button in SafariMichael Cervantes Leads on Day 1c
Day 1c hosted a total of 333 entries, resulting in 33 players moving on to Day 2 in the RunGood Poker Series Passport Season Finale $1,200 Million Dollar Main Event at Thunder Valley Casino. The turbo event also ran this evening, producing a total of 40 entries, which permitsfour players to bag and advance. This brings the total number of entries in the main event to 547, with 58 players still in the hunt for an RGPS title and ring.
Michael Cervantes (1,012,000) was at the top of the leaderboard for Day 1c as they put together a stellar starting flight to bag as the chip leader. Jay Kasler (1,008,000) also joined the millionaire’s club as he finished with the second most chips in the room during Day 1c, finishing just slightly behind Cervantes. Jiechao Gao (900,000) rounded out the podium as the top three stacks to come out from the third starting flight.
Top Ten Chip Counts Day 1c
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Cervantes | United States | 1,012,000 | 84 |
| 2 | Jay Kasler | United States | 1,008,000 | 84 |
| 3 | Jiechao Gao | United States | 900,000 | 75 |
| 4 | Matthew Luther | United States | 885,000 | 74 |
| 5 | Quan Liang Gao | United States | 811,000 | 68 |
| 6 | Gene Davenport | United States | 742,000 | 62 |
| 7 | Victor Paredes | United States | 636,000 | 53 |
| 8 | Paul Vang | United States | 599,000 | 50 |
| 9 | Chad Burum | United States | 594,000 | 50 |
| 10 | Neng Lee | United States | 491,000 | 41 |
Cervantes ascended to the top spot late on Day 1c as he was third in chips by Level 16 and peaked as the day ended to be dubbed the flight’s chip leader. Cervantes has unfinished business at RunGood events. He took second place in 2024 during the Buffaloooo PKO Event for $14,435. Cervantes can look to finish the job in much grander fashion during this year’s main event as his million-chip stack has positioned him for a strong run on Day 2.
Kasler has already made a final table at the RGPS Passport Season Finale when he took fifth place in the 30/30/30 Event for $2,895. Kasler has over $60,000 in earnings according to The Hendon Mob, and will have an opportunity to add a huge chunk to that career total should he make a deep run here at Thunder Valley Casino Resort.
Unlike his contemporaries at the top of the Day 1c chip standings, Gao has cashed at a RunGood event for the first time in his career according to his The Hendon Mob profile. Gao will look to see how far he can make that first cash go as he will enter Day 2 with plenty of wiggle room to make a deep run.
Victor Paredes (636,000) has made it to Day 2. Paredes is no stranger to cashing at RunGood events. He has racked up nearly $200,000 in career earnings at RunGood stops and has already made a final table at a RunGood Passport Season Finale event when he took sixth place in The Hendon Mob Mid-Major Championship for $17,700. Paredes already has two RunGood rings to his name and will look to add ring number three as he enters the final day of play.
Speaking of three RGPS rings, three-time ring winner John Koo (453,00) is still in the running for a fourth title. Koo has one cash at this series in the 24 Karat Gold event and was perhaps the beneficiary of some birthday luck as the RGPS Champion bagged on the twilight of his birthday to advance to Day 2. Koo’s last win came earlier this year when he took down the Last Chance Event at RGPS Passport Graton for $10,605. Koo could make it two rings in one calendar year should he take down this main event.
RGPS ring winner Steven Gnatovich (194,000) made the cut on Day 1c. Thunder Valley Casino Resort was the site of his championship performance when he won the $400 Monolith at RGPS Final Orbit last year for $61,090. In total, Gnatovich boasts a tad over $400,000 in career live earnings according to his The Hendon Mob page.
Comedian Jay Flats (267,000) was among those to make the cut on Day 1c. Flats hovered near the bottom of the standings for the majority of Day 1c, but his patience paid off as he managed to secure a double up late to punch his ticket to the final day.
Day 1d is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. local on Sun. Aug. 2 with a turbo flight scheduled for 8 p.m. Players will begin with a starting stack of 40,000. Registration will remain open until the start of Level 10. The Top 12.5% of each starting flight will make the money, with the top 10% advancing to Day 2. Players who make the money but do not advance will receive a payout of $2,200.
Players are allowed two re-entries per starting flight. Players who do not use their re-entries can forfeit their stack and buy-in for $1,200 for a fresh stack at the end of Level 9. Should a player qualify for Day 2 more than once, they will advance with their biggest stack and receive a minimum Day 2 payout for each stack they forfeit.
Stay tuned here at PokerNews for continued coverage of the RGPS Passport Season Finale $1,200 Million Dollar Main Event at Thunder Valley Casino.