button in SafariDaniel Hughes Bags Day 1a Chip Lead
Day 1a of the RunGood Poker Series Golden Expedition Hard Rock Tulsa $800 Main Event has come to a close after 14 levels of play in the $100,000 guarantee. RGPS regular Daniel “Donk” Hughes (523,000) led all comers, finishing as the Day 1a chip leader out of the 65 entries that took their shot during the opening flight.
End of Day Chip Counts Day 1a
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Hughes | United States | 523,000 | 87 |
| 2 | Jack Willman | United States | 402,000 | 67 |
| 3 | Joshua Brower | United States | 293,000 | 49 |
| 4 | Grant Hinkle | United States | 184,000 | 31 |
| 5 | William McCracken | United States | 161,000 | 27 |
| 6 | Trevor Spriggs | United States | 150,000 | 25 |
| 7 | David Caron | United States | 134,000 | 22 |
| 8 | Freeman Allen | United States | 118,000 | 20 |
Hughes was followed by Jack Willman (402,000), who finished with the second-largest stack during the first flight. Joshua Brower (293,000) finished with the third-most chips of the final eight players that advanced from the opening flight to Day 2.
Hughes’ reputation at RunGood events speaks for itself. He has racked up 10 RGPS titles, good for fifth all-time in the RunGood rankings. He has tallied over $190,000 in earnings over the course of his RunGood career. Hughes will be chasing his 11th title as he returns to the Hard Rock Tulsa on Sunday with a chance to tie Preston McEwen and Nicholas Rigby for fourth all-time in the RunGood standings.
Willman came into the final stretch in the bottom half of the chip counts, but a series of clashes with Hughes saw Willman rise up the chip counts in a hurry. Willman holds an RGPS title to his name after he won the RGPS Golden Expedition Downstream $300 Pot Limit Omaha Ring Event, and he will now aim to add a main event title to his resume. Willman is an experienced tournament player with just over $100,000 in live career earnings on his The Hendon Mob profile. Time will tell if he can add to that total in a significant way on Sunday.
Brower boasts over $90,000 in career earnings at RunGood-affiliated events, but he has yet to win a RGPS ring during his career. Brower will bring with him a wealth of experience on Sunday as he has amassed over $417,000 in live career earnings, according to The Hendon Mob.
The RGPS Golden Expedition $800 Main Event Day 1b is currently underway. The tournament will then host two more starting flights on Sat. Oct. 24 at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
| Day | Flight | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sat. Oct. 24 | Day 1c | 11 a.m. |
| Sat. Oct. 24 | Day 1d | 6 p.m. |
| Sun. Oct. 25 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. |
Players will begin with a starting stack of 30,000. Opening flight blind levels are set for 30 minutes, with the levels bumping up to 40 minutes beginning at Level 9. Fifteen-minute breaks are scheduled after four levels during starting flights and after every three levels on Day 2.
Registration is open until the beginning of Level 9. At the completion of Level 8, players may forfeit their stack and re-enter the starting with a fresh starting stack for $800. Participants have unlimited re-entries and may play in all Day 1 flights. Should a player qualify for more than one starting flight, they will advance with the largest stack and forfeit the lower stack(s) for a Day 2 minimum payout.
The top 12.5% of each starting flight, rounded down, are permitted to advance to Day 2. All players who advance to Day 2 are in the money.
Stay tuned here at PokerNews for continued live coverage of the RGPS Golden Expedition $800 Main Event at the Hard Rock Tulsa.