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Inaugural RunGood Summer Series Champion Set to be Crowned
It's already been a memorable return to The Lodge Card Club in Austin for the RunGood Poker Series, with some history set to be made on the final day of the first-ever RGPS Summer Series.
The final 71 players will return at 12:15 p.m. local time to battle for the Texas-sized trophy in the $600 Main Event, with a massive payout awaiting tonight's winner.
The tournament drew 582 entries over five opening flights, as the prize pool soared past the guarantee to finish at $292,746.
Sitting atop the counts are the five flight leaders, with Day 1d pace-setter Nicholas Burnett (844,000) also claiming the top spot overall heading into the final day of action.
Burnett is followed by Jeffery Sowell (794,000), who led the opening day of the Main Event. Next on the chip leader list is Caleb Levesque (715,000) after bagging biggest on Day 1d, while William Elliott (690,000) led all players on Day 1b and Gene Janushanis (650,000) topped the final flight of the week.
Day 1 Overall Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicholas Burnett | United States | 844,000 | 84 |
| 2 | Jeffery Sowell | United States | 794,000 | 79 |
| 3 | Caleb Levesque | United States | 715,000 | 72 |
| 4 | William Elliott | United States | 690,000 | 69 |
| 5 | Gene Janushanis | United States | 650,000 | 65 |
| 6 | Matthew Bray | United States | 619,000 | 62 |
| 7 | Sergey Dadonkin | United States | 540,000 | 54 |
| 8 | Lee Webb | United States | 508,000 | 51 |
| 9 | Juan Rodriguez | United States | 504,000 | 50 |
| 10 | Matthew Lawrence | United States | 502,000 | 50 |
The RunGood Ambassador team will be well represented on the final day, with Matthew Lawrence sitting sitting inside the top ten after bagging the opening flight of the week.
Lawrence will be joined by Kris Burchfield, looking to follow up on his winning session in the special RGPS Ambassador cash game at The Lodge earlier this week. Brian Winter also earned a spot in the final day, bagging up 280,000 on his only bullet of the week in Day 1e.
Also among the players returning are Steven Wampler (352,000) and Dee Wampler (151,000), husband and wife from Texas who each boast around $80,000 in winnings according to The Hendon Mob. The couple will both be returning in the money, with a chance to write another chapter in their poker journey together.
One player in the field claimed the $1,500 bonus for surviving multiple flights, as Edward Rowsey improved his standing from 60,000 chips to end Day 1d by bagging up 104,000 in the final flight.
The shortest stack in the field is Patrick Merriman, who will take his seat with less than one big blind after surviving into the money with just 8,000 chips. All remaining contenders have locked up a spot in the money, with full payout information to be posted prior to the resumption of play.
Action will continue with 40-minute levels, and players will have scheduled breaks after every two hours of play. Four of the flighs finished up on Level 15, so blinds will begin there at 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante.
The final day will also be featured on the The Lodge's YouTube channel, where a bonus prize will be added for the last nine players. They'll begin the final table with a chance to win a $2,000 RunGood in Aruba travel package, taking place September 17–23.
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Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews, as our live reporting coverage continues at The Lodge for the dramatic conclusion of the first RunGood Summer Series.