button in SafariMostafa Ashkarkhizani Bests Son Evan For the Chip Lead on Day 1a of the RGPS Joplin $700 Main Event
It would’ve been hard to have a better day than Mostafa Ashkarkhizani did today inside the Downstream Casino Resort pavilion.
Ashkarkhizani began his day by taking down the $300 One-Day event, earning more than $5,000. He then won a Flip and Go to ensure he’ll come back tomorrow for a chance at another RunGood ring. And then, to cap it off, he still found time to bag up the chip lead on Day 1a of the RunGood Golden Expedition Joplin $700 Main Event.
Ashkarkhizani finished with 413,000 as seven players made it through the event’s opening flight and secured their spots for Day 2. Ashkarkhizani won a flip with two tens against Chris Freeman’s ace-queen to burst the bubble and bring the night to a close.
Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mostafa Ashkarkhizani | United States | 413,000 | 52 |
| 2 | Joseph Ferguson | United States | 319,000 | 40 |
| 3 | Evan Ashkarkhizani | United States | 313,000 | 39 |
| 4 | Madhukar Virupakshi | United States | 310,000 | 39 |
| 5 | Shaun Gable | United States | 175,000 | 22 |
| 6 | Papa Karn | United States | 104,000 | 13 |
| 7 | Shawn Sparks | United States | 88,000 | 11 |
For most of the day, it seemed like Ashkarkhizani was going to end up as chip leader—just not Mostafa. His son, Evan, got off to a fast start and was flirting with 300,000 after just a few hours. Another tablemate aptly pointed out he was “sun-running” through the day. Evan then earned a massive bustout when he flopped a full house against Brandon Visnich as he ended up with 313,000 and in third place.
The bond between father and son goes far beyond the felt. A few years ago, Mostafa needed a kidney transplant. Evan stepped up to be his donor. “Just like any other kid would do for their parents,” Evan said today. “Just another kid that loves his dad, and I’m glad it worked out…Hopefully we can get to the final table together. That will be great.”
Joseph Ferguson separates them on the leaderboard with 319,000, while Madhukar Virupakshi is another big stack with 310,000. Shaun Gable (175,000) and Shawn Sparks (88,000) are further down the leaderboard, while Papa Karn, the father of RunGood founder Tana Karn, made it through with 104,000.
A total of 57 players came to the Downstream Casino Resort today. Among those who fell short were RGPS Tulsa champion Jesse Jones, WSOP bracelet winner Brent Gregory, Daniel “Donk” Hughes, Rodney Spriggs, and Lucas Drummonds. They’ll have to try again on a subsequent flight if they want to chase the RGPS championship ring and part of the $150,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Day 1b begins tomorrow at 6 p.m. local time. There are also two starting flights on September 19, Day 1c at 10 a.m. and Day 1d at 3 p.m. All surviving players then return for Day 2 on September 20 at 11 a.m. The action on Day 2 picks up at the earliest finishing time from one of the four starting flights. Day 1a ended with 13 minutes remaining in Level 15 with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and an 8,000 big blind ante.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow following all the action from Day 1b, so stay tuned for more updates.