Eric Chang Bags Big in Opening Flight
The first of seven starting flights is in the books in the $1,200 Main Event here at the RunGood Poker Series Passport Season Dallas hosted by Palace Poker. Of the 40 entries tallied in Day 1a, only 5 players will return for Day 2 on Sunday, all of whom have locked up a min-cash.
Content creator Eric "Slick Ric" Chang (589,000) bagged the chip lead in the opening flight, finishing as the only player above the half-million mark. He climbed steadily throughout the day and applied pressure on his opponents during the last few levels of play to continue to chip up.
Stephen Ticsay (458,000) and Alain Raad (409,000) both surged towards the top of the leaderboard late in the day and finished in second and third, respectively. Next in line in fourth is Jesse McVicker with 284,000 and the last woman standing is Dori Coyle in fifth with 261,000.
Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Chang | United States | 589,000 |
| 2 | Stephen Ticsay | United States | 458,000 |
| 3 | Alain Raad | France | 409,000 |
| 4 | Jesse McVicker | United States | 284,000 |
| 5 | Dora Coyle | United States | 261,000 |
Notable Eliminations
World Series of Poker bracelet winners Will Givens and Brian Green were both in the mix, but neither found any momentum on Day 1a. Palace Poker Ambassador James Coyle, who took down the $360 PokerNews PowerStack last weekend for $32,211, was eliminated just shy of the final table. He plans to fire another bullet tomorrow.
Local tournament crusher Harvey Castro built up a stack during the middle stages of the flight, but ultimately exited on the soft bubble. Debbie Lee had an up-and-down day and was eliminated on the stone bubble when she ran into the pocket queens of Raad.
Day 1b is currently underway and Day 1c and 1d will take place on Friday, March 27 at 11:00 am and 5:00 p.m., respectively. The final three flights are scheduled for Saturday.
Play for Day 1 flights will conclude once 12.5% of the field (rounded down) remains and those who bag will be in the money. Day 2 will then start at the earliest blind level of the seven flights on Sunday, March 29, where the event will play down to a winner.
Be sure to follow PokerNews throughout the entirety of the $1,200 Main Event here at the 2026 RGPS Passport Season Dallas.