$600 Main Event Day 1a | 2026 RGPS Passport Austin

01-29-2026 19:55 UTC-5

Gardner Enjoys Rush

Erick Torres

Level 5 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Rob Gardner has chipped up significantly, aided by an all-in showdown.

The hand began when a player from early position went all-in before three players made the call. Gardner opted to jam his stack over the top, which folded out the three callers to put the original raiser at risk.

Opponent: J♦10♦ All in
Rob Gardner: K♠J♠

Gardner needed to hold, and the board permitted just that as it spread 6♣A♠8♣6♥2♠ to award Gardner the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Rob Gardner	70,300 70,300	70,300

Tags: Rob Gardner

01-29-2026 19:42 UTC-5

POY Leader Enters Field

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Erick Torres

Level 5 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

RunGood Poker Series Player of the Year points leader Rob Gardner has entered Day 1a for his second stop of the season. Gardner has aimed to stay in the mix as he hopes to continue to accumulate points to stay on top of the leaderboard standings.

“There’s no such thing as a good lead,” Gardner said about the RGPS POY race.

Gardner, who is part of the Rec Poker Podcast and the Chase the Dream Poker Documentary, shared that he is excited about RGPS coming to the Lodge Card Club in Austin for the first time. He shared his thoughts on RunGood Poker Series making its first-ever stop in Austin.

“They’re really passionate about putting together a good experience for the players. The more they [RunGood Poker Series] spread across the country, the better it is for the poker industry,” Gardner said during the first break of the RGPS Passport $600 Main Event.

Gardner currently has a stack of 29,000 as he looks to maneuver his way through Day 1a.

Tags: RGPS Passport Rob Gardner The Lodge Card Club

01-29-2026 19:38 UTC-5

Visit the PokerNews Strategy Hub

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Erick Torres

Level 5 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

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Level: 5

Blinds: 400/800

Ante: 800

01-29-2026 19:13 UTC-5

First Break of the Day

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Erick Torres

Level 4 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante

Players are now on a 15-minute break. Play will resume at the 400/800 level. Day 1a has attracted a total of 73 entries thus far.

01-29-2026 19:08 UTC-5

Shriki Notches Knockout

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Erick Torres

Level 4 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante

The early position player took their final stand when they went all-in for 11,200 and was called by Shlomi Shriki in the cutoff to be at risk.

Opponent: K♠J♦ All in
Shlomi Shriki: A♦K♥ All in

Shriki had his opponent in rough shape, and the flop did not alter that as it came 10♦5♣3♠ to keep Shriki ahead.

The K♣ turn did not alter the standings as Shriki had the better kicker. The 3♦ river was the final card for his opponent as Shriki earned the knockout.

Player	Chips	Progress
Shlomi Shriki	45,000 45,000	45,000

Tags: Shlomi Shriki

01-29-2026 19:02 UTC-5

Cox Doubles After Cooler

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Erick Torres

Level 4 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante

Bill Cox and his opponent in the next seat over put in 11,000 each preflop after a series of raises.

Cox checked the 5♠3♠J♥ flop before his opponent put out a large bet of 15,000. Cox opted to reply with a check-raise all-in for 19,100 total. His opponent called to put Cox at risk.

Bill Cox: A♦A♥ All in
Opponent: K♠K♦

Cox was well ahead in a cooler situation. The turn and river did not have any surprises as it came down the Q♣ and the 7♥ to award Cox the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bill Cox	62,000

Tags: Bill Cox

Level: 4

Blinds: 300/600

Ante: 600

01-29-2026 18:44 UTC-5

Diep Takes it Down on Flop

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Erick Torres

Level 3 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante

The hand began with a raise to 1,000 from early position. This led to a call two seats over before the hijack, and cutoff came along with a call.

Samuel Diep chose to re-raise to 6,500 from the button. This led to a fold from the original raiser. The next early position player made the call as the hijack and cutoff bowed out with a pair of folds.

The K♦A♥8♣ flop led to a check from the early position player before Diep fired 7,000. His opponent wasted little time before he made the fold as Diep took down the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Samuel Diep	55,000

Tags: Samuel Diep

01-29-2026 18:38 UTC-5

Leach Clears Out the Riff Raff

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Erick Torres

Level 3 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante

David Leach opened from early positon to 1,000, which led to five callers creating a six-handed pot as they took a flop.

The 9♥J♠3♥ flop led to multiple checks to Leach, who chose to bet 6,000 in response.

The rest of the table folded as Leach revealed a Jx to show that he had top pair as he scooped the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
David Leach	74,000 15,000	15,000

Tags: David Leach