After the intense thirteen hours of final day poker action, Iman Alsaden emerged victorious in the RunGood Poker Series $800 Main Event at Hollywood Casino in St. Louis, Missouri.
Over four starting flights, 586 players participated in the event and only 71 came back for the final day. Alsaden began their final day with a small stack but was able to beat the chip leader Michael Chilton to take the prize money of $77,192 and the RGPS ring.
May month and the RunGood Poker series have been lucky for Alsaden, as their first best cash was a 6th place finish in the RGPS Kansas City Main Event a year ago, earning $19,000.
The Kansas player is now looking to play at the WSOP 2024. Alsaden told PokerNews that they were a big cash game player, but in 2022, they went to Las Vegas and saw the World Series of Poker tournament, and wanted to feel the competitiveness of Poker Tournaments.
$800 RunGood Poker Series Main Event Recap and Standings
1 – Iman Alsaden – $77,192
2 – Michael Chilton – $51,548
3 – Phil Youngclaus – $37,915
4 – Jeff Riebeling – $28,252
5 – Paul Fehlig – $21,292
6 – Chris Audrain – $16,233
7 – Mike Hurley – $12,521
8 – Brian Jones – $9,773
9 – Jesse Watson – $7,719
As players were already guaranteed winnings at the start of Day 2, players were eliminated quickly. Nearly half of the players were eliminated by the first break.
Throughout the day, notable players like the previous year’s Main Event Champion Keith Heine (50th place – $1,619), Jason Aken (44th place – $1,829), rising stars Alvin Lewis (32nd place – $2,428) and Jackson Turrentine (10th place- $7,719).
Jesse Watson was the first player to be eliminated from the final table. He lost a crucial hand against Phil Youngclaus, sending him out in 9th place for $7,719.
Brian Jones was the first to accumulate over 1 million chips early on but eventually entered the final table with an average stack. He was knocked out in 8th place when his ace-king lost to Jeff Riebeling’s ace-queen. He took $9,773 home.
Mike Hurley was another player who lost a significant chip before the final table. He entered the final table in the middle of the pack, hoping to win some hand. He eventually finished in 7th place for $12,000, which is his largest ever live cash in.
Chris Audrain entered Day 2 as the chip lead but met aggressive opponents on his left, leading to several raise-fold situations against three-bets and reshoves. He eventually lost to Alsaden’s ace nine. He was eliminated at 6th place for $16,233.
The final table poker pro Paul Fehlig was the next player to be eliminated on the final table. The WSOP circuit winner was able to build a substantial stack, even doubling through at some point. However, a failed bluff against Chilton cost him a significant portion of his chips. Fehlig’s pocket sevens couldn’t hold against Riebeling’s hand, sending him out in 5th place for $21,292.
Riebeling’s luck ran out and was then eliminated by Chilton, followed by Youngclaus, who had survived since Watson’s earlier exit. Alsaden secured another elimination, gaining a 2:1 chip lead over Chilton.
The cheap lead didn’t matter, as the heads-up battle was intense and lasted over three hours with both players exchanging the lead. They even paused the game for an ICM deal, but no deal was made.
The intense battle ended after Alsaden’s three-bet jam with queen ten against ace five. Alsaden’s hand withstands and is able to claim the victory and title.
Among other notable winners crowned at the RunGood Poker Series included:
Adam Curchack: $400 Mega Stack ($62,260)
Steven Kim: PLO ($6,620)
James Cavanaugh: $300 6-Max ($7,025)
Miguel Cardenas: $400 Black Chip Bounty ($10,600)
Rellie Sigua: $1,100 Deepstack ($24,690)
Ari Engel: $500 H.O.R.S.E. ($6,350)
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Source: PokerNews/RunGoodGear.com
Image Credit: RunGoodGear.com
