Kulwant Singh Outlasts Record-Setting Field to Win RGPS Bay Area Main Event ($100,070)
The first RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) stop at Graton Resort and Casino has come to an end and Kulwant Singh is the winner after he defeated Bryan Saltzman in heads-up play. Singh takes home the RGPS ring and $100,070 for the victory.
The $600 Main Event drew 1,144 runners and generated a prize pool of $594,880. The four opening flights sent 144 survivors to Sunday and all Day 2 finishers were guaranteed the min-cash of $800.
Singh has been playing since 1995 and this is the biggest score of his career by a considerable margin. He has steadily amassed over $270,000 in career earnings prior to tonight’s six-figure win as a tournament player in Northern California, and he considers his main game to be Omaha. Singh also scored a seat into the RGPS Pro/Am to be held at the end of the year in the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada.
RGPS Bay Area Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kulwant Singh | United States | $100,070 |
| 2 | Bryan Saltzman | United States | $69,115 |
| 3 | Paul Serrate | United States | $44,660 |
| 4 | Julian Ruvalcaba | United States | $33,205 |
| 5 | Jose Castillo | United States | $25,465 |
| 6 | Matt Massaro | United States | $20,590 |
| 7 | Sean Burson | United States | $17,010 |
| 8 | Max Gratuito | United States | $13,480 |
| 9 | Jeff Spruitenburg | United States | $10,000 |
Singh's Path to Victory
Singh’s run to the victory got started in earnest when he picked up a double knockout shortly after the three-table redraw. Frank Neuhauser was all in with pocket aces and Gerald Balfour took his shot with pocket tens, but Singh had them both covered with his pocket eights. An eight came on the river and Singh let out a yell that could be heard throughout the tournament room.
Singh continued to pick up chips in big chunks throughout the last three tables, and he came into the final table second in chips behind Saltzman.
The final table kicked off with another double knockout, this time at the hands of Julian Ruvalcaba. Jeff Spruitenburg and Max Gratuito shoved but Ruvalcaba was waiting with pocket kings. The hand moved Ruvalcaba into the chip lead and brought the tournament down to seven players.
Soon after, Sean Burson hit the rail in seventh place when he shoved with king-queen but ran into the pocket aces of Saltzman. Matt Massaro followed in sixth when he shoved with a suited ace-three but he couldn’t improve against the pocket nines of Paul Serrate.
The final table eliminations continued at a brisk pace with Jose Castillo in sixth place. Castillo shoved with queen-jack, but Singh had ace-king to secure the elimination. Ruvalcaba fell after he waited for his spot in four-handed play. He got it in with queen-ten, but Singh was there once again with ace-jack and Ruvalcaba was out in fourth place.
Play slowed down when the event reached the three-handed stage. After the gap between the three players started to tighten up, Singh built a lead by putting pressure on the other two players. Eventually time ran out for Serrate, and Singh busted him with a pair of aces to enter heads-up play with a 3:1 chip lead.
Saltzman drew near even when he flopped two pair and Singh missed an open-ended straight draw, but that did not last long. Saltzman shoved the turn with a pair of queens, but Singh called with two pair and dodged a few outs to secure the pot and put his opponent on the ropes. The big moment came two hands later when Saltzman shoved with a suited queen-nine, but Singh out drew him with king-six.
What's Next?
Singh’s big win concludes PokerNews coverage of RunGood Poker Series at Graton Resort and Casino in Rohnert Park, California. Stay tuned to PokerNews for more when RGPS continues its tour at JACK Casino Cleveland from September 22-October 2.
Las Vegas-based PokerNews Live Reporting Executive, originally from Chicago, IL
