button in SafariLazo Tops the Charts After Opening Flight
The first starting flight of the RunGood Poker Series Passport Season Finale $600 The Hendon Mob Mid-Major Championship has concluded. A total of 118 entries took a swing at the first flight, with 12 players advancing from Day 1a at Thunder Valley Casino Resort.
Ricardo Lazo (572,000) bagged the top stack after the opening flight. Cirilo Esnardo (472,000) and Baljinder Bhupal (470,000) wrapped up the podium as the top three stacks in the room.
Final Chip Counts on Day 1a
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ricardo Lazo | United States | 572,000 | 48 |
| 2 | Cirilo Esnardo | United States | 472,000 | 39 |
| 3 | Baljinder Bhupal | United States | 470,000 | 39 |
| 4 | Phillip Chiero | United States | 362,000 | 30 |
| 5 | Eric Cossey | United States | 362,000 | 30 |
| 6 | Roderick Lejat | United States | 314,000 | 26 |
| 7 | Ryan Rummonds | United States | 239,000 | 20 |
| 8 | Travis Fujisaka | United States | 196,000 | 16 |
| 9 | Won Song | United States | 190,000 | 16 |
| 10 | Asmare Bekalu | United States | 178,000 | 15 |
| 11 | Greg Byard | United States | 152,000 | 13 |
| 12 | Sok Chean | United States | 49,000 | 4 |
There is not much known about Lazo as he will enter Day 2 as a wildcard. Lazo’s rise to the chip lead began when he won a big pot against Arthur Abraamyan when Lazo’s kings held against the pocket queens of Abraamyan to soar past the two-hundred-thousand mark. Lazo held steady the rest of the evening as he clocked into the top ten in chip counts until his final ascension late on Day 1a gave him the title of chip leader.
Esnardo began to be a force in the chip counts by halfway through the opening flight. He hovered near the top of the counts for the remainder of Day 1a before he sent everyone home when he busted Linwood Bailey when Esnardo’s ace-queen hit a full house to end Day 1a.
Rocklin resident Bhupal bagged the third biggest stack of the evening. Bhupal will enter Day 2 with the opportunity to improve on his highest finish at RunGood Poker Series events. Bhupal took third place in the RunGood Ambassador Knockout event back in 2025 at Thunder Valley Casino Resort. No doubt there is more money up for grabs in this event as Bhupal will look to snag his first RGPS title and ring.
Returning champion Sasha Sabbaghian made an appearance, but was unable to find any traction on Day 1a. Sabbaghian will still have five other starting flights to choose from should he choose to enter again.
Notable Tyler Patterson also was unable to bag on Day 1a after his king-high failed to secure the double when Sok Chean hit a jack on the river to eliminate the RGPS Checkpoint Thunder Valley Main Event champion.
The focus will now shift to Day 1b, which is scheduled to be hosted at 11 a.m. local time. Stay tuned here at PokerNews for continued coverage of the $600 The Hendon Mob Mid-Major Championship at Thunder Valley Casino Resort.