14
Blinds: 3,000/6,000
Ante: 6,000
Greg Radosh ripped all in for 65,000 from under the gun and the action folded to the big blind who asked for a count before making the call.
Greg Radosh: A♣8♣
Opponent: 4♠4♦
Radosh was hoping to just hit once and the flop of A♦8♦6♠ hit him twice with two pair. The third time came on the turn with the A♥ and just for good measure, the 8♥ completed the board to give him multiple full houses for the double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
130,000 |