David Hengen Wins First RGPS Main Event of All Stars Season at Horseshoe Council Bluffs
David Hengen topped a field of 368 entries to win the RunGood Poker Series Council Bluffs $575 Main Event for a $41,287 first-place prize. He also claimed a Signature Championship ring and became the first Main Event champion of the RGPS All-Stars season.
Hengen got heads up with RGPS Ambassador Ray Henson. Because Henson is not eligible for the All-Stars seat, Hengen had already won his place in the invite-only tournament set for December in the PokerGO studio.
The heads-up match didn't last long despite the stacks being relatively even when heads up began. Hengen could not lose a pot and eventually called Henson's shove with two pair to leave him drawing thin. Hengen held on to win the hand and eliminate Henson, who earlier in the series won the pot-limit Omaha event, in second place.
Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Hengen | $41,827 |
| 2 | Ray Henson | $25,515 |
| 3 | Brent Wilty | $18,644 |
| 4 | Sam Johnson | $13,483 |
| 5 | Dan Grossman | $10,439 |
| 6 | Mark Laughlin | $7,990 |
| 7 | Michael Fong | $6,205 |
| 8 | Rob Kent | $4,887 |
| 9 | Sam Castagnoli | $3,904 |
Day 2 started with 83 players returning for Day 2. Danny Padilla was the overall chip leader but only managed to make it to 43rd place. Jason Currie was the bubble boy after bluffing his stack off to Lucas Kolbe, who gained a massive stack late in the day before he eventually fell in 30th place.
Final Table Action
Hengen entered the final table second in chips and shot to the chip lead when he knocked out Sam Castagnoli and Rob Kent in the same hand early in the final-table play. He called two shoves with pocket aces and held to take the chip lead with seven players remaining.
Michael Fong was the next to go and he was sent home by Sam Johnson, who had two overs to Fong's pocket deuces. Johnson and Hengen were then the two big stacks with everyone else lagging behind.
Mark Laughlin was eliminated in sixth place by Henson. Both players had the same hand, but Henson was suited and went runner-runner to a flush to eliminate Laughlin. That was the start of a push by Henson that would eventually put him in the chip lead.
Dan Grossman was eliminated by Johnson when Grossman ran pocket sevens into Johnson's aces. Then it was Johnson's turn to fall in fourth place. He shoved the turn with top pair against Hengen, who called with top two pair after tanking for a moment.
Brent Wilty bowed out in third place after losing a big pot to Hengen where both players had a straight. When he was very short, he three-bet shoved on Hengen who rivered a flush to send him to the rail.
From there it was all Hengen in the heads-up match on his way to the title and the $41,287 top prize. In the final hand, Henson got it in with top pair on the turn only to see Hengen roll over two pair. The river was a brick and Henson had to settle for second place.
Chris Christian RGPS Casino Champ
Meanwhile, Chris Christian was named Horseshoe Iowa Casino Champion after earning 25 points offer two cashes – including runner-up in the closing event – totaling $5,339.
As such, he secured a ticket to the All-Stars ProAm event presented by PokerGO in December.
| Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $200 Two Green Chip Bounty | 144 | $16,560 | Jim Devaney | $4,636 |
| $300 Pot-Limit Omaha | 30 | $7.800 | Ray Henson | $3,900 |
| $185 DeepStack | 272 | $39,440 | Lexy Gavin | $9,465 |
| $135 Pro Bounty | 197 | $19,700 | Rachel Keele | $5,121 |
| $100 Turbo | 93 | TBD | Grant Hinkle | $2,233 |
After a great week of events here in Council Bluffs, the RGPS is now heading west for it's first-ever California stop. PokerNews will be with the tour all season long, bringing you the highlights and photos from all of the events and giving you a chance to meet each All-Stars qualifier.