Professional Bass Fisherman Reels In RGPS Tunica Main Event Title
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Joshua Butler is quite familiar with collecting prize money and participating in winner’s interviews - but not when it comes to poker. The Alabama native is an accomplished professional bass fisherman who, until today, had only competed in two other live tournaments in his life. He got his first taste of glory on the felt by defeating Hamid Izadi heads-up to take down the RunGood Poker Series Grand Prix Tunica Main Event, earning $49,282 and the coveted RGPS ring.
The two-day event featured a $600 buy-in and attracted 627 entries, with only 76 players returning to Horseshoe Tunica along the banks of the Mississippi River for the final day of action. Butler captured the lion’s share of the $326,040 prize pool, crushing the $200,000 guarantee.
"Ecstatic, very tired." Butler said on his state after winning. "It went 14 hours or so today, however long it was. It was a grind, I just tried to put myself in the best spot I could and, you know, hopefully run good."
2025 RGPS Grand Prix Tunica Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Butler | United States | $49,282* |
| 2 | Hamid Izadi | United States | $40,000* |
| 3 | Chris Kennedy | United States | $40,000* |
| 4 | Jamie Kizer | United States | $21,897 |
| 5 | Nathan Morton | United States | $16,497 |
| 6 | Cody Stanford | United States | $12,577 |
| 7 | Brian Durr | United States | $9,704 |
| 8 | Dylan Crawford | United States | $7,579 |
| 9 | Teresa Lammie | United States | $5,992 |
*Denotes three-way agreement to flatten payout structure
Similarities Between Poker and Bass Fishing
Butler mentioned after his win that he was comfortable competing when the stakes were high, revealing that he has been a professional bass fisherman for a number of years. He explained the parallels between fishing and poker and whether or not his background in the water may have helped him on the felt.
"I mean, for sure. I mean just keeping a level head, you're never out of it. Same way with fishing, you're one bite away from having your whole day swing the right way. Same way in poker, you're one big hand away from no telling what happens. So, there's a lot of parallels to it. You just got to keep the level head and keep grinding."
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Celebrating Victory with Wife By His Side
As the tournament wound down, Butler was cheered on for several hours at the final table by his wife and friends.
"It means everything. I mean, actually I'm really new at this," Butler said, as his nearest and dearest were able to rail his breakthrough win. "This is only my third live tournament ever to play, so to have my wife here, I mean, it's incredible. We get to share it together and it's something we'll definitely never forget."
And what will Butler do with his near $50K score? Hitting the open road and keeping an open mind seems to be on the agenda.
"I don't know, we might go on the road and try a couple more events and see where it leads."
