button in SafariOpening Flight Hits Triple Digits to Begin RGPS Tunica Main Event
The historic Horseshoe Tunica poker room was bustling all day long, as the opening flight of the $600 Main Event drew a total of 101 entries to begin the headlining tournament of the 2026 RGPS Golden Expedition Tunica series.
In the end, only the top 12 players survived to make the money and will chase the guaranteed $200,000 prize pool. That purse is expected to grow significantly on Saturday, November 14 when the last two flights get underway.
Leading the way from Day 1a is Michael Benbrook (615,000), who burst the bubble to complete his ascent to the top of the counts by bagging up more than 20 starting stacks.
His closest competitor is Michael Scarbrough (422,000), while James Freeman (362,000) completed a steady night to round out the top three.
End of Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Benbrook | United States | 615,000 |
| 2 | Michael Scarbrough | United States | 422,000 |
| 3 | James Freeman | United States | 362,000 |
| 4 | Wallace Lammons | United States | 288,000 |
| 5 | Eric Sutton | United States | 270,000 |
| 6 | Gerald Williams | United States | 244,000 |
| 7 | Ian Jeffries | United States | 228,000 |
| 8 | Billy McBrayer | United States | 170,000 |
| 9 | Riley Sims | United States | 136,000 |
| 10 | Kate Hubert | United States | 120,000 |
| 11 | John Therrell | United States | 113,000 |
| 12 | Brett Hagopian | United States | 68,000 |
Among the notables in the field was Preston McEwen, who started off by adding to his starting stack before losing momentum. McEwen ultimately shoved over a trio of limpers, but was counterfeited on the river to close out his opening flight. The RGPS Ambassador was fresh off winning a ring just hours earlier as he closed out the $120 Flip & Go event for $3,579.
One candidate for worst beat of the day belonged to Richard Hughes, who flopped the second-best straight against Ian Jeffries (228,000) when the chips hit the middle. Hughes was left on fumes and hit the rail one hand later.
Hand-for-hand action saw several players at risk, with Brett Hagopian (68,000) and Wallace Lammons (288,000) both finding doubles to survive and earn a spot in Day 2. Lammons finished among the big stacks, while Hagopian sits as the short stack after the opening flight.
Those hands were followed shortly after by Jeremy Moore moving his last two big blinds in from under the gun, whiffing on the runout to bust on the direct money bubble.
The final two flights will take place on Saturday, November 14 representing the last chance to book a spot in the money. Action will begin with Day 1b at 11:00 a.m. local time, with Day 1c to follow in the evening.
The tournament will continue to build towards the $200,000 guarantee, as unlimited reentries are permitted through the opening flights. Both fields will be trimmed down to the final 12.5% before bagging up for Day 2, and the remaining players will return on Sunday, November 15.
Remaining $600 Main Event Schedule
| Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| November 14 | Day 1b | 11:00 a.m. |
| November 14 | Day 1c | 6:00 p.m. |
| November 15 | Day 2 | 12:00 p.m. |
Action continues here in Tunica for two more days, and PokerNews has full Main Event coverage so be sure to stay tuned on the road to crowning the latest RGPS champion.