button in Safari
Hamid Izadi Bags as Chip Leader for Day 1c
The results are in for the third flight of the RunGood Poker Series Golden Expedition New Orleans $800 Main Event. 13 players qualified for Day 2 after a total of 109 entries took a swing at the opportunity to qualify for the final day of play and get a piece of the $200,000 guarantee.
Hamid Izadi (552,000) sat atop the chip counts for Day 1c. Wess Durocher (409,000) and Starr Williams (399,000) finished on the podium as the top three stacks to advance from the third flight.
Top Ten Chip Counts Day 1c
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamid Izadi | United States | 552,000 | 55 |
| 2 | Wess Durocher | United States | 409,000 | 41 |
| 3 | Starr Williams | United States | 399,000 | 40 |
| 4 | Thai Cao | United States | 269,000 | 27 |
| 5 | Ben Hammond | United States | 253,000 | 25 |
| 6 | Yong Jin Kim | United States | 252,000 | 25 |
| 7 | Corey Harrison | United States | 242,000 | 24 |
| 8 | Tim Sanderson | United States | 216,000 | 22 |
| 9 | Grant Hart | United States | 194,000 | 19 |
| 10 | Ron Germany | United States | 180,000 | 18 |
Izadi spoke to PokerNews about his thoughts following yet another successful opening flight for the former champion regarding bagging as chip leader.
“We are competitive as poker players,” said Izadi. “If I’m not winning (the tournament), it means nothing to me.”
Izadi has plenty of experience in the RunGood main event streets with one RGPS Main Event ring already to his name. Izadi secured his first RGPS Main Event crown when he took down the RGPS Passport Reno $800 Main Event for $39,550 earlier this year. Izadi will have the opportunity to make it two in one calendar year as he enters Day 2 with the top stack from Day 1c.
This is Durocher’s second cash of his live poker career at a RunGood event, and a deep run in this main event will represent the largest single-event cash of his career should he surpass his largest single cash of $2,700, per his The Hendon Mob page.
Williams was below average for a chunk of Day 1c, but got his foot in the door when he doubled through reigning champion Jeremy Gaubert to leave the former champion on fumes. This represented a turning point for Williams, who would go on to pile up more chips by day's end to finish as the third-biggest stack from Day 1c.
World Series of Poker bracelet holder Corey Harrison (242,000) was among those who qualified for Day 2 from Day 1c. The Louisiana native already has one cash during this RunGood series when he took fifth place in the $400 Kickoff event for $5,986. Harrison is still searching for his first RGPS ring to add to his cabinet and is a seasoned player with over one million in earnings, according to his The Hendon Mob page.
Drew “BetonDrew” Gonzalez (171,000) made the cut. Gonzalez doubled during Level 12 with kings, but the highlight of his day, without a doubt, came when he turned quad kings to cross the six-figure mark two levels later. Gonzalez is still searching for his first RunGood ring and main event title, and will aim to change that on Day 2.
Notable “Boston” Rob Mariano (81,000) won’t have a lot of wiggle room, but will still have a seat and a chance when he returns on Day 2 nonetheless. Mariano has two RGPS rings to his name and will look to add a third to his resume. This is Mariano’s first cash of the series as the Survivor legend looks to build on his poker legacy on Sunday.
Day 1d, the final starting flight, is currently underway. Players will return for the final day of play on Day 2 at 12:15 p.m. local time. Play will continue until a winner is crowned. Blind levels will increase to 40 minutes on Day 2, with 10-minute breaks scheduled every four levels of play.
Check back here tomorrow for more coverage as Caesars New Orleans will welcome a new champion in the RGPS Golden Expedition New Orleans $800 Main Event on Day 2.