Thomas Carlin Claims Massive Chip After Day 1a in the RGPS $600 Main Event In San Diego
Day 1 of the $600 Main Event at the RunGood Poker Series has concluded at Jamul Casino in San Diego. The first of three Day 1 flights attracted 100 entrants, with 13 players advancing to Day 2. Thomas Carlin ended the night with a commanding chip lead, bagging 684,000.
Carlin, who found himself at the rebuy table early in the night, ended up atop the leaderboard when play concluded. After reentering the tournament, he steadily built his stack as the night progressed. He then seized a commanding chip lead just two players from the money bubble. In a pivotal hand, Carlin's opponent, Jon Bugayong, flopped two pair, but Carlin turned a bigger two pair. Bugayong, who started the hand with over 200,000 chips, jammed on the turn, only to be snap-called by Carlin. When Bugayong failed to improve on the river, Carlin took a massive chip lead. Sitting in second place is Andrew Whitmer with 315,000, followed closely by Michael Collopy, who bagged 279,000.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Carlin | United States | 684,000 |
| 2 | Andrew Whitmer | United States | 315,000 |
| 3 | Michael Collopy | United States | 279,000 |
| 4 | Aaron Knapp | United States | 276,000 |
| 5 | Maksim Tatarintsev | Russia | 247,000 |
| 6 | Hassan Dashtaei | United States | 239,000 |
| 7 | Cody Blades | United States | 212,000 |
| 8 | Allen Moheimani | United States | 204,000 |
| 9 | Astivan Batoo | United States | 180,000 |
| 10 | Alex Atta | United States | 119,000 |
The 13 remaining players all secured a spot in the money after Anthony Bland defended his big blind with queen-ten against a raise from Maksim Tatarintsev under the gun. Both players checked the flop, but after the turn, Bland pushed all-in for his 50,000-chip stack. Tatarintsev quickly called, holding the nuts with a Broadway straight. Bland, with queen-ten, was left hoping for a chop, but the river provided no help, bursting the bubble.
Two more starting flights are scheduled for tomorrow, November 23. Day 1b begins at 11 a.m. local time, followed by Day 1c at 6 p.m. Both flights will follow the same structure as today, with players starting with 30,000 chips and 30-minute levels. Late registration will remain open until the start of Level 9, and approximately 12.5% of the field will advance to Day 2 on Sunday, November 24.
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