button in SafariDealer and Poker "Rookie" Sean Etheridge Puts on a Show on Day 1a of the RGPS Jacksonville Main Event
Sean Etheridge is usually sitting on the other side of a poker table as a dealer, but today on Day 1a of the RunGood Golden Expedition Jacksonville $1,200 Main Event, he decided to switch roles.
Etheridge satellited into the event’s opening flight and made the most of his opportunity, building up a massive stack of 649,000 and taking the chip lead over the 18 players who survived the day. Etheridge shared a table during the later stages of the day with WPT champion Blake Ellinghaus, and the two opponents constantly battled in big pots as they jostled for the title of table captain. Etheridge showed Ellinghaus two pair after betting 90,000 on the turn, and he later hit a flush on the river to bust Edward Mroczkowski near the money bubble.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sean Etheridge | United States | 649,000 | 130 |
| 2 | Mary Darnell | United States | 571,000 | 114 |
| 3 | Sandro Sa | Brazil | 462,000 | 92 |
| 4 | David Greufe | United States | 337,000 | 67 |
| 5 | Andrew Difeo | United States | 285,000 | 57 |
| 6 | Zack Ryan | United States | 239,000 | 48 |
| 7 | Danny Clarkson | United States | 239,000 | 48 |
| 8 | Jamison Burnes | United States | 227,000 | 45 |
| 9 | Mike Scalice | United States | 206,000 | 41 |
| 10 | Blake Ellinghaus | United States | 184,000 | 37 |
Etheridge has been a dealer at bestbet Orange Park for the last few years. His fun-loving, carefree attitude that he displayed today is a reflection of his overall outlook on life. “I just love living life in general, man. Poker’s fun, but I’m just glad to be here and just hanging out, you know?” he said after bagging up for the night.
“I feel great, man. I had a good time. I got some good hands, and I got lucky a couple times. My day was very active and fun. I had a great day.”
Etheridge has just one recorded live cash for $1,200 on his Hendon Mob profile. He describes himself, despite his job as a dealer, as a poker “rookie” and admits he’s played fewer than 10 live tournaments. “I’ve been dealing for five or six years, and I just play every now and then,” he said. “So I’m a rookie, really.”
Etheridge was followed on the leaderboard by Mary Darnell, who got off to a scorching hot start to the day. Darnell admits she busted five players in a span of 30 minutes during the first few levels. She then picked off Ellinghaus in a big pot near the bubble as she finished with 571,00. Sandro Sa won a massive coin flip with David Greufe on his way to 462,000, while Greufe rebounded to end up with 337,000. Andrew Difeo rounded out the top five with 285,000, but his stack could’ve been much larger. Difeo flopped a full house against Etheridge, and Etheridge just called him down with trips. “You could’ve had it all,” Etheridge told him after the hand.
Others through to Day 2 include Ellinghaus (184,000), who won the WPT bestbet Scramble here at bestbet Jacksonville last month, Nick Raio (168,000), and RunGood ambassador Chris Conrad (59,000). Among those who couldn’t make it through the day were Greg Raymer, Christina Gollins, Katerina Lukina, Caleb Powell, Allison Hollander, and the husband-and-wife team of Kelley and Kelly Slay.
A total of 144 players came to bestbet Jacksonville on Day 1a to chase a share of the $300,000 guaranteed prize pool, with nearly 80 players sitting in from the start and taking advantage of the $100 tournament bucks they received for starting on time. Those who made it through the day earned an additional $500 bonus.
The second starting flight kicks off tomorrow at noon local time. There is also Day 1c on October 31 at noon. All surviving players then return for Day 2 on November 1 to play down to a champion. The action on Day 2 picks up at the earliest finishing time from one of the starting flights. Day 1a ended with around four minutes remaining in Level 15 with blinds of 3,000/5,000 and a 5,000 big blind ante. Any player who survived today’s flight can also enter the two later flights. If a player bags on multiple flights, they’ll receive a $3,600 bonus at the start of Day 2.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow following all the action from Day 1b, so be sure to tune in for updates.