button in SafariLucas Drummonds "Drills Everyone's Face" on Day 1a of the RGPS Council Bluffs Main Event
Lucas Drummonds earned the last bustout of the night, but that was nothing new for him on Day 1a of the RunGood Passport Season Council Bluffs Main Event.
The Irondale, Missouri native built up a massive stack of 673,000 in the opening flight, making him the overwhelming chip leader as 16 players bagged up for Day 2. “He’s just been drilling everyone’s faces,” Nick Barksdale joked about Drummonds, who had more than double anyone else in the field for much of the last few levels of the night.
Drummonds began building a big stack when he hit a flush on the river to bust Jeremy Corr. He then beat Barksdale with two pair to win another big pot, and finally spiked a straight on the river to bust Ben McCoy on the money bubble. Drummonds already has one RunGood Poker Series ring this year, capturing the PokerNews Powerstack title at the RGPS stop in Tulsa in January.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Drummonds | United States | 673,000 | 112 |
| 2 | Kevin Berthelsen | United States | 381,000 | 64 |
| 3 | Ryan Remmes | United States | 312,000 | 52 |
| 4 | Jacob Long | United States | 307,000 | 51 |
| 5 | Nate Steuer | United States | 292,000 | 49 |
| 6 | Courtney Stott | United States | 282,000 | 47 |
| 7 | Kevin Watson | United States | 277,000 | 46 |
| 8 | Jon Maras | United States | 264,000 | 44 |
| 9 | Zac Campbell | United States | 248,000 | 41 |
| 10 | Jeremy Wieck | United States | 215,000 | 36 |
Kevin Berthelsen is his closest challenger with 381,000, while Ryan Remmes (312,000), Jacob Long (307,000), and Nate Steuer (292,000) round out the top five. Other players advancing to Day 2 include Jon Maras (264,000) and Jesse Keel (159,000).
A total of 130 players came to the Horseshoe Council Bluffs today to chase the title. Those who will have to try again on another flight include RunGood ambassadors Delilah Lerner, Grant Hinkle, Taylor Howard, and Jeff Copeland, as well as Barksdale, Ryan Phan, and Brett Slezak.
Day 1a ended with 23 minutes remaining in Level 14 with blinds of 3,000/6,000 and a big blind ante. The action on Day 2 picks up on the earliest finishing time from one of the three starting flights. Day 1b is tomorrow at noon local time, while Day 1c begins at 6 p.m. All surviving players then combine at noon on Sunday, April 26, to play down to a champion.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow following all the action from Day 1b and providing live updates.