button in SafariRandy Gil Ends Day 1d as Overall Chip Leader
Day 1d was the second-to-last chance for players to earn the right to move on to Day 2. The flight hosted 434 entries, which permitted 43 players to advance to Day 2 and keep the dream alive to be crowned as the RunGood Poker Series Passport Season Final $1,200 Million Dollar Main Event champion at Thunder Valley Casino Resort. The turbo flight hosted a total of 65 entries, which permitted seven players to advance to the final day. In total, the five flights attracted 1,086 entries with 108 hopefuls advancing to Day 2 to create a prize pool of $1,140,300.
Randy Gil (1,061,000) was the fourth player to join the millionaire’s club as he led all players after the final flight of play as they bagged as the Day 1d chip leader. Gil also earned the distinction of entering Day 2 as the top stack in the room as he outpaced Douglas Dossett (1,054,000) to take the top spot as overall chip leader. Ricardo Bibat (960,000) finished second, while Jeffrey Lennon (762,000) bagged the third most chips from the flight to round out the top three finishers in the chip counts.
Day 1d Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Gil | United States | 1,061,000 | 71 |
| 2 | Ricardo Bibat | United States | 960,000 | 64 |
| 3 | Jeffrey Lennon | United States | 762,000 | 51 |
| 4 | James Haytko | United States | 683,000 | 46 |
| 5 | Jingtao Zhu | United States | 673,000 | 45 |
| 6 | Ajit Selvakumaran | United States | 632,000 | 42 |
| 7 | Thien Tran | United States | 631,000 | 42 |
| 8 | Franklin Chavez | United States | 627,000 | 42 |
| 9 | Jason Smith | United States | 623,000 | 42 |
| 10 | Warren Kashiwagi | United States | 585,000 | 39 |
Gil is a regular on the RunGood Poker Series tour and already has one RGPS ring to his name and 20 cashes on his record. Gil is no stranger to the tournament streets as he has amassed over one million in earnings according to his The Hendon Mob profile. Gil towered over his competition both figuratively and literally as he stands at seven feet tall. The former St. Mary’s basketball player has plenty of competitive experience to take with him as he enters as the top stack in the room on Day 2.
Bibat is still searching for his first RGPS title, and will have plenty of chips to work with. The Sacramento resident made a deep run in The Hendon Mob Mid-Major Championship, finishing in 17th place for $5,400. This marks his third RunGood cash at Thunder Valley.
Jeffrey Lennon already has three RGPS titles in his career as he looks to add a fourth when he walks into the room on the final day. Lennon’s last title came during the RGPS Checkpoint Graton series when he won the $1,100 No Limit One Day Deepstack event in 2023. This is Lennon’s first RGPS cash this year, and he could make a big one with a deep run on Day 2.
Two-time WPT champion Samuel Panzica (474,000) has accomplished a lot in his poker career, but an RGPS ring has yet to happen for the experienced pro who has amassed nearly five million in live career earnings according to his The Hendon Mob page. Panzica will be one to watch as the action gets going on Day 2.
Former RGPS Reno Grand Prix Main Event champion Toan Nguyen (466,000) will bring that experience with him to the final day. Nguyen has been a regular face on the tour and has accumulated over $230,000 in earnings at RunGood stops.
2023 Main Event champion Tyler Patterson was unable to make the cut to try and repeat at Thunder Valley Casino Resort. Other notables who did not make the cut on Day 1d included Casey Sandretto, Jarod Minghini, Ryan Awwad, and Scott Stewart.
Day 2 will begin at 12 p.m. local time. Play will now shift to eight-handed during the final day of play. A shot clock will also be introduced, with players receiving five time banks at the start of Day 2 and five time banks at the beginning of the final table.
Check back here at PokerNews for complete coverage of Day 2 as a champion will be crowned in the RGPS Season Finale $1,200 Million Dollar Main Event at Thunder Valley Casino Resort.