Roh Finishes as Day 1a Chip Leader
Players showed up at the Lodge Card Club to take their shot at Day 1a of the RunGood Poker Series Passport Austin $600 Main Event with a total of 118 entrants during the first flight. This meant that 15 players were allowed to bag and advance to Day 2.
It was Joe Roh (753,000) who finished at the top of the heap to secure the title of Day 1a chip leader. Roh boasts nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in live earnings according to The Hendon Mob. Roh will look to add to that tally as he enters Day 2 with a healthy stack.
RGPS Ambassador Kris Burchfield (658,000) and Cy Stone (512,000) rounded out the top three stacks from the opening flight.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Roh | United States | 753,000 | 63 |
| 2 | Kris Burchfield | United States | 658,000 | 55 |
| 3 | Cy Stone | United States | 512,000 | 43 |
| 4 | Kevin Easterling | United States | 473,000 | 39 |
| 5 | Emmanuel McKenzie | United States | 446,000 | 37 |
| 6 | Zachary Evers | United States | 265,000 | 22 |
| 7 | Spenser Sembrat | United States | 260,000 | 22 |
| 8 | Patrick Salmins | United States | 218,000 | 18 |
| 9 | Joseph Guastella | United States | 191,000 | 16 |
| 10 | Wade Warren | United States | 182,000 | 15 |
Notables that entered but were unable to bag for Day 2 included: Terrance Reid, Jamie Kerstetter, Nikki Limo, Ebony Kenney, and current POY leader Rob Gardner.
Patrick Salmins had a hot start to Day 1a, rising to as much as 660,000 by Level 11. The rest of the evening was not as successful for Salmins as he ended the day with a bag of 218,000.
PokerNews photographer Spenser Sembrat advanced to Day 2 after a couple of timely all-in double and triple-ups kept Sembrat in the hunt.
There are still four more opening flights remaining for players to punch their ticket to Day 2 of the main event, with Friday and Saturday hosting two flights each day at 11:15 a.m. and 5:15 p.m., respectively. Players will then return on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 12:15 p.m. and will play down to a winner to decide who will be the first RGPS Passport Austin Main Event Champion.
Stay tuned here at PokerNews for coverage of action tomorrow on Day 1b.