Jason Gilley opened to 600 from under the gun, and Steven Ott made the call on his left. Action folded to James Lyle on the button, who bagged one of the bigger stacks on Day 1a. Lyle three-bet to 2,600, resulting in a fold from Gillley and a call from Ott.
Ott checked the 4♠J♥8♦ flop, and Lyle continued for 1,800. The call was made, and Ott led out for 6,000 on the 10♣ turn. Lyle slid in a call, and Ott fired 12,500 on the 7♣ river.
That represented most of the remaining stack for both players, and Lyle sat back in his chair while taking a few minutes. Lyle opted to let his hand go, and Ott collected the chips.
At a nearby table, Thomas Forbes earned an early double when his trip sixes were called on the river.
The first-ever RunGood Poker Series in Kentucky continues today, with another pair of opening flights offering the latest chances to cash the RGPS Golden Expedition $800 Main Event on the Saturday schedule.
The two completed starting days saw a total of 175 entries, with 21 players securing a spot in the money at The Barrel Social Club. The will return on Labor Day, joined by the survivors of the remaining four flights to battle for the RGPS ring.
Action in Day 1c gets underway at 11:15 a.m. local time, followed by another flight at 4:15 p.m. before play wraps up for the night. Players can participate in all six flights, with unlimited reentry along the way.
Billy Vandergriff grabbed the overall lead by topping the field of Day 1b, finishing with an impressive 482,000 chips. That was good for a slight lead over Ryan Appleberry (424,000) among the 11 players who survived the second flight.
Leading the way on Day 1a was David Collins, who collected 388,000 chipsto sit just ahead of James Lyle (360,000). They are both in great position for a deep run while chasing their piece of the $250,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
1
Billy Vandergriff
United States
482,000
2
Ryan Appleberry
United States
424,000
3
David Collins (AL)
United States
388,000
4
James Lyle
United States
360,000
5
John Mingus
United States
337,000
6
Jeremy Drewery
United States
328,000
7
Andrew Bucaric
United States
327,000
8
Billy Wilson
United States
325,000
9
Jake Buchbaum
United States Minor Outlying Islands
322,000
10
Baruch Biniaminov
United States
275,000
The Barrel Social Club
Today's action will follow the same structure as all starting flights, as players will begin with 30,000 chips while blinds open at 100/200 with a 200 big blind ante.
The first eight levels of the day will be 30 minutes long, extending to 40 minutes once late registration closes at the start of Level 9. The schedule also includes 15-minute breaks after every two hours of action.
Players may qualify for Day 2 more than once, but only their larger stack will carry forward to the final day. Any additional bags will earn the lowest payout, while those stacks will be removed from play.
Each flight will continue until the top 12.5% of the field remains, earning a spot in the money and advancing to battle for the RGPS ring on Monday, September 7.
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on poker's biggest stars or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you.
No subscriptions, no paywalls, just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most. It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Be sure to stay tuned throughout the long weekend, as the PokerNews live reporting team continues to provide full coverage until a champion is crowned here in Kentucky.
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