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$600 Main Event
Day 1cde Completed
2026 RGPS Golden Expedition Dallas
$600 Main Event
Day: 1cde
Players Left 167 / 661
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 17
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Action continues in this RGPS Golden Expedition event, with full chip counts and information for the late flight to be posted in the morning.
Chip counts can also be found at the conclusion of play on the RunGood Rewards App.
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Level 17
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
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.
Level 17
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Level 17
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Play has wrapped up on Day 1c, as the final 19 players have bagged up for the night.
Stay tuned for full chip counts, and a recap of the day's action.
Level 17
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Jason Royman opened to 40,000 from under the gun, and David Peters raised enough to put his opponent all in. Royman made the quick call, and the action was paused as play finished on the other tables.
Jason Royman: A♥K♠ 
David Peters: A♦5♣
The 3♦3♣J♦ flop produced some chop outs, while Royman remained ahead on the 4♦ turn. Peters connected with the 7♦ river, making a flush to send Royman out on the stone bubble.
Level 17
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
With 20 players left and 19 spots in the money, the tournament is now being played hand for hand.
Action will stop on the next elimination.
Level 17
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
David Peters opened to 25,000 from under the gun, and Jason Royman stuck in a call as next to act. Jie Zheng three-bet to 100,000 from the hijack, and Peters replied with a four-bet to 425,000.
Royman folded, and Zheng called off the rest of his stack.
Jie Zheng: K♣K♦
David Peters: A♠A♥
Peters needlessly improved to a set on the 8♦4♣10♦A♣J♦ board, sending Zheng out two spots before the money.
Level 17
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
In the 1,003rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by PokerStars, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow are joined by longtime commentator James Hartigan at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas. Ahead of EPT Barcelona, Hartigan shares some of his favorite memories from the European Poker Tour (EPT), including his debut at Deauville, being there for both of Vicky Coren's wins, and the rise of Adrian Mateos.
Hartigan also shares his affinity for Barny Boatman, what it was like being at the 2010 armed robbery at the EPT Berlin, and much more. This is your chance to hear from one of the most respected commentators in poker history talk about legendary moments from the EPT!
Be sure to check out the audio version of the PokerNews Podcast that is available on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
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Level 17
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
