button in SafariTrent Wilson, Kevin Elwood Crack Half a Million on Day 1b of the RGPS Joplin $700 Main Event
In a close race to the finish line, Trent Wilson ended up edging out Kevin Elwood to assume the overall chip lead after Day 1b of the RunGood Poker Series Golden Expedition Joplin $700 Main Event.
Wilson and Elwood both bagged up more than half a million, Wilson ending up with 521,000 and Elwood 511,000. Wilson is no stranger to success on the RGPS, with 11 Main Event cashes in the last four years. He just missed out on the final table in Tulsa back in January, but he’ll be in pole position to make an even deeper run when players return for Day 2.
Day 1b Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trent Wilson | United States | 521,000 |
| 2 | Kevin Elwood | United States | 511,000 |
| 3 | James Beeler | United States | 377,000 |
| 4 | Josh Hawkins | United States | 302,000 |
| 5 | Allan Lee | United States | 201,000 |
| 6 | Samuel Courtois | United States | 159,000 |
| 7 | Kenneth Wright | United States | 136,000 |
| 8 | Nicholas Hebert | United States | 121,000 |
| 9 | Matt Perlman | United States | 103,000 |
| 10 | Derald Neugebauer | United States | 99,000 |
Elwood began his ascent up the leaderboard when he turned trips to crack John Roberts’ aces and double up. He then flopped top pair and dodged Tim Black’s flush draw to earn the knockout.
A total of ten players survived the event’s second opening flight. James Beeler finished in third place with 377,000 after earning a massive double up near the bubble when his fives held up against Nicholas Hebert’s flush draw. Josh Hawkins brought the night to an end in style, flopping quads to bust Roberts on the bubble as he moved up to 302,000. Hebert, who just missed the money in yesterday’s opening flight, managed to make it through this time with 121,000.
With 84 players coming to the Downstream Casino Resort pavilion today, not everyone was fortunate enough to earn a spot on Day 2. Among those to bust today were RunGood ambassador Jeff Copeland, Tulsa champion Jesse Jones, and Toran Tate. They’ll have to try again tomorrow if they want to make a run at the championship ring.
The total field stands at 141 entries through two starting flights. There are still two more flights to come tomorrow as the field continues to build up to the $150,000 guaranteed prize pool. Day 1c begins at 10 a.m., while Day 1d takes place at 3 p.m. All surviving players then return for Day 2 at 11 a.m. on September 20 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 1b went into Level 16 today, surpassing yesterday’s end time.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow to follow the last two starting flights, so stay tuned for live updates.