The new year of the RunGood Poker Series has kicked off with a resounding success. The $800 Main Event saw a significant uptick from the November series Main Event as 517 players came out to play this event. This created a prize pool worth $361,900, ensuring each of the final 63 players a minimum cash guaranteed and leaving them all to set their eyes on the first-place prize as well as the new fancy ring for the main event champion.
Mike Travis ended his day with 722,000, the biggest of any of the three flights. He sits poised to make a deep run for his first ever RunGood Series cash. He joins many of the RunGood Poker Series’ best and brightest as players like James Pupillo (444,000), Ashley “PokerFaceAsh” Frank (365,000), Brant Jolly (347,000), Michael Perrone (280,000), Wesley Jones (268,000), and Forrest Kollar (100,000) will be joining him.
| Rank | Player | Hometown | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Travis | Tulsa, OK | 722,000 |
| 2 | Byron Abernathy | Noel, MO | 618,000 |
| 3 | Nathan Kimbrow | Willow Springs, OK | 521,000 |
| 4 | Todd Tucker | Van Buren, AR | 458,000 |
| 5 | James Pupillo | Springfield, MO | 444,000 |
| 6 | Rosmel Munoz | Venezuela | 433,000 |
| 7 | Kevin Elwood | Salina, OK | 430,000 |
| 8 | Michael Skimbo | Claremore, OK | 414,000 |
| 9 | Greg Henry | Goldsby, OK | 380,000 |
| 10 | Ashley Frank | Scottsdale, AZ | 365,000 |
Six former Main Event Champions sit down as Kansas City champion William McCracken (288,000) and St. Louis champion Iman Al-Saden (152,000) are each looking to claim a Tulsa championship, while Byron Abernathy (618,000), Pete Petree (161,000), Tyler Barnes (272,000) and Todd Tucker (458,000) are each looking to claim their second title here at Hard Rock Casino. Tucker was the first winner of the year in 2024, he now looks to try to be the first winner of 2022.
Play ended with 7:22 left in Level 13 with blinds at 3,000/5,000 with a 5,000 big blind ante in Day 1b, so that will be the flight that all players will return to. The 63 players will return at 12:00 and play until a winner is crowned. Stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the exciting updates here on the floor.
