Straight Flush Over Ace High Flush Fuels Roberts to Day 1a Chip Lead in RGPS Main Event
The first of four Day 1 flights has been completed at Hollywood Casino St. Louis for the RunGood Poker Series Main Event. Day 1a drew a total of 65 entrants, with 8 players making the money and advancing to Day 2. Leading the way at the end of the night was John Roberts, who bagged 712,000 chips.
Roberts experienced a rollercoaster of a day—starting off strong and spending much of the early levels among the chip leaders before gradually chipping down. With around 50,000 in his stack, he pulled off a gutsy bluff against Yang Xu, showing nine-high with no pair and no draw on an ace-high board. That bluff sparked a surge in momentum, and Roberts built his stack to around 300,000. The night’s biggest pot came with 16 players remaining, when Roberts put a massive cooler on Xu. Xu rivered the ace-high flush—only to be shown a queen-high straight flush by Roberts, who scooped the pot and cruised into the Day 1a chip lead.
Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Roberts | United States | 712,000 | |
| 2 | William Henricks | United States | 319,000 | |
| 3 | Kyle Cartwright | United States | 295,000 | |
| 4 | Paul Reynolds | United States | 215,000 | |
| 5 | Scott Hirsch | United States | 179,000 | |
| 6 | Jake Ortiz | United States | 114,000 | |
| 7 | David Level | United States | 92,000 | |
| 8 | Everett Gilmour | United States | 25,000 |
Several RGPS regulars made an appearance on Day 1a, including Player of the Year leader Michael Johns, as well as Keith McKuin, Brian Schulz, and Mark Lafata—though unfortunately, all were unable to bag chips for Day 2.
Also, in the field was 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer. But 'Fossil Man' didn't stay long, busting shortly after sitting down, and ultimately elected to not renter this flight.
The eight players who advanced to Day 2 secured their spots after chip leader Roberts eliminated Brandon Butler on the money bubble. Butler, down to his final 14,000 chips, moved all in from under the gun with king-eight. Unfortunately for him, Roberts held pocket nines, which held up to send Butler to the rail as the bubble boy—locking up both a min-cash and a Day 2 seat for the remaining eight players.
Day 1b of the RunGood Poker Series Main Event is set to kick off at 5:00 p.m. local time on Friday, April 4, with Day 1c and Day 1d scheduled for Saturday, April 5 at 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., respectively.
Players will begin with 30,000 in chips, playing 30-minute levels, which will increase to 40 minutes once late registration closes. Blinds will start at 100/200 with a 200 big blind ante, and players will receive a 15-minute break every two hours of play.
The Main Event allows for unlimited re-entries, with late registration open until the start of Level 9. Each flight will continue until just 12.5% of the field remains, at which point players will reach the money, bag their chips, and advance to Day 2.
Participants may enter multiple Day 1 flights; however, if a player bags more than once, only their largest stack will carry forward. Any smaller stacks will be removed and awarded the minimum Day 2 payout. Day 2 blinds will resume at the lowest level reached across all Day 1 flights.
Stay locked in with PokerNews for live updates and full RGPS Main Event coverage as we march toward crowning another champion in St. Louis.