button in SafariKathryn Lindsay Bags as Day 1a Chip Leader
The books are closed for the first flight of the RunGood Poker Series Golden Expedition New Orleans $800 Main Event. A total of 60 entries took their shot at Caesars New Orleans to secure a bag and advance to Day 2. This resulted in seven players being permitted to advance to the final day of play.
Kathryn Lindsay (471,000) topped the chip counts after bagging the most chips of any player on Day 1a. My Nguyen (340,000) and David Cocheles (285,000) finished with the second and third most chips, respectively.
Final Chip Counts for Day 1a
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kathryn Lindsay | United States | 471,000 | 59 |
| 2 | My Nguyen | United States | 340,000 | 43 |
| 3 | David Cocheles | United States | 285,000 | 36 |
| 4 | Christopher Savage | United States | 267,000 | 33 |
| 5 | Brian Seni | United States | 177,000 | 22 |
| 6 | Charles Bartlett | United States | 138,000 | 17 |
| 7 | Tristan Welch | United States | 92,000 | 12 |
“You know what’s funny. I would want to be chip leader despite knowing that it doesn’t matter in the long run. I’m just ultra competitive, and that side of me makes it matter,” said Lindsay to PokerNews following the conclusion of Day 1a. “Me being in for one bullet is good. Having a day off is nice. I’m just excited.”
Lindsay has plenty of experience in the live tournament scene with over $1,100,000 in career earnings per her The Hendon Mob profile. This is her second cash of this series after she took third place in the RGPS $400 Double Stack Ring Event earlier this week. Lindsay is still searching for her first RGPS ring, however, and will have the opportunity to accomplish that feat when she returns for Day 2 action on Sunday.
Nguyen has amassed over $70,000 in career earnings according to his The Hendon Mob page. Nguyen’s ascension to the top of the chip counts was accelerated when he scored a double knockout with his pocket kings to amass a healthy stack.
He would hit a speed bump when Cocheles caught a river to win a big pot, but Nguyen got back in the win column when he eliminated Mihail Karasoulis to get back over 300,000 in chips.
Reigning RGPS New Orleans Main Event Champion Jeremy Gaubert made an appearance to defend his title, but the opening flight was not meant to be for Gaubert, as he was eliminated and will have to find another flight to punch his ticket to Day 2.
Other notables that did not advance include Preston McEwen, Grant Hart, and Rob Mariano.
Day 1b is currently underway, with Saturday set to host two additional starting flights. Day 1c begins at 12:15 p.m., while Day 1d will start at 6:15 p.m. All times are local.
Main Event Schedule
| Date | Time | Event |
| Sat, Sept. 12 | 12:15 p.m. | $800 Main Event Flight 1c |
| Sat, Sept. 12 | 6:15 p.m. | $800 Main Event Flight 1d |
| Sun, Sept. 13 | 12:15 p.m. | $800 Main Event Day 2 |
All times are local*
Players begin with a starting stack of 30,000. Competitors are entitled to unlimited reentries with registration closing at the beginning of Level 9. Players may also forfeit their stack at the end of Level 8 and re-enter for $800 and begin with a fresh starting stack at the beginning of Level 9. Players who qualify for Day 2 more than once will advance with their largest stack, and forfeit their other stack(s) and receive a minimum Day 2 payout for each forfeited stack.
A total of 12.5% of players (rounded down) from each starting flight are entitled to advance to Day 2.
Stay tuned here at PokerNews for continued coverage of the RGPS Golden Expedition New Orleans $800 Main Event.