$600 Main Event
Day 2 Completed
2024 RGPS RunGood Resort Reno
$600 Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
2024 RGPS RunGood Resort Reno
Buy-in
$600
Prize Pool
$153,510
Entries
301
Level
23
Blinds
25,000 / 50,000
Ante
50,000
Entries
39
Players Left
1
Level 23
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
For the third time, the RunGood Poker Series has made its way back to the Atlantis Casino and Resort to run its $600 Main Event. Overlay was nowhere to be found this time around as 301 entrants made their way into the tournament, ensuring that 39 players would be getting a piece of the $153,510 prize pool. After a relatively short Day 2, the field was reduced to just one player whose name was Dustin Cavanaugh.
“This is the best weekend of poker I have had in years,” the newly crowned champion said, “so much fun, lot of good players, lot of good competition, and I had a blast.” Taking down his first RGPS ring he also takes down his first live cash according to Hendon Mob.
“My grandma taught me how to play poker for dimes when I was about five years old,” Cavanaugh talked about his experience playing “I also took a math course in college. Not real excited to go back to being a pharmacist, so I’m just hunting. Picking pinenuts and playing poker.”
The first thing that Cavanaugh did was call his mother after the tournament and he talked a bit about her literal support of him during this tournament. “It’s been freezing in this room, so she brought me my long sleeve. She’s working on her doctorate here at UNR so I was just up for the weekend visiting. It feels good to spend time with my mom and take home a ring. She’s so supportive of me.”
Cavanaugh is going to play a poker series in Windover then followed by a poker series in Los Angeles, so his plans for the $33k will be wrapped up in those tournaments for the immediate future. “Believe in yourself but still stay humble,” he said when asked about what kind of advice he would give “but most importantly have fun. It always feels like you’re late on rent when the blinds increase, but at the end of the day we are just playing games.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dustin Cavanaugh | Boseman, MT | $33,450 |
| 2 | Michael P Harris | Reno, NV | $23,525 |
| 3 | Scott Stewart | Lakewood, CA | $15,130 |
| 4 | Adam Saven | Del Mar, CA | $9,540 |
| 5 | Aki Suzuki | Reno, NV | $7,360 |
| 6 | Matthew Betti | Cupertino, CA | $6,095 |
| 7 | Coy Sanders | Tracey, CA | $5,120 |
| 8 | Thomas Tran | Modesto, CA | $4,210 |
| 9 | Greg Paradero | Reno, NV | $3,360 |
Day 2 Recap
As the players got back to the felt, Rian Mullins (39th-$850) ended his run as the first player to go. After that, players like Dallas Elwell (34th-$995), Derek Stark (33rd-$995), Christian Cooper (25th-$1,165), tournament director Michael “Murph” Murphy (19th-$1,640), last spring’s runner up Andrew Fredericks (18th-$2,005), and Ryan Awwad (11th-$2,825) all fell shorter than what their hopes were.
Jordan Cushman became the final player to fall before the final table as Cavanaugh raised and called Cushman’s shove with queen-jack. The jack-high board added to Cavanaugh’s stack and Cushman’s ace-ten could not find any improvement, eliminating him from the tournament and effectively from the NAPT Golden Player of The Series race for $2,825.
Final Table Action
The final table started with the elimination of Greg Paradero. He came into the day as one of the biggest stacks in the room, but coming into the final table he was rendered as the shortest of the remaining stacks. He was unable to find any momentum as his final chips went in after a confrontation with ace-king on a queen-high flop against Michael P Harris who held queen-jack. No help was brought to his gutshot and Paradero ended his tournament in ninth place for $3,360.
Next on the chopping block is Thomas Tran who moved in his final few blinds in from the small blind with ten-seven offsuit and Harris called him in the big blind with king-two. The king on the flop locked up the pot for Harris and the man donning the nickname “tesla” collected $4,210 for his eighth place finish.
Only one hand later, Coy Sanders jammed in his last couple of chips in over Matthew Betti’s open and Aki Suzuki moved all in for more which folded out Betti. Sanders looked to be in good shape with the ace-queen against Suzuki’s ace-jack, but the board ran out containing a jack and Sanders collected $5,120.
NAPT Considerations
The Main Event was giving away the most points, but once there were only six players left it became a two horse race between Betti and Harris as to who could potentially win the Golden Player of The Series leaderboard. The competition was fierce between the two of them, but Betti became the shortest stack and eventually he got in his final chips with queen-jack against Adam Saven who held pocket tens. The flop contained a ten and the turn paired the board leaving the pot to go to Saven and Betti to finish the tournament in sixth place for $6,095. He played the final eligible event for points, but was eliminated shortly after registration closed which left Harris as the winner of $10,000 pass.
Harris’ domination of the final table continued as he and Suzuki shared top pair on a king high board. Both players got their chips into the middle, but Harris’ ace-kicker was better than Suzuki’s ten-kicker and he took down another player from the table while Suzuki’s fifth place finish was good for $7,360.
As the tournament progressed, Harris’ seemed to extend his lead further and further. His biggest turbulence so far at the final table came when he clashed with Cavanaugh when Cavanaugh held queens against Harris’ ace-queen. No help was brought to the ace-queen and the queens were good for the pot to even the stacks out. Shortly after, Saven moved in his final chips in the small blind with ace-four and Harris called in the big blind with ace-nine. The board contained no help for Saven who bettered his ninth place finish last Spring with a fourth place finish worth $9,540.
Scott Stewart came into the day as the overwhelming chip leader, but the day had a tumultuous turn for him as his chip stack swung all around including during the final table. He went from chip leader to shortest stack, then a confrontation with Harris put him as a bigger stack once more. The three players all had relatively even stacks, but Cavanaugh ended up scooping up Stewart’s chips on a jack-high board holding aces against Stewart’s king-jack. Cavanaugh entered heads up with the massive chip lead while RGPS ring winner Stewart finished in third place for $15,130.
Heads-up play did not take too long as eventually the two players clashed in a sizable three-bet pot where Harris held a pair of nines against Dustin Cavanaugh’s king-ten. A king on the flop saw both players get their chips into the middle and Harris was unable to find a nine to scoop up the pot and he exited the tournament in second place for $23,325 while Cavanaugh took down the title.
Thank you for reading along at PokerNews. Be sure to check in again next week with the RunGood Poker Series at Harrahs in Kansas City.
Level 23
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Dustin Cavanaugh raised to 250,000 on the button and Michael P Harris three-bet to 675,000 in the big blind which Cavanaugh called.
The flop rolled out A♥K♣5♠ and Harris bet 425,000 which Cavanaugh responded to by raising to 1,500,000. Harris moved all in for 2,300,000 and Cavanaugh called with the covering stack.
Michael P Harris: 9♦9♣ 
Dustin Cavanaugh: K♠10♥
The board ran out J♥Q♦ and the straight was good for Cavanaugh to rake in the pot and eliminate Harris from the tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
9,030,000
3,930,000
|
3,930,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 23
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Scott Stewart raised to 100,000 from the button and in the big blind, Dustin Cavanaugh three-bet to 400,000 which saw Stewart call.
The flop rolled out J♣6♣5♦ and Cavanaugh bet 400,000 which Stewart responded to by moving all in for 2,100,000 and Cavanaugh called.
Scott Stewart: K♣J♠
Dustin Cavanaugh: A♣A♦
The board ran out Q♦Q♠ and the aces held up for Cavanaugh to eliminate Stewart from the tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,100,000
2,900,000
|
2,900,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 23
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Adam Saven moved in his last 510,000 from the small blind and in the big blind, Michael P Harris called.
Adam Saven: A♣4♣
Michael P Harris: A♥9♦
The board ran out K♥9♣8♠K♣5♦ and the nine on the flop paired up with Harris while Saven ended his run in fourth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,750,000
-150,000
|
-150,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 23
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Michael P Harris raised to 110,000 from the hijack and Aki Suzuki called in the cutoff while Scott Stewart called in the small blind.
The flop rolled out K♥9♠8♣ and Harris action checked to Harris who bet and Suzuki responded by moving all in for 475,000 total which only Harris called.
Aki Suzuki: K♠10♠
Michael P Harris: A♣K♦
The board ran out 2♣4♦ and the ace-king held up for Harris to eliminate Suzuki from the tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,900,000
800,000
|
800,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level: 23
Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Ante: 50,000
Level 22
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,100,000
1,450,000
|
1,450,000 |
|
|
2,200,000
800,000
|
800,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,600,000
-350,000
|
-350,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,100,000
-350,000
|
-350,000 |
|
|
820,000
-250,000
|
-250,000 |
Level 22
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Matthew Betti jammed all in for 170,000 from under the gun and both Adam Saven in the hijack and Scott Stewart in the big blind called.
The board came out A♦6♠10♣ and Stewart check-folded to a bet from Saven.
Matthew Betti: K♠Q♠
Adam Saven: 10♦10♠
The turn 6♥ locked up the pot for Saven and the river 4♣ was just customary as Betti exited the tournament in sixth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,950,000
-150,000
|
-150,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,070,000
340,000
|
340,000 |
|
Busted | |
Level: 22
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 40,000