Former Champ Leads after Day 1ab in $600 Hendon Mob Mid-Major Championship

The first two flights of the $600 Hendon Mob Mid-Major Championship are in the books at the Thunder Valley Resort and Casino during the Run Good Poker Series Final Orbit (RGPS). A total of 341 players took their shot on Day 1ab, with a collection of 33 players bagging to secure their spot on Day 2.

Coming out of the pack is a familiar face in Jagdeep Bal, who finished Day 1ab at the top of the leaderboard with 619,000. Bal won this very event in 2023 for $71,036 and entered the day with a recorded lifetime career live earnings of over $200,000. Bal outlasted a field of 1,605 players before earning his first-place finish after an eight-way ICM chop at the final table. Bal will be one to watch as he aims to be a repeat champion, having secured his spot in Day 2.

Rank	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Jagdeep Bal	United States	619000	61
2	Albert Tapia	United States	618000	61
3	Mohit Vasudeva	United States	592000	59
4	Sang Tran	United States	588000	58
5	Dan Stavila	Moldova	541000	54
6	Nicholas Browning	United States	500000	50
7	Randy Gil	United States	465000	46
8	Ryan Awwad	United States	436000	43
9	Austin Tian	United States	426000	42
10	Paul Spano	United States	403000	40

Bal was not the only RGPS ring wearer to return for Day 2. Cheryl Svenson (212,000) will aim to capture the third ring of her career. Other returning champions looking to score their second RGPS ring include: Randy Gil (465,000), Ryan Awwad (436,000), Steven Gnatovich (286,000), and Alan Burgess (120,00).