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$1,200 Million Dollar Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2026 RGPS Passport Thunder Valley
$1,200 Million Dollar Main Event
Day: 1b
Players Left 58 / 587
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Chip Counts
Level 17
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Day 1b came to a close after attracting a total of 214 entries during the second flight of the RunGood Poker Series Passport Season Finale $1,200 Million Dollar Main Event. This meant 21 players were allowed to bag and advance to Day 2 at Thunder Valley Casino Resort, with 27 making the money.
Douglas Dossett (1,054,000) was at the top of the chip counts for the second flight to bag as Day 1b chip leader. Han Yan (723,00) followed in second in chips, while Rajat Paliwal (703,000) was the third-highest stack in the room at the conclusion of the day.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Douglas Dossett | United States | 1,054,000 | 105 |
| 2 | Han Yan | United States | 723,000 | 72 |
| 3 | Rajat Paliwal | United States | 703,000 | 70 |
| 4 | Dondi Dismer | United States | 613,000 | 61 |
| 5 | Phillip Chiero | United States | 586,000 | 59 |
| 6 | Romeo Velasquez | United States | 571,000 | 57 |
| 7 | Yotam Shmuelov | United States | 549,000 | 55 |
| 8 | Imre Makranyi | United States | 411,000 | 41 |
| 9 | Sean Hold | United States | 387,000 | 39 |
| 10 | Paul Schreiner | United States | 377,000 | 38 |
Dossett has had a strong week as he already has an RGPS ring to his name this series after winning the $300 Knockout with $100 Bounties event. Dossett has over $180,000 in live career earnings according to his The Hendon Mob profile. A win here in the main event would boost that significantly and add a second RGPS title to his resume. Dossett found his traction midway through the flight. By Level 10, Dossett had the top stack in the room with nearly 200,000 more than the player who was second in chips. Dossett never fell out of the chip lead from that point forward as he would go on to bag with over a million in chips.
Yan is also still searching for his first RGPS title. Yan made a deep run at the RGPS Passport Graton Main Event when he took 23rd place for $5,300, as he will look to top that here at Thunder Valley Casino Resort.
Like Dossett and Yan, Paliwal is in the hunt for his first RGPS ring. With a smidge over $90,000 in career live earnings according to The Hendon Mob, Paliwal will have an opportunity to make a big splash in his career live earnings with a strong run on Day 2.
Perhaps the wildest hand of the series happened late on Day 1b when Yotam Shmuelov quadrupled up. Phillip Chiero took the side pot in a four-handed all-in preflop that saw two ace-king hands square off against Shmuelov's queens and Chiero's aces. The hand resulted in Sasha Sabbaghian and Jacob Blackketter hitting the exit in a dramatic hand during the twilight stages of Day 1b.
The field was stacked with former champions and notables who were unable to gain traction and bag and fell by the wayside on Day 1b, including Rob Mariano, Terrance Reid, Craig Welko, Scott Stewart, Bradley Anderson, Kevin Nathan, Daniel Turner, Aaron Overton, Casey Sandretto, Brett Murray, and Victor Paredes.
With Day 1b settled, the attention will turn to Day 1c tomorrow at 12 p.m. local time. An additional turbo flight will also take place at 8 p.m.
Main Event Schedule
| Flight | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1c | Sat. Aug. 1 | 12 p.m. |
| Turbo | Sat. Aug. 1 | 8 p.m. |
| Day 1d | Sun. Aug. 2 | 12 p.m. |
| Turbo | Sun. Aug. 2 | 8 p.m. |
| Day 2 | Mon. Aug. 3 | 12 p.m. |
Players will start with 40,000 in chips, and blind levels will be set to 40 minutes. The tournament is scheduled to have 15-minute breaks after every three levels, with a 40-minute break after Level 9.
Players are entitled to two re-entries for each starting flight. Registration will close at the beginning end of Level 9. A total of 12.5% of each starting flight will make the money, with the top 10% from each flight being permitted to advance to Day 2. Those that made the money, but did not advance to Day 2, will earn $2,200 for their finish. Players who have not used their re-entries can forfeit their stack and buy-in for a fresh stack at the end of Level 9.
Should a player qualify for Day 2 with more than one stack, they will advance with the biggest stack and forfeit the lowest stack for a Day 2 minimum payout.
Stay tuned here at PokerNews for continued coverage of the RGPS Passport Season Finale $1,200 Million Dollar Main Event at Thunder Valley Casino Resort.
Level 17
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Level 17
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Stay tuned here at PokerNews for a recap of today's action.
Level 17
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
It was madness preflop. Phillip Chiero opened from early position before Jacob Blackketter shoved for 100,000 from the cutoff. Sasha Sabbaghian followed with an all-in for approximately 405,000 total on the button. Yotam Shmuelov went all-in for 125,000 from the big blind, and Chiero called to put all three opponents at risk in a wild hand late on Day 1b.
Jacob Blackketter: A♦K♥
Yotam Shmuelov: Q♣Q♠
Sasha Sabbaghian: A♠K♣
Phillip Chiero: A♣A♥
Chiero was poised to potentially score a triple knockout to end Day 1b as they went to a runout.
Shmuelov would find a way out of danger when the 2♥Q♥4♥ flop came to give him a set of queens, but Chiero was still live with the ace of hearts for a flush draw.
The K♠ turn gave Blackketter and Sabbaghian a sliver of hope to hit the case king on the river to scoop the side pot.
Shmuelov would hold when the 8♠ peeled to award him the quadruple up, while Chiero took the rest as Blackketter and Sabbaghian hit the rail.
Level: 17
Blinds: 5,000/10,000
Ante: 10,000
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
It folded to Romeo Velasquez in the small blind before he made it 25,000 to go. Douglas Dossett responded with a three-bet to 100,000 before Velasquez shipped it for 153,000 total in response. Dossett made the call to put Velasquez at risk.
Romeo Velasquez: A♥8♣
Douglas Dossett: Q♣J♣
Velasquez stayed ahead on the 7♦9♥2♠ flop.
The 5♠ gave Velasquez a gutshot straight draw and maintained his lead. Velasquez secured the check mark when the 5♥ came down on the river, as Dossett took a hit that dropped him just below a million.
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
This hand was picked up on the turn of a pot that swelled to over 70,000 with a board that read A♥Q♣6♣4♦. Douglas Dossett opted to bet 105,000 on the turn, which led to an all-in for 188,000 by Jaime Haletky. Dossett made the call to put Haletky at risk.
Jaime Haletky: A♦8♦
Douglas Dossett: A♠4♣
Haletky found out the bad news that Dossett hit his kicker on the turn to improve to two pair. Haletky needed help to stay alive going into the river.
The 9♥ river was not what Haletky needed as Dossett scored the knockout and crossed the million chip mark while Haletky would go out on the bubble as the rest of the field made the money.
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Play is now hand-for-hand on Day 1b of the RGPS Passport Season Finale $1,200 Million Dollar Main Event.
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Thomas Phillips opened to 20,000 from middle position before Bobby Poe went all-in for 71,000 from the cutoff. Phillips made the call to put Poe at risk.
Bobby Poe: A♣K♣
Thomas Phillips: 7♣7♦
It was a race between the overcards and the pocket pair.
Phillips maintained his lead when the flop came Q♥6♥10♥. Neither player had a heart.
The Q♠ turn introduced a counterfeit opportunity should a ten peel on the river.
Instead, the board paired when the 6♣ peeled on the river. Phillips still held the best hand as Poe was eliminated from contention.
