$2,500 Season Finale ($1,000,000 Guaranteed)
Day 3 Completed
2022 RunGood Poker Series Season Finale
$2,500 Season Finale ($1,000,000 Guaranteed)
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2022 RunGood Poker Series Season Finale
Buy-in
$2,500
Prize Pool
$1,000,000
Entries
417
Level
30
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Entries
32
Players Left
1
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
The RunGood Contenders Season Finale began with a celebration of its first-ever $1,000,000 guaranteed main event and concluded with another party atmosphere as friends Brett Murray and Tyler Patterson concluded the event with a spirited, playful heads-up match that saw Murray take home the title and the $172,835 first prize.
Murray, who is the all-time leading tournament money winner at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort, defeated Patterson after a light-hearted 90-minute-long match that saw them play for the final $10,000 of the prize pool, the RunGood Contenders Series championship ring, and a seat into the RunGood ProAM later this month in Las Vegas.
In the end, it was Murray’s king-jack taking down the RunGood Ambassador’s pocket jacks to claim the title.
RGPS Contenders Season Finale Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Murray | $172,835 |
| 2 | Tyler Patterson | $156,835 |
| 3 | Toan Nguyen | $88,250 |
| 4 | David Ong | $61,140 |
| 5 | Michael Loncar | $46,930 |
| 6 | Trevor O'Donoghue | $39,120 |
| 7 | Lam Le | $32,570 |
| 8 | Joe Nguyen | $26,070 |
| 9 | Arthur Tanimoto | $19,580 |
A Day of Near-Comeback Stories
The day began with 32 remaining contenders, and for a while, it looked as though an improbable comeback story could be the highlight of the day as Stephen Song, who started the day with just five big blinds made an improbable run to the chip lead.
However, he would lose a critical pot to Arthur Tanimoto after correctly calling off with top pair on the turn versus Tanimoto’s flush draw, but Tanimoto would hit his flush to take a sizeable chunk from Song’s rebuilt stack.
The WSOP bracelet winner couldn’t recover from that hand and fell in 11th place.
Another incredible comeback story was brewing at the final table as Day 2 chip leader Toan Nguyen, who came into the day with more chips than the second and third largest stacks combined lost all but half a big blind worth of his stack to David Ong when five-handed.
Nguyen then came back with repeated double-ups to hold a healthy stack again and make it to three-handed play before finally being eliminated by Murray.
That left Murray and Patterson heads-up, and while Murray began the match with an overwhelming 6-to-1 chip lead, Patterson clawed back thanks to a double-up on the first hand of play and some incredible play including a correct call with just queen-high.
Ultimately, Murray would bounce back to retake his significant lead and finally claim the title.
Words From the Winner
As mentioned, the heads-up match was a light-hearted affair once Murray and Patterson struck a deal. Murray told PokerNews that it was the most fun heads-up match he’d ever played.
“It was, it was a lot of fun. The whole day was a lot of fun. After the chop, it relieves a lot of stress, so we could kind of just go for it a little more. I mean, I wanted the extra 10k and the ring of course, but it definitely relieves the stress of playing for sixty thousand rather than ten.”
On the final hand, Murray decided to gamble a bit, calling Patterson’s all-in with king-jack, later saying that while he obviously still wanted to win, he kind of wanted to end the match at that point too.
“I was just so happy taking one-hundred and sixty-two (thousand) already, I was just ready to get it over with. I mean, I was definitely still going to try, but I don’t know, I was just ready for it to end. I was just ready to river the king and just have it done and make it easy.”
Thunder Valley is Murray’s home casino, and his success here is well known. When asked what being the all-time leading tournament money winner here meant to him, the jovial Murray admitted that it indeed meant a lot to him.
“It’s nice. It’s definitely a good feeling. I’ve run really good here and it’s close to home, so it’s a great place to run great.”
On To the 2023 Season
The 2022 RunGood season will now conclude with the RunGood ProAM at the PokerGo Studio in Las Vegas on December 15th, with announcements on details of the 2023 RunGood schedule to come in the near future.
This concludes PokerNews’ coverage of the historic $1,000,000 guaranteed RunGood Contenders Series Season Finale from the beautiful Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California.
Congratulations to RunGood Contenders Season Finale champion Brett Murray, and to the RunGood and Thunder Valley Poker Room teams on a tremendously successful series to conclude the 2022 RunGood Poker Series season.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
On the first hand of 100,000/200,000/200,000 blinds, Tyler Patterson moved all in for just over 3,000,000.
Brett Murray playfully admitted he wanted the match to be over and was eager for post-match festivities, then decided to call.
Tyler Patterson: 
Brett Murray: 
Through the turn, the board came 
, at which point Murray smiled and said "C'mon, I just want it to be over, I don't wanna play."
Before he could finish the sentence the dealer dropped the 
on the river to give him the win.
Murray and Patterson joked with each other and embraced as the friends shared Murray's moment of victory together.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
16,680,000
3,380,000
|
3,380,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level: 30
Blinds: 100,000/200,000
Ante: 200,000
Level 29
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
The light-hearted mood of this heads-up match is continuing as Brett Murray and Tyler Patterson have decided to take a bathroom break but leave the clock running while they're away from the table to accelerate the pace of the levels, which they've already shrunk to 20-minutes.
When they return, Murray will have a sizeable lead on Patterson.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
13,300,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
|
3,325,000
-1,000,000
|
-1,000,000 |
|
|
||
Level 29
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
After Tyler Patterson raised to 375,000, Brett Murray said he'd make it 1,400,000.
Patterson folded and Murray spiked 
on the table, declaring "got him!"
With the majority of the prizepool locked up for both players and $10,000 on the line, the duo is having a friendly, playful heads-up match, with a sizeable rail enjoying the action with beverages in tow.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
12,300,000
1,075,000
|
1,075,000 |
|
|
4,325,000
-1,250,000
|
-1,250,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 29
Blinds: 75,000/150,000
Ante: 150,000
Level 28
: Blinds 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
Picking action up on the 
flop, Tyler Patterson checked to Brett Murray, who bet 200,000.
Patterson then check-raised to 850,000 and was called by Murray.
The players checked the 
turn, but on the 
river, Patterson bet 800,000 and was called.
Patterson showed for a pair of sixes, but Murray showed 
for a pocket pair of nines and the win.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,225,000
425,000
|
425,000 |
|
|
5,575,000
-225,000
|
-225,000 |
|
|
||
Level 28
: Blinds 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
Brett Murray opened to 275,000 and got three-bet to 925,000 by Tyler Patterson.
Murray called to see the 
flop, which Patterson bet to the tune of 800,000.
Murray came back with a raise to 2,800,000, which Patterson folded to.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
10,800,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
|
|
5,800,000
-1,400,000
|
-1,400,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 28
Blinds: 75,000/125,000
Ante: 125,000