The Strategic Sacrifice: Capps Bags Lead After Giving Up Stack
For this year's Run It Up Reno $565 Main Event, tournament organizers wanted to give players a third and final chance to participate in Sunday's Day 2. So, they fired up a turbo Day 1c flight with 15 minute levels.
Last year's runner-up, Jesse Capps, was having a miserable Main Event but turned it around at literally the last possible second. With the last 30 seconds expiring from the break before registration ended, Capps had about 2,000 chips with blinds set to move to 600/1,200/200. He urgently flagged down the tournament director and forfeited his stack, buying in as the 38th and final player in the flight.
Capps proceeded to run his 25,000 up to 119,000 in the last hour, good for the chip lead among the 22 players who made it through.
First, Capps fired all in for 9,500 into a 31,000 pot on a board of 
out of the big blind. A player in middle position snap-called with 
, but Capps had 
for the nut straight. He faded the river diamond and doubled through. Next, Capps three-bet from the button after a player opened the cutoff, and 
flopped. The player in the cutoff check-called all in for well over pot with 
but missed his draw against Capps' 
. Capps dragged a third hefty pot when he called a shove by a short-stacked player with 
and won against 
by flopping an ace.
Others who made it through included Marty Gorenc (57,800), Kevin Barrett (33,200), and former PokerStars The Big Game participant Nadya Magnus (24,100).
The players who made it through will be back for Day 2 Sunday at noon, and PokerNews will again be on hand for live coverage.