Mark Lafata bet 1,000 from the hijack on a flop of 4♦8♠2♥ and picked up three callers, including Mitchell Semple in the small blind.
Semple then led out for 4,000 on the 6♥ turn, and only Lafata called. Semple then bet 14,000 on the 9♥ river, and Lafata called with Q♥8♥ for a rivered flush. Semple's cards quickly hit the muck, and Lafata took the big pot.
Level: 2
Blinds: 200/300
Ante: 300
Scotter Clark bet 1,000 from the big blind on a flop of K♥5♠9♠ and was called by Korey Barron in the hijack and another opponent in the cutoff.
Action checked to Barron on the 2♦ turn, and he bet 1,200. Only Clark called to see the 9♥ river, where he led out for 7,000. Barron called, and Clark showed 9♣7♣ for rivered trips to win the pot.
Michial Drake raised to 600 under the gun, Andrew Bakota three-bet to 1,600 in the cutoff, and Drake called.
The flop came 7♣7♥8♣ and Bakota bet 1,200. Drake called, and the J♥ fell on the turn.
Bakota then bet 2,600, and Drake raised to 5,200. Bakota called.
Drake checked the K♠ river. "I want to see your hand so much, so I check," Bakota told him, and Drake showed 9♦8♦ for two pair. Bakota, though, had A♦J♠ for jacks and sevens to win the hand.
Four players checked to the turn on a board of 2♦A♣6♠10♦ when Harry Cheatham bet 1,000 from the button. Only the big blind called.
Cheatham bet another 1,000 on the 9♠ river, and his opponent again called. Cheatham showed A♦4♣ for a pair of aces, and his opponent mucked.
David Benage raised to 300 on the button and Michial Drake called in the big blind.
Benage continued for 400 on the 9♦K♦8♥ flop, and Drake called. Benage then bet 600 on the J♥ turn, but this time Drake raised to 2,000. Benage took a minute before folding.
Gateway Poker Classic champion Brett Hagopian is among the first players here on Day 1a.
Action is underway with 15 players currently registered.
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 200
The RunGood Poker Series returns to the Gateway to the West when the RGPS Golden Expedition St. Louis $800 Main Event begins today at 11 a.m. local time.
The Hollywood Casino will play host to four starting flights over the next two days. It starts with Day 1a, while Day 1b takes place later today at 5 p.m. There are two more starting flights tomorrow, Day 1c at 11 a.m. and Day 1d at 5 p.m., as hundreds of players are expected to come chase the championship ring and a piece of the $200,000 guaranteed prize pool.
| Date | Flight | Time | Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 9 | Day 1a | 11 a.m. | 30 minutes Level 1-8, 40 minutes Level 9- |
| October 9 | Day 1b | 5 p.m. | 30 minutes Level 1-8, 40 minutes Level 9- |
| October 10 | Day 1c | 11 a.m. | 30 minutes Level 1-8, 40 minutes Level 9- |
| October 10 | Day 1d | 5 p.m. | 30 minutes Level 1-8, 40 minutes Level 9- |
| October 11 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 40 minutes |
Players begin with a 40,000 starting stack. Levels will be 30 minutes up until the start of Level 9, when they will be extended to 40 minutes for the remainder of the tournament. Late registration is open for the first eight levels, with unlimited reentries allowed during the registration period. Each starting flight will play down to 12.5 percent of the field. All surviving players then return for Day 2 on October 11 at noon to play down to a champion.
The RGPS team was last year in St. Louis back in August for the Gateway Poker Classic, when local police officer Brett Hagopian beat out a field of 705 entries to earn $71,740. Javier Terrazas, Keith Heine, and Cameron Dugan also made the final table.
It’s already been a successful week for the RGPS ambassadors. Reigning Player of the Year Craig Welko took down the Opener event, Angela Jordison and Christina Lofquist won the Tag Team event, while Blair Hinkle finished runner-up in the PokerNews PokerStack last night. They are expected to enter the field over the coming days, along with hundreds of other hopefuls.
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PokerNews will be following the action the entire way, so stay tuned for live updates as the RGPS St. Louis kicks off.
$800 Main Event
Day 1ab Started
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