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$600 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2026 RGPS Passport Tunica
$600 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
2026 RGPS Passport Tunica
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
Buy-in
$600
Prize Pool
$252,450
Total Entries
495
Level
28
Blinds
75,000 / 150,000
Ante
150,000
Entries
111
Players Left
13
Players Left 1 / 495
Filter
Level 16
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
The legendary Horseshoe Casino Tunica poker room was bustling on the opening day of the 2026 RunGood Passport Season Tunica $600 Main Event.
The first of three flights saw 111 entries take part in Day 1a, with the final 13 survivors earning a spot in the money on Sunday, March 15. They’ll all be chasing pieces of the $200,000 prize pool, along with the chance at RunGood glory at this historic poker venue.
Leading the way after the opening day of action is Chad Taylor, who set the pace by collecting 510,000 chips. That’s good for a sizeable lead over Michael Monaghan, who added the final pot of the night to his stack to finish with 409,000.
Monaghan did his best to burst bubble, first scoring a double knockout before eventually locking up the cash for the remaining players.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad Taylor | United States | 510,000 | 51 |
| 2 | Michael Monaghan | United States | 409,000 | 41 |
| 3 | Brandon Owens | United States | 374,000 | 37 |
| 4 | Michael Cordell | United States | 370,000 | 37 |
| 5 | Dante Prado | United States | 339,000 | 34 |
| 6 | Sokchheka Pho | United States | 278,000 | 28 |
| 7 | Gerald Irvin | United States | 230,000 | 23 |
| 8 | Justin Goree | United States | 219,000 | 22 |
| 9 | Rafael Lopez | United States | 168,000 | 17 |
| 10 | Tyler Burke | United States | 163,000 | 16 |
Late Night Action
Rounding out the top three on the leaderboard is Brandon Owens, who was at risk on the direct money bubble but survived with pocket nines to bag 374,000.
The night came to an end shortly after, when Brandon Garrison saw his pair come up short to exit on the stone bubble.
Among others to fall short on Day 1a were RGPS Ambassadors who joined the field for the opening flight. Preston McEwen lasted the longest, hitting the rail in the double knockout scored by Monaghan late in the night.
Jeff Copeland and Craig Welko also saw their stacks disappear, but they will have another shot on Saturday.
Fresh off his victory in the $250 PokerNews PowerStack event, Cody Stanford made a brief appearance at the very end of late registration, just moments after finishing in third place in the $300 Pot Limit Omaha Ring Event.
The second flight will begin on Saturday, March 14 at 11:00 a.m. local time, while the final flight follows at 6:00 p.m. in Tunica.
Another day of 30-minute levels will play down to the top 12.5 percent of the field once late registration closes at the start of Level 9.
$600 Main Event Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mar. 14 | 1b | 11:00 a.m. |
| Mar. 14 | 1c | 6:00 p.m. |
| Mar. 15 | 2 | 12:00 p.m. |
PokerNews coverage continues all weekend long from three RGPS Main Events around the country, so don’t miss a moment of the action on the road to crowning the latest RunGood champions.
Level 16
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Level 16
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
The final 13 players have bagged up for Day 2 on Sunday, March 15.
Stay tuned for full chip counts and a recap of the opening flight.
Level 16
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Brandon Garrison was all in and at risk against two opponents on the direct money bubble.
Michael Monaghan and Sokchheka Pho checked all the way through the 10♣4♦J♣2♣5♠ runout, and the cards were revealed.
Brandon Garrison: 7♠7♣ 
Michael Monaghan: 10♦9♦
Sokchheka Pho: K♥Q♥
Monaghan was the only player to connect with the board, making a pair of tens to claim the pot and send Garrison out on the direct money bubble.
Level: 16
Blinds: 5,000/10,000
Ante: 10,000
Level 15
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Dante Prado opened to 30,000 on the button, and Rafael Lopez made the call in the small blind. Brandon Owens then moved all in for 129,000 from the big blind, and Prado took some time before shoving his larger stack. Lopez got out of the way, and the cards were turned up.
Brandon Owens: 9♠9♣
Dante Prado: A♦K♥
Owens faced no danger on the 5♥7♣J♥J♣8♣ runout, flipping his way to a double on the direct money bubble.
Level 15
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
With 14 players remaining and 13 moving on to Day 2, the tournament clock has been paused and action is hand for hand.
Level 15
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Satar Al-Sadoun moved all in from under the gun, and Michael Monaghan made the call in middle position. Preston McEwen then shoved his smaller stack in the cutoff, leaving two players at risk.
Preston McEwen: A♣Q♥
Satar Al-Sadoun: Q♦J♥
Michael Monaghan: K♠Q♣
Monaghan connected with the 9♦2♠J♣10♦3♦ runout, making a straight to send Al-Sadoun and McEwen out before the bubble.
Level 15
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Michael Cordell raised to 17,000 on the button, and Dante Prado defended his big blind to see the K♣8♥8♣ flop.
Both players checked to the Q♥ turn, where Prado tapped the table again. Cordell slid out a bet of 20,000, and the call was made.
Prado checked once more on the K♥ river, and Cordell bet 35,000. Prado counted out the call, and stuck the chips into the middle.
Cordell showed down J♣8♦ for a full house, while Prado could only table Q♠J♥.
