Late Rush Jolts Ovalle to Top of Day 1a Leaderboard
The first flight of the RGPS Passport $300 PokerNews PowerStack is in the books as a total of 99 entries threw their hat in the ring to try and advance to Day 2 and get a slice of the $100,000 guarantee at Palace Poker in Grand Prairie, Texas.
12 players were permitted to advance from Day 1a. Back-to-back hands late proved to be a decisive factor for Isaac Ovalle (798,000), who led all comers with the top stack during the opening flight. Taylor Carlat (357,000) and Joe Cho (312,000) followed in second and third in chips.
Top 10 Chip Counts Day 1a
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaac Ovalle | United States | 798,000 | 100 |
| 2 | Taylor Carlat | United States | 357,000 | 45 |
| 3 | Joe Cho | United States | 312,000 | 39 |
| 4 | Dusti Smith | United States | 272,000 | 34 |
| 5 | Michael Insall | United States | 252,000 | 32 |
| 6 | Scott Allard | United States | 217,000 | 27 |
| 7 | Thomas Robertson | United States | 170,000 | 21 |
| 8 | Robert Champion | United States | 170,000 | 21 |
| 9 | Gil George | United States | 118,000 | 15 |
| 10 | Alain Raad | United States | 109,000 | 14 |
Ovalle went from an above-average stack to the biggest stack from Day 1a in a hurry. He battled it out with Fuat Temiz, who led most of Day 1a, to eliminate him in a sudden turn of events that left Ovalle a bit speechless as he recounted to PokerNews following his chip-leading session.
“I know that he is a wonky, wild, aggressive player. He got the best of me earlier,” Ovalle said. “I’m not going anywhere, especially on the bubble.”
Ovalle managed to spike a straight on the river to crack Temiz’s set of sevens. Ovalle then dealt the knockout blow on the very next hand when he shoved on the flop with pocket kings and was called by queen high to eliminate Temiz and end Day 1a.
“It’s just a blur, those two hands. I’m just on cloud nine,” Ovalle said. “I was just thinking about Day 2 at that point.”
Dusti Smith ( 272,000) finished fourth in chips and also advanced to Day 2. Smith has amassed over $1.5 million in earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. Smith is chasing her first RGPS ring as she enters Day 2 with a chance to win her first RunGood hardware.
Robert Champion (170,000) advanced to Day 2 and will aim to add to his nearly half a million in career earnings. Like Smith, Champion is pursuing his first RGPS title.
Day 1b is currently underway with 96 entries and 66 remaining at the time of this writing. Check back here for tomorrow’s introduction to see the final results and the top stacks from Day 1b.
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, March 21 | 11 a.m. | $360 PokerNews PowerStack Day 1c |
| Sat, March 21 | 5 p.m. | $360 PokerNews PowerStack Day 1d |
| Sat, March 21 | 10 p.m. | $360 PokerNews Powerstack Day 1e |
| Sun, March 22 | 1 p.m. | $360 PokerNews PowerStack Day 2 |
Saturday is slated to host three more starting flights. Day 1c and Day 1d flights are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. with 30-minute blind levels. Day 1e, however, will begin at 10 p.m. and feature 15-minute blind levels as players take their shot at earning the last ticket to Day 2. Players will be given a starting stack of 30,000 for all three flights, with 12.5% of the field permitted to advance to Day 2.
Check back here at PokerNews tomorrow for continued coverage of the RGPS $300 PokerNews PowerStack Ring Event held at Palace Poker.