O’Dell Yeah! Massive Chip Leader Emerges From Day 1c of RGPS Tulsa Main Event
The final opening flight of the RunGood Series Tulsa $600 Main Event saw one player absolutely annihilate the competition to take over one million chips into Sunday’s final day of action.
Dakotah O’Dell of Springfield, MO laid waste to Saturday night’s 155 entry field to the tune of 1,019,000 chips, far surpassing previous overall chip leader Marsha Adams’ Day 1a mark of 596,000.
O’Dell has been having an incredible 2022, with a WSOP Circuit ring win and a Circuit Main Event final table in July for a combined $150,000+ in earnings, along with a RunGood Main Event championship at Council Bluffs in February for another $48,771.
The third largest stack that will return Sunday also came from Day 1c as a late pot for Shantanu Garg gave him an end-of-day total of 578,000 chips.
In total, 472 entries created a prizepool of $245,440, shattering the $100,000 guarantee, with the winner Sunday earning $46,721.
Overall Top Ten Opening Day Chip Counts
| Place | Name | Flight | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dakotah O'Dell | 1c | 1,019,000 | 203 |
| 2 | Marsha Adams | 1a | 596,000 | 119 |
| 3 | Shantanu Garg | 1c | 578,000 | 115 |
| 4 | Christopher Livesay | 1c | 570,000 | 114 |
| 5 | Adam Higbee | 1a | 542,000 | 108 |
| 6 | Preston Roberts | 1b | 483,000 | 96 |
| 7 | Yahya Aamer | 1b | 483,000 | 96 |
| 8 | Ryan Bevenue | 1c | 463,000 | 92 |
| 9 | Bryan Dickson | 1b | 449,000 | 89 |
| 10 | Todd Harp | 1b | 437,000 | 87 |
The Dakotah O’Dell Show
While several notables made it through Day 1c including 2021 WPT DeepStacks Choctaw Main Event champion Jared Ward (157,000), RunGood Tulsa Pot-Limit Omaha champion Sam Lee (130,000), and RunGood Ambassador Julie Cornelius (94,000), it was O’Dell’s performance that overshadowed all else.
He first began threatening for the overall chip lead shortly after registration closed when he eliminated Jamie Rawlings with a flopped set of sixes against Rawlings’ pocket queens.
Then after taking the overall chip lead he went on an absolute tear coolering two players with pocket kings including RunGood ambassador Ray Henson.
Others that may not have been in O’Dell’s wake but also didn’t advance to Day 2 included Poker Hall of Famer Scotty Nguyen, RunGood Tulsa Studio Ticket champion John Reynolds, and RunGood ambassador and beloved poker announcer Jeff Platt.
Sunday’s Chase for the Title
Play will resume Sunday in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa poker room at noon local time with 11:47 left in level 13, the earliest endpoint for the three opening flights.
Play will continue with 30-minute levels with a 10-minute break following level 14 and then every four levels after that.
There will actually be 60 players returning Sunday, as Marlon Gabriel managed to bag twice. He’ll take his 363,000 chip stack forward, and will also take home a second min-cash of $933 for the extra bag.
He and all the others will of course be eyeing that $46,721 first prize along with the prestigious RunGood Contenders Series ring and a trip to Las Vegas with a seat in the RunGood Pro-Am in December.
PokerNews will be with you until a champion is crowned Sunday night at the beautiful Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa.