Robert Valdez Leads as 90 Players Bag RIU Reno VIII Main Event Day 1b
Day 1b of the Run It Up Reno VIII $600 Main Event attracted 362 runners, which along with 1a’s 267 brought the total field up to 629 entries, making it the largest spring event in RIU history. Like it was in the first flight, action was halted with 26:32 remaining in Level 12. At that time, 90 players remained with Robert Valdez (pictured above) and his stack of 326,500 leading the way.
That was well behind that of 1a chip leader Patrick Truong, who made it through Friday night with 471,000. Others to bag big stacks on Day 1b were Andy Camou (200,500), Ryan Schoonbaert (191,000), Joe Brindle (171,500), Stanley Wong (169,500), and Vito Distefano (140,000).
Others to bag were Max Brown (130,000), Ashley Sleeth (111,000), Jason Somerville (83,500), Kevin Martin (65,500), two-time Survivor contestant Shirin Oskooi (63,500), Adam Owen (34,000), and Jesse Sylvia (25,000).
Click here for a look at the Day 2 seat draw.
Top 10 Day 1b Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Valdez | 326,500 |
| 2 | Jeremy Ahillen | 254,500 |
| 3 | Chance Gir | 247,500 |
| 4 | Andy Camou | 200,500 |
| 5 | Ilana Gun | 191,500 |
| 6 | Ryan Schoonbaert | 191,000 |
| 7 | Eunice Beeler | 187,000 |
| 8 | Srini Godavarthy | 185,500 |
| 9 | Pete Dirksen | 179,500 |
| 10 | Phillip Beesley | 176,000 |
Among those to see their RIU Reno VIII Main Event dreams come and go on Day 1b were Jesse Capps, Fintan “Easy with Aces” Hand, Evan Jarvis, Sasha Liu, Deb Swift, Cat “Catrific” Valdes, Black Chip Bounty champ Donnie McCormick, and six-time RIU Reno trophy winner Jimmy Cappucci.
On Sunday, the surviving 143 players from both Day 1a and 1b - 53 and 90 respectively - will return at Noon local time to play down to the final table. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand to capture all the action, so be sure to tune in then.
Joe Brindle Wins Triple Stud Title
On Friday night, the $125 buy-in, $5,000 guaranteed 6-Max Triple Stud saw 66 entries create a $6,402 prize pool, which was paid out among the top 11 players.
Among those to cash but fall short of the final table were Kyle Anderson (7th - $320), Jimmy Cappucci (8th - $320), Andy Camou (9th - $250), Petr Salzman (10th - $200), and David Scarpetta (11th - $200).
In the end, Joe Brindle bested Nam Truong in heads-up play to win the title and a $1,627 top prize. Brindle followed in the footsteps of his friend and traveling mate Adam Owen, who won a RIU Reno trophy of his own earlier in the series by capturing the $235 H.O.R.S.E. title.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Brindle | UK | $1,627 |
| 2 | Nam Truong | Pasco, WA | $1,120 |
| 3 | Ryan Parker | Saint Robert, MO | $805 |
| 4 | Jordan Bacigalupi | Vancouver, WA | $635 |
| 5 | Ronnie Sheppard | Kalispel, MT | $510 |
| 6 | John Marcoux | Lake Orion, MI | $415 |
PokerNews’ coverage of the RIU Reno VIII will continue Sunday with Day 2 action of the $600 Main Event. Check out our dedicated portal here for all things RIU Reno.
