button in SafariLibby Wilson Bursts the Bubble to Take the Chip Lead on Day 1b of the RGPS Southern Indiana Main Event
Libby Wilson brought the night to a close when she helped burst the bubble and seize the chip lead on Day 1b of the RunGood Poker Series Golden Expedition Southern Indiana $800 Main Event.
Wilson bagged up 442,000 as eight players survived the event’s second starting flight. She began her ascent up the leaderboard when she picked up kings against KJ Helton’s queens in a big pot, and then spiked a straight to bust Alan Percal on the money bubble. It was the second straight day that the luckless Percal just missed making the money.
Day 1b Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Libby Wilson | United States | 442,000 |
| 2 | Donnie Phan | United States | 390,000 |
| 3 | Craig Welko | United States | 384,000 |
| 4 | Mary Holton | United States | 276,000 |
| 5 | Thomas Coomes | United States | 248,000 |
| 6 | Devon Sturges | United States | 230,000 |
| 7 | Kurt Jewell | United States | 81,000 |
| 8 | Greg McCurry | United States | 46,000 |
Wilson has nearly $300,000 in live earnings dating all the way back to 2008, but the highlight of her poker career didn’t come from a hand. She made a deep run in the Mystery Millions event at the WSOP this summer, where she pulled one of the $100,000 bounty envelopes.
Donnie Phan is her closest challenger with 390,000, while RunGood ambassador Craig Welko ended up in third place with 384,000. Welko finished runner-up in this event last year on his way to winning Player of the Year honors.
Mary Holton (276,000), Thomas Coomes (248,000), and Devon Sturges (230,000) also secured their spots for Day 2, while Kurt Jewell (81,000) and Greg McCurry (46,000) hung on with short stacks. Defending champion Jasper May didn’t have any such luck today and was among the first to bust, while Mike Chilton, WSOP bracelet winner Ronnie Day, Matt Vaughan, and RunGood ambassador Taylor Howard were also sent to the rail.
A total of 70 players came to Caesars Southern Indiana today, bringing the total field up to 116 through the first two starting flights. There are still two more flights tomorrow, with Day 1c beginning at 11 a.m. and Day 1d following at 6 p.m. Both are expected to be the biggest yet and push the field past the $200,000 guaranteed prize pool.
All surviving players from the four starting flights combine for Day 2 on August 23 at 1 p.m. Play will resume at the earliest finish time from one of the flights. Day 1b lasted into Level 16 and went longer than yesterday’s opening flight.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow to follow the action from the last two starting flights, so stay tuned for more updates.