Day 2 of the RunGood Poker Series (RGS) Jamul $600 Main Event played on Sunday. Derrick Yamada beat Steve Hoang in the last hand to win the RGPS Ring and $31,565. Also, he won a travel package and a seat at Thunder Valley’s Dream Seat Invitational that will take place next week.
The Main Event comprised three starting flights. It featured 299 players and had a $155,480 prize pool. Yet, each of the 39 entrants who advanced to the last day took home at least $855.
What Were the Largest Payouts?
- Derrick Yamada-$31,565
- Steve Hoang-$25,690
- Johnny Groat-$15,325
- Maurice Thomas-$9,665
- Jasmin Grabic-$7,455
- Brendan Wiley-$6,175
- Randy Shamo-$5,185
- Anastasia Knapp-$4,260
- Richard “Coach” Furfaro-$3,395
The Final Day’s Highlights
The final table’s action had a slow start as no one got busted after a short while. Richard Furfaro used the nut straight on the turn to go all-in before Randy Shamo sent him packing in ninth place with a runner-runner flush.
Anastasia Knapp followed Furfaro in the eighth position after Maurice Thompson’s pocket aces beat her pocket fives. Hoang eliminated Randy Shamo in seventh place. The former used ace-jack to win a large pot against Yamada’s ace-king hence getting the stack lead.
Brendan Wiley’s pocket sevens lost a flop to Hoang’s ace-three and he finished sixth. Hoang maintained the chip lead before Johnny Groat doubled him up twice and took the lead.
Hoang used pocket queens to knock out Jasmin Grabic in the fifth position and regained the lead. Maurice Thomas lost most of his big blinds after a few minutes. His ace-four lost to Hoang’s superior ace-jack and left the table in fourth place.
Yamada beat Groat in a big pot. The latter opted to make an all-in move in preflop against Yamada and Hoang.
Action checked on the river and Yamada wagered before using a nut straight to eliminate Groat in the third position. Yamada had a 3:1 stack lead over Hoang when their heads-up match began.
Hoang used pocket nines to win a big flop after making a set flop against Yamada’s ace-jack. The former got the chip lead after several minutes before calling in on the deuce-three-ten board. Each of the players had a ten. Yet, Hoang won a huge pot and got the chip lead after his seven dominated Yamada’s five.
Yamada’s fans were tensed when his run almost ended in one hand. But, luck was on his side and he doubled up after landing a gutshot straight on the river.
he later used ace-king to double up Hoang’s queen-four. The duo made a chop deal that earned Hoang a $25,690 consolation prize and Yamada the top prize.
Yamada plays poker for fun and has been in great form in 2023. He cashed several times in last summer’s World Series of Poker Series(WSOP). Still, the player won $72,777 in May after leading in a competitive tournament.
