Miguel Cardenas Wins RunGood Poker Series Jamul Casino $575 Main Event for $43,070
As the Poker Shift Manager at the Thunder Valley Casino poker room, Miguel Cardenas frequently sees big name poker players and major tournament wins.
Cardenas found himself playing the role of a poker champion Sunday night, coming away with the victory at the RunGood Poker Series Jamul Casino $575 Main Event. Cardenas made the trip from the Sacramento area down to San Diego's Jamul Casino, and that trip ended with Cardenas posting the biggest poker win of his life.
Cardenas outlasted a field of 425 entries, coming away with the $43,070 first-place prize. Cardenas also scores an RG All-Stars ring and a seat in the RGPS Pro-Am at PokerGO Studio this December.
RGPS Jamul Casino $575 Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miguel Cardenas | $43,070 |
| 2 | Gary Bousquet | $30,205 |
| 3 | Alex Green | $19,420 |
| 4 | Harvey Alegado | $13,060 |
| 5 | Joshua Goldsmith | $10,040 |
| 6 | Nissar Quraishi | $8,330 |
| 7 | Seth Barmes | $6,980 |
| 8 | Brian Fenzel | $5,640 |
| 9 | Quincy Collins | $4,310 |
When asked where the win rates among his poker accomplishments, Cardenas put this weekend's victory at the top of the list.
"Number one, without a doubt," Cardenas said. "I've never had a win like this."
Cardenas said he didn't expect a deep run in the RGPS Jamul Casino Main Event. He entered final table play as one of several players with ample chips for a potential championship effort.
Once Cardenas crossed the three-million chip threshold, his place in the winner's photo almost seemed like destiny.
Day 2 Action
Day 2 started with 96 players vying for 54 money spots. It took nearly ten hours of play for that 96-player field to trim down to the final nine.
Among the final table contenders were RGPS Ambassadors Brian "Golden Blazer" Frenzel (8th - $5,640)and Alex "AlexOptional" Green (3rd - $19,420). The pair of RunGood representatives even ran into each other a couple of times with two tables remaining, including a bluff attempt by Frenzel that was hero called by Green.
The final table slowed down considerably during five-handed play. The elimination of Joshua Goldsmith (5th - $10,040) started a wave of quick eliminations, with Cardenas on the winning end of several big hands.
Harvey Alegado (4th - $13,060) came up three spots short of a second ring win in the RGPS Jamul Casino series. Alegado won the series Casino Championship but bowed out in fourth place in the Main Event at the hands of Cardenas.
Cardenas and Alegado will see each other again in December, with both earning spots in the RGPS Pro-Am at PokerGO Studio in December.
The Main Event drew 425 entries, pushing the prize pool well past the $100,000 guarantee. The 54 money finishers split $212,500 in total prize money.
The next stop for the RGPS goes to Cardenas' home turf, as the tour stops by Thunder Valley for the RunGood Poker Series Golden Ticket event.
RGPS Jamul Ring Winners
| Tournament | Prize Pool | Entries | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior's Ring Event | $10,100 | 101 | Stoney Powers | $2,372 |
| Opening Night Ring Event | $26,040 | 248 | Harvey Alegado | $2,430* |
| DeepStack Ring Event | $42,340 | 292 | Brian Limon | $7,866* |
| Two Green Chip Bounty Ring Event | $20,460 | 124 | Eduardo Palmerin | $2,580* |
| Pot-Limit Omaha Ring Event | $15,080 | 58 | Alex "Optional" Green | $5,425 |
| $575 Main Event | $212,500 | 425 | Miguel Cardenas | $43,070 |
| Black Chip Bounty Ring Event | $21,935 | 107 | George Junak | $3,370 |
*Indicates a chop deal