Nanonoko Becomes Renonoko: Randy Lew Wins 2016 Run It Up Reno Mix-Max Event
The 10th event on the 2016 Run It Up Reno schedule came to a conclusion on Saturday night with Randy "nanonoko" Lew winning the $235 Mix-Max No-Limit Hold'em tournament for $4,300.
Final Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Lew | $4,300 |
| 2 | Steve Kujubu | $2,500 |
| 3 | Nick Aguilera | $1,400 |
| 4 | Alex Lavinthal | $1,400 |
| 5 | Danny Alvarez | $650 |
| 6 | Zhihao Zhang | $650 |
| 7 | Raphael Bouchard | $650 |
| 8 | Michael Flores | $650 |
Mix-max tournament poker has been trending upwards in popularity over the last few years as it has slowly been featured more regularly on tournament schedules. With this tournament kicking off just after the second flight of the Run It Up Main Event got underway, 61 players tried their hand at the format where play would shift from eight-handed, to six-handed, down to four-handed, and then eventually heads-up play for the final eight players.
Notables such as Kevin Martin, Chad Holloway, Deb Swift, Kevin Gerhart, and Rob Hamilton all tried their luck in this event but they would all tumble to the rail shy of the money. Michael Flores, Raphael Bouchard, Zhihao Zhang, and Danny Alvarez each collected $650 for reaching the heads-up stage, where it was Lew matched up with Alex Lavinthal and Nick Aguilera against Steve Kujubu.
Play would bounce back and forth between the two heads-up matches before both suddenly ended just minutes apart. Lavinthal found himself all in preflop holding the 10♣10♥ against Lew's A♣J♣. Lew flopped a jack and then went runner-runner flush. Aguilera found himself in a dominated position when his A♠J♣ was up against Kujubu's A♦Q♦, and although he had outs to a chop, he joined Lavinthal on the rail for a $1,400 payday.
After Kujubu went into heads-up play with a chip advantage of just one big blind, his lead would soon be flipped around as Lew charged ahead to hold a 2-1 position. Just several hands later Kujubu, three-bet shoved over Lew's button raise holding the K♦J♣. He was called by Lew and his A♦Q♥. The flop brought an ace, and when no additional help arrived for Kujubu, he was out in second. Lew was crowned the champion and was serenaded by a "Re-No-No-Ko" chant led by Jason Somerville and some of the others in the tournament room.
While this isn't Lew's biggest result of his career, it is his second live win following his HK$3,772,000 ($484,617) score for winning the APPT Macau Main Event back in November 2011.
For Lew, he will take home the $235 Mix-Max No-Limit Hold'em trophy, $4,300 in prize money, and some run good for when he takes part in Day 2 of the Run It Up Reno Main Event on Sunday.
For continued coverage of the 2016 Run it Up Reno festival, click here to check out PokerNews' dedicated section for the event.
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