Level 9 (400/800/100)
Day 1A Entrants: 106
Players Remaining: 70
RunGood ambassadors Blair Hinkle (left) and Jose Montes (right) have been seated next to each other since Level 1 and are chipping up at an equal rate. The two pros are both hovering near the 80,000 mark in Level 9 and are competing to bag the chip lead and be well positioned to make a run on Day 2.
Montes bagged heaps in the RunGood Deep Stack event earlier this week but came up shy of the final table. In an attempt to rectify that and earn a seat onboard the RunGood Cruise, he is soaring high so far today.
Hinkle ran deep in February's RunGood Council Bluffs Main Event but finished a disappointing 16th. A few weeks later, Hinkle won his fourth career WSOP Circuit ring at Council Bluffs and has a chance to win his fifth overall title here this week.
Only a few levels from the bags, it will be interesting to see where the two players finish up and if they tangle in any major pots before the end of the night.