The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Tulsa Main Event recently concluded at the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel Tulsa. It saw a $800 buy-in for participants, wherein 58 returning players for Day 2 entered to get a shot at the $65,829 grand prize.
Day 1 saw 472 entrants participate in the tournaments, which generated a huge $330,400 prize pool. Among the returning participants was Eric Bunch, who went into the RGPS Tulsa Main Event as the chip leader after securing a whopping 844,000 on Day 1.
Bunch kept the chip lead throughout Day 1, often going wire to wire on the tournaments he participated in. He noted that his main focus was just to make sure he kept playing well and not stress about bad beats or things he can’t control throughout the tournaments.
This focus mindset led him all the way onto the final table where he faced 9 other participants in the highly-competitive poker match.
Who Was at the Final Table of the RGPS Tulsa Main Event?
After Day 2’s action, the 9 final players graced the RGPS Tulsa Main Event are the following:
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Eric Bunch | $65,829 |
| 2 | Harold Harvey | $43,906 |
| 3 | Han Lam | $32,472 |
| 4 | Jason Wiske | $24,258 |
| 5 | Rob Noce | $18,307 |
| 6 | Iman Alsaden | $13,958 |
| 7 | Savannah Mora | $10,753 |
| 8 | Isaac Cramer | $8,371 |
| 9 | Derrick Yegge | $6,586 |
The first player to bow out of the final table was Derrick Yegge, who succumbed to the classic flip. Yegge finished 9th place, and bagged $6,586. Isaac Cramer followed shortly after, who held an Ace-Ten suited but couldn’t improve his position against his opponent’s Ace-King hand and pocketed $8,371.
A couple of rounds later, Savannah Mora and Iman Alsaden were eliminated back-to-back after failing to improve their hands against a superior ace hand. Mora got $10,753 for landing in 7th place, while Alsaden got $13,958 in 6th place.
Rob Noce was next to bow out of the competition at 5th place after being eliminated by the eventual winner, Eric Bunch. Bunch had the best hand during a blind-versus-blind all-in preflop encounter that saw Bunch land a King-high straight. Noce got $18,307 for his run.
Jason Wiske ended in 4th place after losing a race with his pocket eights to his opponent, Han Lam’s ace-queen hand. Wiske’s payout for his 4th place performance got him $24,258.
3rd place goes to Han Lam, who lost to Bunch after his opponent landed a 5-high straight and Lam couldn’t improve his hand. Lam ended up with $32,472 for his 3rd place finish.
For the head’s up play, Eric Bunch battled Harold Harvey. Bunch held approximately 12,000,000 of the 14,160,000 chips in play, and Bunch bled Harvey’s chips down to about 600,000 before they decided to go all-in on the final hand.
Bunch had king-five against Harvey’s jack-three. The flop didn’t give any players the edge, until the river saw both players make a flush. However, Bunch had the higher flush, allowing him to claim the title.
This win marks one of the top five scores in Bunch’s poker career, adding to his impressive total of over $1,500,000 in tournament earnings so far. Bunch remarked after his victory that he loves the RunGood stops, as they run great events, and that he’lll definitely be back in January.
Harvey, who finished second place, has over $100,000 in tournament earnings. He took home $43,906, marking a new personal best for him.
Highlights from the Early Round
58 entrants qualified for Day 2 that included Matt Rogers and Melinda Hettick. Both had a good showing on Day 1’s events, acquiring chips from their wins. Hettick finished in 51st place and got two minimum cash payouts for her run.
Meanwhile, Rogers earned a minimum cash for his smaller stack and $1,437 for his 45th-place finish in the Day 2 flight.
Todd Tucker, who won the RunGood Poker Series Main Event back in January, returned to defend his championship and competed on Day 2. However, Tucker was eliminated in 38th place, earning $1,669 in the process.
Michael Perrone and Brian Green, World Series of Poker bracelet winners, also entered the Day 2 event. Both players were eliminated back-to-back, finishing in 24th and 23rd place, respectively, each earning $2,336 for their efforts in the event.
Timothy Hicks, the Day 1b chip leader, bowed out on the final table bubble. This was after going all in pre-flop and flopping a set of fives. His opponent, however, managed to river a flush, sending him out in 10th place with a payout of $6,586.
