William Latta Shows his Steel in RGPS Passport Tunica Main Event
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After more than 20 years chasing his poker obsession, part-time player William Latta had come close to a big win at Horseshoe Casino Tunica in the past. The Tennessee native entered the week at the 2026 RunGood Passport Season Tunica series still looking to match his friends’ successes in this iconic poker venue.
The wait finally came to an end in the $600 Main Event, as Latta outlasted a field of 495 entries to claim his first RGPS ring.
"There's a lot of people in this poker room that have these rings, so it was a little bit of a bone of contention,” Latta told PokerNews after his victory. “Happy to get that off my back.”
The metal industry manager, who lives 100 miles away from the site of his latest poker conquest, defeated Kyle Cartwright in a heads-up duel that saw both players trade the chip lead before a pivotal pot left Latta firmly in front for good.
The final 58 players returned to battle on Day 2, having each locked up a piece of the $252,450 prize pool. In the end, Latta claimed the title for his second-largest career score of $49,110.
“This has been a long-time obsession for me, it's fun to play. I've got grandkids, I've got a job, so we do what we can. This is just a hobby for me, so it's nice to finally get one.”
RGPS Passport Tunica $600 Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Latta | United States | $49,110 |
| 2 | Kyle Cartwright | United States | $32,740 |
| 3 | Michael Monaghan | United States | $24,098 |
| 4 | Parker Williams | United States | $17,944 |
| 5 | Robert Richardson | United States | $13,519 |
| 6 | Nathan Wills | United States | $10,306 |
| 7 | Benjamin Miller | United States | $7,952 |
| 8 | Michael Cordell | United States | $6,211 |
| 9 | Adam Cotant | United States | $4,911 |
Early Fireworks Lead the Way
Latta entered the final day sitting tenth in chips, and knew the tournament structure would allow him to be patient.
"This tournament at that point was really deep for me, so we could pick spots. I knew I could take some hits here and there, but in the end, the result was good."
The road to achieving that result was helped by a massive hand early in the day, as Latta flopped the nuts to crack aces and send Adam Thomas to the rail. That allowed Latta to pad his stack, and the eventual champion was never short from that point forward.
"It certainly gave me the chips to at least final tablet. That was very interesting, I was kind of priced in. The guy wanted action, you know, and that happens sometimes. I didn't blame him for the way he played it, I just got lucky."
Worth the Wait in Tunica
That hand propelled Latta to the final table, where he stayed out of trouble to reach the final three spots. Latta then took the lead into heads-up play after turning a wheel to send Michael Monaghan out in third place.
The duel with Cartwright went back and forth, before Latta made a massive flop call and held to leave his opponent short. That led to the final hand, where Latta hit the turn again to take down the title.
The victory in Tunica comes after a few close calls in the past, including a pair of final table runs in the last eight years. Latta was happy to finally get to the finish line, especially in front of family and friends.
"I think it was two years ago I got to the final table, and we got kind of set up in a three-way all in hand. I feel really great about these RunGood Main Events and usually do pretty well, so you know, happy to play them."
"I've made a lot of good friends, and my my son's here, so I just like the camaraderie with the guys that I get together with. We have a really good camaraderie, and it's a fun thing to do."
