button in SafariAndros Ioakimides Brings Style to Day 1a of the RGPS St. Louis Main Event
In a sea full of hoodies and golf shirts, Andros Ioakimides is usually going to be the best-dressed man in any poker room.
Ioakimides ensemble today on Day 1a of the RunGood Poker Series Golden Expedition St. Louis $800 Main Event included a brown suede jacket and a black diamond-encrusted dress shirt. "Andros, we almost wore the same thing today," Keith Heine joked with him. For how flashy his attire was, however, his play on the felt was even more so.
Ioakimides finished as the overwhelming chip leader among the eight players to survive the event’s first starting flight, ending up with 682,000 after busting Kim Parrish on the money bubble. He is nearly 200,000 ahead of his closest challenger. Ioakimides has more than $800,000 in live career earnings, including finishing 16th in this event in March and a runner-up in a WSOP Circuit Main Event in nearby St. Charles in 2019.
Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andros Ioakimides | United States | 682,000 | 85 |
| 2 | William McCracken | United States | 484,000 | 61 |
| 3 | Darroll Sayles | United States | 420,000 | 53 |
| 4 | Korey Barron | United States | 322,000 | 40 |
| 5 | Keith Heine | United States | 247,000 | 31 |
| 6 | Mike Hurley | United States | 215,000 | 27 |
| 7 | Craig Welko | United States | 196,000 | 25 |
| 8 | Mitchell Semple | United States | 107,000 | 13 |
William McCracken is no stranger to success in RunGood events, and is poised for yet another deep run after bagging up 484,000 on Day 1a. McCracken won a big pot off Heine after rivering a set of queens, then spiked another set of jacks to bust Andrew Bakota. He’s already made six RGPS Main Event final tables, including a championship ring in Kansas City in 2023.
Darroll Sayles (420,000) and Korey Barron (322,000) are also big stacks, while Heine rounds out the top five with 247,000. Heine won this event in 2023, and also finished in fifth place in the Gateway Poker Classic here at the Hollywood Casino in August. RunGood ambassador and reigning Player of the Year Craig Welko needed a lucky ace on the river to survive earlier in the day on his way to a stack of 196,000.
A total of 67 players entered on Day 1a. Among those to fall short of a bag were RunGood ambassadors Angela Jordison, Jaman Burton, and Jeff Copeland, who was the victim of a brutal runner-runner bad beat that cracked his aces. Gateway Poker Classic champion Brett Hagopian and Tyler Breeding were also among the casualties today.
The action at the Hollywood Casino continues this evening with Day 1b. Late registration for that flight remains open for around another 30 minutes, with 92 players currently registered. There are two more starting flights to come tomorrow, Day 1c at 11 a.m. and Day 1d at 5 p.m. All surviving players then return for Day 2 at noon on October 11. The action on Day 2 picks up at the earliest finishing time from one of the starting flights. Day 1a ended with 35 minutes remaining in Level 15 with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and an 8,000 big blind ante.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow to follow all the action from Day 1c, so stay tuned for more updates.