Brett Murray Leads Day 1c of RGPS Passport Bay Area Main Event
The third flight of the RunGood Poker Series Passport Bay Area $1,100 Main Event fielded a total of 242 entries, resulting in 31 players being entitled to bag and advance to Day 2 of the $300,000 guarantee main event at the Graton Resort and Casino.
Brett Murray (877,000) led Day 1c, finishing with the most chips. Zhengun Guan (840,000) and Grant Maruya (774,000) trailed Murray to round out the top finishers of the third flight.
Top Ten Counts Day 1c
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Murray | United States | 877,000 | 73 |
| 2 | Zhengun Guan | United States | 840,000 | 70 |
| 3 | Grant Maruya | United States | 774,000 | 65 |
| 4 | Deyvi Pineda | United States | 704,000 | 59 |
| 5 | Veda Deviren | United States | 541,000 | 45 |
| 6 | Xi Guo | United States | 515,000 | 43 |
| 7 | Andrew Yurchak | United States | 472,000 | 39 |
| 8 | Kyle Hill | United States | 447,000 | 37 |
| 9 | Zach Smyth | United States | 391,000 | 33 |
| 10 | Steven Gnatovich | United States | 370,000 | 31 |
Murray is no stranger to tournament poker. The Northern California grinder has amassed over three million in earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. Murray is a three-time RGPS winner, with his most notable score coming in 2022 at the RGPS Contenders Season Finale $2,500 Main Event, when he took first place for $172,845.
Murray spoke to PokerNews after his chip-leading Day 1c performance.
“It only matters at the end. Hopefully, I have the chip lead at the end of tomorrow,” Murray said.
Murray did not let his opponents off the hook during the waning moments of Day 1c. The Santa Rosa resident was not shy about putting his chips to work.
“We were getting close to the money. I had a bunch of chips, so I was applying pressure,” Murray said.
Murray was not the only former RGPS Main Event champion to bag on Day 1c, as Toan Nguyen (330,000), winner of the 2025 RGPS Reno Grand Prix, also bagged. Nguyen will aim to add RGPS ring number three to his cabinet and add to his over quarter of a million in earnings at RunGood events.
RGPS ring winner Steven Gnatovich (370,000) also bagged and will be looking for ring number two.
Joe Nguyen has been a model of consistency with over $150,000 in career earnings at RunGood events, but his first ring has evaded him as Nguyen is still chasing that first title to add to his resume.
The 2026 RGPS Passport $1,100 Main Event will host Day 1d before turning the page to Day 2, where players will begin the spring to an RGPS Main Event title on Sunday, March 15, at 12 p.m. local time.
Check back here at PokerNews for all your live coverage needs of the RGPS Passport Graton Casino Rohnert Park $1,100 Main Event.