$1,000 Main Event
Day 2 Completed
2023 RGPS Cleveland
$1,000 Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
2023 RGPS Cleveland
Buy-in
$1,000
Prize Pool
$508,580
Entries
590
Level
30
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Entries
78
Players Left
1
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
The RunGood Poker Series Road Trip has made its home this week in Cleveland, Ohio at JACK Casino. A total of nine events were over the course of the trip here, with the biggest buy-in being The $1,000 buy-in RGPS Main Event, which saw three flights over the course of three days. A total of 590 players came out to smash the guarantee and create a prizepool of $508,580. The start of the day only saw 78 players guaranteed a cash and from that starting field, players were whittled down over the course of 12 hours until there was just one standing.
At the end of it all, Louis Ganser ended as the newly crowned champion as well as the recipient of a career best score of $102,225. After beating Jamie Teel heads up, he immediately called his wife to tell her the good news. “I’m just feeling a lot of gratitude,” Ganser said with a wide smile across his face, “There were a lot of great players in the field and I just wanted to thank everyone who believed in me. My friends, my wife, and my two kids.”
Coming into the day with a stack just outside of the Top 20 players at the beginning of the day, Ganser found himself as one of the shortest stacks with three tables left. “We all know it’s a never stop believing kind of game. You’re up, you’re down, just being mindful of every moment and making every chip count is extremely important.”
The massive poker fan found himself at the final table and despite starting as one of the shortest stacks, he doubled up in multiple big hands as the final table progressed and found himself five-handed with the chip lead. From that point forward, he would continue to extend his lead until the final hand where he turned two pair against top pair and he locked up the title.
Ganser’s live earnings prior to this event were $14,533, with the biggest live cash he had being a deep run at the 2023 WSOP Colossus. With this massive score he has nearly multiplied his live earnings by seven, and just in time for a trip he is going on with his family to Disney World. “I’ve been following the series on Twitter, it’s definitely a hobby, it has been for a long time and it will always be that way,” Ganser said in regards to his professional life outside of poker. The Cleveland native exited the area as he left the tournament area with a new piece of RunGood Poker Series hardware.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louis Ganser | Cleveland, OH | $102,225 |
| 2 | Jamie Teel | Elyria, OH | $62,700 |
| 3 | Gregory Harris | Painesville, OH | $45,690 |
| 4 | William Kopp | Breckville, OH | $34,025 |
| 5 | Daniel "Donk" Hughes | Tulsa, OK | $25,760 |
| 6 | Shawn Nottingham | Canton, OH | $19,440 |
| 7 | Shane Pierce | Willoughby, OH | $15,065 |
| 8 | Blake Napierala | Amherst, NY | $11,665 |
| 9 | Chase Hounshell | Cleveland, OH | $9,235 |
Final Day Action
As the day began, legends fell. Nicholas Rigby (58th-$1,845) got his queens cracked early in the day by WSOP Main Event champion Greg Raymer (31st-$2,330). Katie Kopp (54th-$1,940), Ian Richardson (37th-$2,090), David Worden (18th-$4,860), and Adam Foster (12th-$7,290) all occupied the lists of players who fell throughout the day.
The final elimination before the final table saw Daniel “DJ” Swartz (10th-$7,290) get in his final chips against Daniel “Donk” Hughes with ten-nine suited, while Hughes held queen-jack suited. Despite turning a flush draw and gutshot straight draw, Swartz did not improve and he became the final player to exit before the final table, collecting $7,290 for his tenth place finish.
Final Table Action
The final table began quite interestingly when Shawn Nottingham began raising blind and pulling away from the rest of the pack into a comfortable chip lead. That started when Nottingham straddled to three times what the big blind was and Chase Hounshell moved all in for more with queen-ten. Nottingham looked at the hand he straddled which was five-two and he put in the remaining chips to call. With a five and a two on the flop, Hounshell’s hand was soon cracked and he exited the tournament in ninth place, collecting $9,235 for his ninth place finish.
Nottingham’s aggression continued as he moved all in with queen-two suited from the small blind in against Blake Napierala who called holding pocket nines. The flop gave the queen two a wheel draw but instead it was running three of a kind for Nottingham as he took a commanding chip lead while Napierala exited in eighth place which was good for $11,665.
Nottingham seemed unstoppable as he held close to half of the chips in play with seven left. His momentum was halted when he moved all in with ace-king only for Hughes to call with queens and double into the chip lead. The next big clash would see Jamie Teel raise with ace-eight offsuit and Shane Pierce moved all in for his last chips with ace-king which Teel called. An eight on the flop would put Teel in striking distance of Hughes while Pierce ended his run in seventh place for $15,065.
Nottingham would be the next player who’s journey ended as he left in sixth place. He had moved all in over a raise from Louis Ganser who snap called holding pocket jacks. Nottingham had been caught as he turned over seven-two offsuit and was drawing dead on the turn to leave himself with very few chips. The next hand he moved all in with nine-three offsuit and Teel looked him up with ace-ten and held up to see the former baseball player collect $19,440 for his efforts.
Hughes and Ganser became the two big stacks entangled in battle multiple times. Ganser overtook the chip lead when Hughes three bet and then jammed over Ganser’s four bet when Ganser held pocket aces and Hughes held ace-four suited. Despite flopping a flush draw, Ganser’s aces held up and became the biggest stack. Hughes would double up Gregory Harris a few hands later before clashing once more with Ganser when Hughes called Ganser’s three bet to queen-ten. The flop came four-high and Hughes moved all in and Ganser quickly called with pocket jacks and held to give him over 50% of the chips in play, while the RGPS ring winner finished in fifth place for $25,760.
WSOP bracelet winner William Kopp was on the shortest stack for the majority of the final table, but was able to ladder up amidst the chaos surrounding him. Despite all of this, he would end his run when he jammed in the small blind with ace-ten against Teel who had called on the button who held ace-king. No ten would appear on the runout and Kopp walked out with his supportive rail of family and friends.
Three handed saw Teel and Ganser holding most of the chips, with Harris on the shortest stack. Ganser moved all in from the small blind holding ten-nine off with the covering stack into Harris who held king-queen off. Though Harris would turn a pair of queens, the river ten would be enough to sink his chances as Ganser made two pair. Ganser took the lead into heads up while Harris collected $45,690 for his third place finish.
Heads up saw big pots as Teel pulled close to even at a point. Ganser never lost the lead however and the final hand saw Ganser call Teel’s four bet jam on the turn for the tournament. Teel held top pair and Ganser held middle two and a blank river saw no change in dynamics to give Ganser the title and Teel a career best score of $62,700 for his second place finish.
Thank you for reading along here on PokerNews. Be sure to check back in next week where once more there will be two events running at the same time, as the RunGood Poker Series hits Jamul Casino and Resort in San Diego, CA as well as the Horseshoe in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Jamie Teel called on the button and in the big blind Louis Ganser checked his option.
The flop came out A♦3♥K♣ and Ganser check called a bet of 400,000 from Teel.
On the 5♥ turn, Ganser checked over to Teel who bet 700,000 and Ganser responded by raising to 2,475,000. Teel moved all in for 5,175,000. Ganser asked for a count before calling to put Teel at risk.
Jamie Teel: A♠J♦
Louis Ganser: K♥5♦
Teel had flopped top pair and Ganser had turned two pair as all the chips went into the center. The river came out the 8♠ and Ganser's two pair held up as the best hand while Teel finished in second place for $62,700
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
17,700,000
5,800,000
|
5,800,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 30
Blinds: 100,000/200,000
Ante: 200,000
Level 29
: 100,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
Louis Ganser moved all in from the small blind and in the big blind, Gregory Harris called to put himself at risk for his last 1,100,000.
Gregory Harris: K♦Q♣
Louis Ganser: 10♣9♠
The board ran out 9♦4♥2♥Q♥10♠ for a max drama runout as Ganser flopped a pair of nines, Harris turned a pair of queens, and Ganser made tens up on the river to secure the pot and eliminate Harris from the tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,900,000
2,800,000
|
2,800,000 |
|
|
5,800,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 29
Blinds: 100,000/150,000
Ante: 150,000
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Jamie Teel called in the cutoff and on the button, William Kopp moved all in for 1,800,000 and action folded back around to Teel who called.
William Kopp: A♠10♥
Jamie Teel: A♦K♣
The board ran out 2♠J♣4♣J♥8♦ and the ace-king held up for Teel to take a sizable pot and the WSOP bracelet winner exited the tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,800,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Daniel "Donk" Hughes raised to 300,000 in the hijack and in the cutoff, Louis Ganser three bet to 1,100,000 which saw action fold back around to Hughes who called.
On the 4♠3♣2♣ flop, Hughes moved all in for 1,900,000 and Ganser snap called.
Daniel Hughes: Q♦10♥
Louis Ganser: J♠J♣
The board ran out 3♥4♣ and the jacks held up for Ganser to add to his chip lead while RGPS ring winner Hughes exited the tournament in fifth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,100,000
2,980,000
|
2,980,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Gregory Harris moved all for 1,655,000 from first position which saw action fold to Daniel "Donk" Hughes in the small blind who called and the cards were turned up.
Gregory Harris: A♦10♣
Daniel "Donk" Hughes: Q♣J♣
The board ran out K♥9♥4♠K♣A♣ and the ace-ten held up for Harris as he doubled up once more.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,550,000
1,230,000
|
1,230,000 |
|
|
2,810,000
-1,290,000
|
-1,290,000 |
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
William Kopp raised to 260,000 in the cutoff and in the big blind, Gregory Harris moved all in for 1,070,000 which Kopp called.
Gregory Harris: A♦K♥
William Kopp: K♠J♦
The board ran out Q♣2♦6♠3♥A♣ and the ace-king held up for Harris to take down the pot, while Kopp fell to the short stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,320,000
130,000
|
130,000 |
|
|
1,070,000
-1,230,000
|
-1,230,000 |
|
|
||