button in SafariPolice Officer Locks Up the Title in the Gateway Poker Classic Main Event
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Whenever the RunGood Poker Series runs through the Midwest and settles in the Hollywood Casino & Hotel in St. Louis, Brett Hagopian hangs up his badge and exchanges it for some chips and cards.
Hagopian makes it a point to play every RGPS event here in St. Louis and was dreaming of having a day like he had today, when he emerged as champion of the Gateway Poker Classic $800 Main Event after defeating Ben Miller heads-up.
“It’s No. 1, by far. This is great,” Hagopian said, describing this win as his biggest poker accomplishment. “It means a lot to me. I’ve been playing most of the RunGoods when they come through St. Louis. The only other hardware I got is an APO win, the Ameristar Poker Open. So this is definitely my biggest score. It means a lot.”
Gateway Poker Classic Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Hagopian | United States | $71,740* |
| 2 | Ben Miller | United States | $39,344* |
| 3 | Tyler Breeding | United States | $41,992* |
| 4 | Javier Terrazas | United States | $36,276* |
| 5 | Keith Heine | United States | $43,585* |
| 6 | Greg Iken | United States | $33,268* |
| 7 | Jerry Knoche | United States | $14,340 |
| 8 | Cameron Dugan | United States | $11,196 |
| 9 | Matthew Blackwell | United States | $8,847 |
*denotes six-way deal
The pressure of the final table was nothing compared to Hagopian’s day job, where he is a police officer in the St. Louis suburb of Granite City. But when a big festival comes to town, it gives him a chance to meet up with some friends, have some fun, and maybe take home a big score.
“I’m close by. All my friends come out, everybody’s here sweating, so it’s a good time,” Hagopian said.
“I’ve been here all week playing every event, so I’m pretty tired. I was able to bag 200K late in flight C, and it’s just been a grind all day.”
Hagopian had $94,000 in live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob, prior to this event. His two biggest scores were in a WSOP PokerNews Daily Deepstacks event last summer, and the APO win in January 2025. But this surpassed both of those, and brings his career total up past $100,000.
86 Day 1 Survivors Battle For the Final Table
A total of 86 players returned for Day 2 today out of a massive starting field of 705 players. All surviving players were already in the money and guaranteed a share of the $493,500 prize pool.
WSOP bracelet winner Jason Simon was among the first bustouts, while Horace Ingram, who came into the day second on the leaderboard, had a disastrous finish and busted within the first hour. RunGood ambassador Jeffrey Copeland ended up in 40th place, while Day 1a chip leader Steph Martines made it to 24th.
Hagopian was nearly an early casualty when he was all in and racing with two tens against Adam Latham’s ace-king. Latham hit top pair on the flop to take the lead, but Hagopian turned a straight to win the pot and double up.
The final table was set when start-of-day chip leader Phil Boyd called off his last 1,030,000 on the river with a pair of jacks, only for Greg Iken to show him two pair to win the pot and bust Boyd in 10th place. Iken took a commanding chip lead into the final table with 9,200,000, more than double Keith Heine in second place.
Early Double Ups Dominate Final Table Action
The theme at the start of the final table was short stacks finding a way to stay alive. Jerry Knoche picked up kings on the first hand to double off Matthew Blackwell, and Blackwell then won a flip with deuces against Iken’s ace-king. Miller doubled off Knoche, and Tyler Breeding’s ace-queen hit a full house against Heine’s nines in a preflop race.
Blackwell finally became the first casualty when he ran ace-jack into Miller’s ace-queen. Cameron Dugan then shoved for 1,675,000 with two threes, but he ran right into Heine’s queens to fall in eighth.
Iken remained the massive chip leader when he four-bet shoved against Javier Terrazas. Terrazas called for 3,850,000 with ace-king, while Iken turned over two kings. Terrazas pleaded for an ace, and he got his wish on the flop to double up into the chip lead.
When players came back from a short break, more than 20 minutes went by on the next level without a flop being seen as players desperately tried to hang on and survive the rapidly-increasing blinds. Hagopian was down to just 755,000 when he shoved from the small blind, and Iken called holding just deuce-three. Hagopian had ace-five and hit two pair to double up, and he then picked up aces in the big blind to double off Terrazas.
Knoche lost a flip with fours against Heine’s king-ten to fall in seventh place. With the stacks getting shallow, the remaining six players paused play to talk a deal. They eventually agreed to an ICM chop, with Hagopian securing $45,740 as the chip leader and leaving $26,000 for the eventual champion.
Chips Go Flying After the Six-Way Deal
The pressure of big pay jumps removed, the players returned to the table ready to get their chips in the middle. Miller picked up aces to double off Heine’s sevens, and he then woke up with ace-queen the next hand to bust Iken in sixth. Heine doubled up off Terrazas, but Breeding then rivered trips against his nines to send the 2023 RGPS St. Louis champion to the rail in fifth place. Breeding also busted Terrazas in fourth place the next hand.
The three remaining players pulled virtually even in chips after Hagopian doubled up off Breeding. Breeding then shoved from the small blind, and Miller called for 7,800,000 with queens. Breeding had ace-high and picked up a flush draw on the flop, but he improved no further and handed over most of his stack.
Hagopian Applies Max Pressure Heads-Up
Left with just 600,000, Breeding doubled up once but then was sent to the rail in third place when Hagopian rivered a straight. Miller led 15,000,000 to 13,000,000 at the start of heads-up, but Hagopian constantly shoved all in until Miller finally took a stand with king-four. Hagopian was ahead with pocket eights and had a chance to end the tournament, but Miller hit two pair to win the pot and double up.
Hagopian, though, was undeterred and continued to shove. Miller eventually called for 13,000,000 with two sevens and was racing against Hagopian’s king-eight. Hagopian hit a king on the flop to win the pot and finally secure the title.
The RGPS returns here to St. Louis in October, and the newest champion is sure to be there to defend his title. “Every time they come through St. Louis,” Hagopian said. “Maybe I’ll travel a bit, too,” he added.
