Last-Minute Trip Pays Off for Hamid Izadi at RGPS Reno
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Hamid Izadi did not originally plan to come to Reno for the RunGood Poker Series $800 Main Event, but a friend and RGPS regular Christina Lofquist convinced him to make the detour.
It turned out to be a $39,550 decision, as Izadi carried his Day 2 chip lead all the way to the title, capturing the RGPS ring at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa.
"I'm glad. I'm going to take care of Christina (Lofquist) and my friends with a nice dinner for everyone," Izadi said in the afterglow of his victory.
Izadi is a nine-time WSOP Circuit ring winner, but until now he had been unable to secure an RGPS title despite several final table appearances. That drought ended at RGPS Passport Reno, as he finally added his first RGPS ring to his trophy case.
"I've been to six or seven final tables, but never won it," Izadi said. "Second place, no matter how much money, doesn't feel like first place."
Izadi entered Day 2 as the player to catch, leading the final 28. He was active early, eliminating Daniil Fedunov to surpass the seven-figure chip mark. After taking a dip in the counts, Izadi rebounded by busting Lucas Hill to climb back near one million chips.
His upward trajectory continued when he eliminated Shawn Roberts, but the most talked-about hand of the tournament came against Adam Saven.
Izadi had just one out to eliminate Saven, who had turned a full house. The river delivered the only card in the deck that mattered, completing a straight flush for Izadi and vaulting his stack to nearly two million chips.
Izadi’s magic carpet ride hit a brief rut after the bombastic straight flush when Joshua Prager doubled through him. He then suffered a cooler against Daniel Turner, dropping back down the counts once again.
Despite the turbulence, Izadi entered the final table second in chips.
With three players remaining, Izadi fell to as low as 1,395,000, third in chips. That proved to be the final hurdle. He began clawing his way back, clashing repeatedly with Tim Holcomb in a series of hands that helped him build his stack to 3,900,000.
From there, Izadi secured a double knockout to close out the tournament and capture his first RGPS title.
Izadi reflected on the importance of weathering the highs and lows.
“Several times I got coolered or bad beat,” Izadi said. “When I lose a hand like that, I slow down. I try to fold marginal hands. As long as you're still in, you have a chance to come back.”
RGPS Reno Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamid Izadi | United States | $39,550 |
| 2 | Tim Holcomb | United States | $27,675 |
| 3 | Steve Fraser | United States | $17,005 |
| 4 | William Wolf | United States | $10,345 |
| 5 | Patrick Lanahan | United States | $7,990 |
| 6 | Joshua Prager | United States | $6,620 |
| 7 | Gennadiy Fedunov | United States | $5,640 |
| 8 | Daniel Turner | United States | $4,810 |
| 9 | Christopher Nichols | United States | $3,955 |
Day 2 Action
Local notable Daniil Fedunov was unable to outlast his father, Gennadiy Fedunov, as he was eliminated in 26th place.
WSOP Main Event Champion and RGPS Ambassador Greg Raymer was unable to gain traction early and saw his main event run end in 25th place.
Day 1c chip leader Manuel DeAlmeida hovered around his starting stack before being eliminated when Fraser hit running two pair to send him to the rail.
Prager was active throughout Day 2 and not shy about getting involved. He doubled through Izadi to spark his run, then eliminated Nicholas Iriarte in 10th place to enter the final table as chip leader.
Prager maintained a top-three stack for much of the final table, but a loss to Patrick Lanahan dented his momentum. His tournament took a major hit in a three-way all-in against Holcomb and Gennadiy Fedunov. Prager was eliminated shortly after in sixth place when the big blind consumed most of his remaining stack.
Lanahan followed in fifth. William Wolf fell to Holcomb in fourth, before Izadi’s double knockout wrapped up the tournament.
