Action folded around to Keller Houston in the small blind, who slid out a raise to 32,000. Kris Burchfield took some time in the big blind before counting out a three-bet to 95,000.
Houston sat for a moment before tossing his cards into the muck, and Burchfield raked in the pot.
John Jacob opened to 22,000 in middle position, and Armando Delatorre made the call on the button. Matthew Cosentino came along in the big blind, and checked the 4♥9♣5♥ flop.
Jacob continued for 35,000, with Delatorre calling and Cosentino folding. Jacob then moved all in on the 3♠ turn, and Delatorre let his hand go.
Patrick Merriman returned as the shortest stack, and slid his 8,000 into the middle in early position. Joel Doney raised to 30,000 in the small blind, and the big blind got out of the way.
Patrick Merriman: A♥3♣
Joel Doney: A♦5♥
Doney hit the 10♦K♦10♠7♦5♠ runout to avoid the chop, finishing with two pair to send Merriman out early on Day 2.
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.
Nicholas Burnett
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
Matthew Lawrence
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.
Dee Wampler
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.
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on legends like Daniel Negreanu or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you. No subscriptions, no paywalls - just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most.
It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
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.