Husband-Wife Duo Takes Shot at Poker Title But Who Came Out on Top?
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As James Coyle walked into the tournament area at Palace Poker for Day 2 of the RunGood Poker Series Passport Dallas $360 PokerNews PowerStack, he was not alone. His wife Dori Coyle was also in the field, looking to add to her own poker résumé.
The couple had two chances to bring home a ring and title, but it was James this time who made the deeper run, capturing his first RGPS title and the $32,211 first-place prize after outlasting 569 entries to claim the largest share of the $170,700 prize pool.
Those who reached the money also added valuable points to the PokerNews PowerStack Leaderboard, a season-long competition running across the RunGood Poker Series Passport Season. Points are awarded at designated PokerNews PowerStack events at every stop. The top ten finishers at season’s end will earn a $1,100 RGPS Passport Thunder Valley Main Event seat plus two nights’ accommodation.
“RunGood runs such a great series. We were hoping we could get them here,” Coyle, a Palace Poker Ambassador, said to PokerNews following his victory. “It’s a great piece of hardware. You gotta wear it for a couple of days, for sure.”
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Coyle | United States | $32,211 |
| 2 | Zozimo Cardenas | United States | $21,465 |
| 3 | Michellee Simon | United States | $15,802 |
| 4 | Jose Garcia (US) | Mexico | $11,768 |
| 5 | Taylor Carlat | United States | $8,867 |
| 6 | Joseph Franks | United States | $6,760 |
| 7 | Carson Winneker | United States | $5,215 |
| 8 | Isaac Ovalle | United States | $4,073 |
| 9 | Michael Insall | United States | $3,219 |
A Friendly Rivalry at Home
James and Dori have been retired since 2023 and began playing poker tournaments more regularly together. At one point, the couple considered moving to Las Vegas to have more options to play, but as poker opportunities in Texas increased, they decided to stay.
Both players have built strong résumés, with James earning more than $400,000 in live tournament earnings, while Dori leads the household standings with over $500,000, according to The Hendon Mob.
That difference has become part of a friendly competition between them.
“We have a Hendon Mob race. I’ve been ahead of her for years. She’s [Dori] passed me. She’s been on a tear this year,” Coyle said. “I said to myself, ‘I still have work to do.’”
With this win, James takes a step toward closing that gap, and he did it in his home room.
“It’s an amazing room. Opening up a new room in Texas is difficult, even when you have a room as beautiful as this,” Coyle said. “We’re very lucky to be here. We love the owners. They treat us great.”
Coyle Carries the Household Banner
Coyle entered Day 2 with a healthy stack of around 50 big blinds, while Dori enjoyed an early rush and looked well positioned for a deep run.
The turning point for the couple came when Dori’s tournament ended in 18th place, leaving James as the last one standing from their household.
Not long after, Coyle found momentum when he survived a key all-in by spiking a jack on the river to double through Jose Garcia. The hand pushed him to roughly one and a half million chips and helped set up his run toward the final table.
By the time the final table was reached, Coyle had worked his way into contention among the chip leaders.
Michael Insall was the first to fall at the final table when his pocket jacks were beaten by the pocket tens of Taylor Carlat, who flopped a set.
Coyle soon took on the role of eliminator, sending Carson Winneker to the rail in seventh place as the field continued to shrink.
Stacks remained close late into play, and the outcome was still uncertain as the tournament moved into four-handed action.
Late Surge Secures the Title
At four-handed play, Zozimo Cardenas emerged as a major threat after building a stack of more than eight million chips. Michellee Simon eliminated Jose Garcia in fourth place, but from that point forward, Coyle began to take control.
He first doubled through Simon to stay alive, then doubled again against Cardenas shortly after to take the chip lead. Coyle’s title run took shape when he eliminated Simon in third place, leaving just himself and Cardenas heads-up.
Only a few hands later, Coyle finished the job by eliminating Cardenas to capture his first RunGood Poker Series ring and title.
