button in SafariMaverick Johnson Builds Big Lead in RGPS Dallas Main Event
The busiest day of the 2026 RGPS Golden Expedition Dallas series saw 158 entries join the field in the $600 Main Event, as the $200,000 guaranteed prize pool was easily surpassed with more flights ahead.
The room was filled early at Palace Poker, where 17 levels of action in the third flight of the week left the final 19 players bagging up with a spot in the money secured. That was later outdone by Day 1d, which attracted 179 entrants to see the prize pool grow past $265,000.
Players from Day 1c were looking up at Maverick Johnson for most of the day, as the Texas resident built up a big chip stack and cruised to the top of the leaderboard with 1,476,000.
Johnson's ascent began just before late registration closed, making a full house to score an elimination and climb among the early leaders. Johnson later flopped a flush to send another opponent to the rail, taking over the chip lead and never looking back.
Two others players managed to collect seven-figure stacks, as David Peters (TX) knocked out the final two players of the night to finish with 1,070,000 chips. Preston Duron rounds out the top three, marking down an even 1,000,000 on his bag.
Day 1c Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maverick Johnson | United States | 1,476,000 |
| 2 | David Peters (TX) | United States | 1,070,000 |
| 3 | Preston Duron | United States | 1,000,000 |
| 4 | Kamran Jamal | United States | 680,000 |
| 5 | Suju Abraham | United States | 645,000 |
| 6 | Esteban Ruiz | United States | 644,000 |
| 7 | Eric Finger | United States | 608,000 |
| 8 | Brian Fite | United States | 398,000 |
| 9 | Carson Walden | United States | 367,000 |
| 10 | Robert Horton | United States | 338,000 |
Notable Names Take Their Shot
Among the notable players in the field during the day was Shannon Eason, who played her first multi-flight tournament just last weekend in the $300 PokerNews PowerStack Mystery Bounty event. Eason claimed the two biggest bounties before finishing tenth, only to earn her first RGPS ring just a few days later in the Black Chip Bounty.
Eason recounted her exciting introduction to tournament series action to PokerNews shortly after hitting the rail in this flight, but she was right back in action later in the night in the $300 Ladies Ring Event.
Other notables to take part in the action included RGPS Ambassador Bart Bogard, along with tour regulars Randy Sadler, Kris Burchfield, and defending RGPS Dallas Main Event champion Daniel Lowery. All of them missed out on the money, but will have a few more shots to build a stack in the final three flights.
Cameron Patton (147,000) managed to navigate his way into the final day, surviving an all in moment where he asked the dealer for help and was rewarded with a double-up.
Patton finished as the second-shortest stack of the flight, just ahead of Duster Ellis (67,000) who survived to earn at least a min-cash.
The money bubble was cruel for Jason Royman, who had Peters dominated before running diamonds saw the night come to a close. Royman was left on the outside looking in, while Peters secured his second straight knockout on the bubble to climb into second place.
The final three flights will be contested on Saturday, August 22, starting with Day 1f at 11:00 a.m. local time. Players will take their seats with 60,000 chips, and blinds begin at 100/200 with a 200 big blind ante.
From there, the schedule calls for Day 1g at 5:00 p.m. followed by the last turbo Day 1h at 10:00 p.m. at Palace Poker. All flights will play down to the top 12.5% of the field, rounded down, before bagging for the final day.
Players have the option of unlimited reentries until late registration closes during each flight at the start of Level 9. Saturday survivors will join those that have already secured a bag, returning to battle for the RGPS Main Event ring
Don't miss any of the action this weekend, as the PokerNews team continues to provide full coverage of the $600 Main Event until a winner is crowned on Sunday night.