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Level 1
: Blinds 100/200, 200 ante
2026 RGPS Golden Expedition Houston
$600 Main Event
Day: 1bc
Event Info
2026 RGPS Golden Expedition Houston
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1bc
Buy-in
$600
Prize Pool
$269,000
Total Entries
538
Places Paid
49
Level
29
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Entries
156
Players Left
14
Players Left 1 / 538
Filter
Level 1
: Blinds 100/200, 200 ante
The dealers have been instructed to shuffle up and deal to kick off Day 1b of the $600 Main Event with just eight players in their seats.
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 200
It was a small but determined field that showed up for the opening flight of the 2026 RunGood Golden Expedition Houston $600 Main Event. Day 1a attracted a total of 45 entries at the Champions Club Texas with just four players moving on to Day 2 on Sunday, where the large $250,000 guaranteed prize pool will be handed out.
It took until the early hours of the morning for the action to wrap up and it was Alexandra Loveless who came away as the healthy chip leader and the only player to bag up seven figures. Loveless steamrolled her competition, despite having to use a second bullet early on, en route to bagging up 1,035,000 chips.
Her fellow competitors who will be joining Loveless on Sunday include Hayden Fortini (820,000), Grant Matatall (620,000), and Russell Koch (220,000). It was Dhillon Reddy who was eliminated in fifth for a min-cash of $920, but he will have the opportunity to join any of the remaining starting flights with the hopes of reaching Day 2.
Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandra Loveless | United States | 1,035,000 |
| 2 | Hayden Fortini | United States | 820,000 |
| 3 | Grant Matatall | United States | 620,000 |
| 4 | Russell Koch | United States | 220,000 |
The cards are scheduled to go in the air at 12 p.m. local time, just a few hours after play concluded last night. Players will be given a starting stack of 60,000 chips with the blinds beginning at 100/200 and a 200 big blind ante. The levels will be 30 minutes throughout the event with a 15-minute break after every four levels.
Late registration will remain open until the start of Level 13 for each starting flight. That will be approximately 6:45 p.m. local time with an unliminted number of re-entries permitted until then. The top 12.5% rounded down will be paid but only the top 10% of players will be advancing to Day 2.
There will be another late flight (Day 1c) taking place this evening at 6 p.m. local time with the exact same structure.
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The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the tournament floor to bring you live updates throughout Day 1b.
$600 Main Event
Day 1bc Started
