David Kim Leads Day 1b of $600 RGPS Passport Austin Main Event
RunGood Poker Series Passport Austin held the second flight of the first-ever $600 RGPS Main Event at The Lodge Card Club. The flight saw a total of 162 entries vying for a chance to return on Day 2 and continue the chase for the title and a coveted ring, resulting in 20 players advancing to capture a piece of the $250,000 guaranteed prize pool.
David Kim had a strong final two levels to pass the seven-figure mark (1,060,000) and finished atop the standings.
Day 1b Top 10 Chip Leaders
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Kim | United States | 1,090,000 | 109 |
| 2 | Jason Hickey | United States | 673,000 | 135 |
| 3 | Larry Carillo | United States | 550,000 | 110 |
| 4 | Max Vandever | United States | 516,000 | 103 |
| 5 | James Black | United States | 515,000 | 103 |
| 6 | Phillip Lee | United States | 476,000 | 95 |
| 7 | Ray Henson | United States | 327,000 | 65 |
| 8 | James Rone | United States | 318,000 | 64 |
| 9 | Thomas McCutcheon | United States | 315,000 | 63 |
| 10 | Jose Garcia | United States | 271,000 | 54 |
Jason Hickey (673,000) and Larry Carillo (550,000) rounded out the top three finishers.
Kim was involved in several big pots down the stretch, but the hand that got the table buzzing was when he called for his tournament life with ace high and was correct in his assessment to vault to approximately 700,000 in chips at the time.
Kim took some time to talk to PokerNews about his strong flourish to finish Day 1b as the chip leader. He shared that he felt that his opponent would try to be aggressive against him since it was getting close to the bubble.
“I had a good feel for where I was in the hand,” Kim said. “I knew the big stack would bully me around.”
Kim finished second in the RGPS Passport Austin $400 PLO event and has used that as motivation to try to get first in the main event. Certainly, with over a million in chips, Kim will have the opportunity to finish what he started.
Several notables entered Day 1b, but were unable to make Day 2, including James Van Alstyne, Brian Winter, Terrance Reid, Drew "BetOnDrew" Gonzalez, and Caitlin Comeskey.
This concludes the PokerNews coverage for Day 1b. Check back here Saturday morning for results on Day 1c and a preview of Day 1d and Day 1e, slated to begin at 11:15 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. respectively.