Stanford and Pragel Bag Chip Leads in Respective Flights for $600 Main Event in Tunica
The $600 Main Event in the 2025 RGPS Mission RunGood Tunica wrapped up its final two Day 1 flights today. Day 1a on Friday, March 14, saw 146 entrants, with 18 players making the money and advancing to Day 2. Today, two more flights took place at Horseshoe Tunica, with Day 1b drawing 226 entrants and sending 28 more players through. The event carried a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool, but after another 192 entrants in Day 1c and 24 players advancing, the total prize pool has soared past that mark, with 564 total entrants and 70 players bagging up for the final day.
After Day 1b, Jonathan Pragel secured the top spot on the leaderboard, bagging an impressive 613,000 chips—more than 200,000 ahead of his closest competitors, Danny Griffith (408,000) and Donnie Phan (407,000), who finished second and third in chips, respectively.
Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Pragel | United States | 613,000 |
| 2 | Danny Griffith | United States | 408,000 |
| 3 | Donnie Phan | United States | 407,000 |
| 4 | Shannon Hamblen | United States | 381,000 |
| 5 | Carl Masters | United States | 352,000 |
| 6 | Telly Lainer | United States | 341,000 |
| 7 | Jeremy Moore | United States | 339,000 |
| 8 | Robert Thurman | United States | 338,000 |
| 9 | James Galloway | United States | 310,000 |
| 10 | Richard Campbell | United States | 308,000 |
As Day 1c came to a close, RGPS ambassador Cody Stanford surged ahead, bagging an impressive 813,000 chips. After falling short in both Day 1a and Day 1b, Stanford found success on his third attempt and will enter Day 2 second in chips, just shy of the overall chip lead. Close behind him is Clint Fawcett, who secured a massive stack after winning a crucial three-way all-in with pocket aces. Rounding out the top three is Steven McKuin, who bagged 420,000 chips.
Day 1c Top 10 Table Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cody Stanford | United States | 813,000 |
| 2 | Clint Fawcett | United States | 511,000 |
| 3 | Steven McKuin | United States | 420,000 |
| 4 | Chad Marsh | United States | 395,000 |
| 5 | Kenneth Powell | United States | 374,000 |
| 6 | John McCoy | United States | 292,000 |
| 7 | Kim Francisco | United States | 268,000 |
| 8 | Russell Boyette | United States | 260,000 |
| 9 | Brian Schulz | United States | 258,000 |
| 10 | Miguel Cueto | United States | 250,000 |
The Moneymaker Effect
The Tunica Poker Room always carries an electric atmosphere but today had an extra buzz as 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion and the man credited with sparking the "poker boom," Chris Moneymaker, took his seat early in Day 1b. Moneymaker built a solid stack early on, but his run turned into a roller coaster ride as the day progressed. Unfortunately, his tournament ended just a few spots shy of the money,
Despite logging several hours at the tables, Moneymaker wasted no time jumping into the final flight, Day 1c. However, his run mirrored his earlier attempt in Day 1b, as he was eliminated before reaching the money and will not be returning for Day 2.
Bubble Chaos
As is often the case, the Day 1b bubble brought plenty of drama as play came to a close. Early in hand-for-hand action, there was just one all-in and call, with the short stack managing to survive. However, just a few hands later, chaos erupted across the room as three separate tables saw all-ins called simultaneously. The first two short stacks found much-needed doubles, but Jeffrey Galloway ensured the rest of the field would advance to Day 2 after flopping a set of eights against his opponent’s top pair with ace-queen. After getting the moeny in, the board ran out clean for Galloway, bursting the bubble and sending the remaining 28 players into the money.
The Day 1c bubble was far more straightforward than the drama-filled hand-for-hand play earlier in the day. The short stack moved all in for her last 14,000 chips and ran into Brian Schulz's pocket kings. With no help from the board, she was eliminated, securing a payday for the remaining 24 players.
A New Champion Will be Crowned
Besides the Day 1c chip leader, several RGPS ambassadors took their shot in the Day 1b and Day 1c flights, including Caitlin Comeskey and Ashley Frank, but neither were able to secure a spot in the final day. Another ambassador and defending RGPS Tunica Main Event championPreston McEwen also made multiple attempts to move on, but despite firing in all three starting flights, he was unable to make Day 2 and will not be defending his title.
The 70 remaining players will return on Sunday, March 16, at 12:00 p.m. local time to battle for the title. While Day 1 flights featured 30-minute levels, blinds will increase to 40-minute levels for Day 2. Play will continue until a champion is crowned.
The official prize pool and payout structure will be announced once finalized by the tournament directors.
Be sure to follow PokerNews for live updates and coverage of Day 2 for the 2025 RGPS Mission RunGood Tunica.