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Birthday Magic for Rob Wazwaz at the RPT $640 Main Event!
It was a runaway train at the final table that was not going to be stopped. Rob Wazwaz put his hands in the air in celebration after taking down the Roughrider Poker Tour $640 Main Event at the Jackpot Junction Casino and Hotel. Wazwaz not only claimed the $44,600 top prize, but he also earned a seat into the $10,400 WPT Wynn Main Event.
"Tell everyone Waz won your tournament. Watch how many show up next time. If Waz can win, anyone can win," he shouted across the room after his victory.
For someone who's been around the game of poker for a long time, Wazwaz said it never gets old winning tournaments. This one was extra special, winning the title on his 7-year-old twins' birthday.
"I missed my twins' birthday today to be here. My little girls, they gave me the birthday magic!"
A WSOP bracelet winner from 2022, where he earned his biggest payday of over $350,000, Wazwaz now has an excuse and some extra loot for his kids' birthday gift.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Wazwaz | United States | $44,600* |
| 2 | AJ Thompson | United States | $25,000 |
| 3 | Paul Jain | United States | $16,400 |
| 4 | Jamie Meidinger | United States | $13,000 |
| 5 | Terence Reid | United States | $10,700 |
| 6 | Justin Carlson | United States | $9,380 |
| 7 | Weston Wells | United States | $8,300 |
| 8 | Thai Dinh | United States | $7,300 |
| 9 | Justin Deutsch | United States | $6,300 |
*Won an additional $10,400 WPT Wynn Main Event seat in Las Vegas
Day 2 Action
A total of 507 entries were recorded over three starting flights, which generated a prizepool of over $270,000. There were 86 players who returned for Day 2 on Sunday but only 77 of them would earn some cash. It was a slow pace to start as players looked to make their way into the money, but eventually it was Daniel Kennedy who risked his tournament life with deuces. He ran into pocket kings and found no help on the runout, granting the rest of the field at least $1,000.
The eliminations picked up after that with many notables hitting the rail throughout the day. That included Tyler Kolness, Kaden Becker, and Leo Pinamonti who bowed out just before the final three tables.
It was a stacked final table that included some of the most winning players on the RPT. Justin Deutsch came in as the short stack and despite a valiant effort, he was unable to move his way up the payout ladder. Thai Dinh also had a big stack earlier in the day but couldn't get anything going later on, hitting the rail in eighth place.
The all-time leader on the RPT, Weston Wells, was on the wrong side of a cold deck when his ace-king was no match for pocket kings. Wells was forced to settle for seventh place but still added to his incredible total at RPT stops. Justin Carlson quietly laddered his way up to sixth place and that was when Wazwaz started to take over.
The eventual champion coolered Terence Reid in a battle of the big stacks and then did a good number on Jamie Meidinger before he hit the rail in fourth place. Just when it looked like things were getting dicey for Wazwaz, he took down another massive pot, which left Paul Jain on crumbs. Jain also fought hard and doubled up a couple of times but then had his kings cracked to end his run in third place.
AJ Thompson came into heads-up play as the chip underdog, but it didn't take long for him to make it a match and actually take over the lead. However, in true Wazwaz fashion, he battled back to take the chip lead once again before it all came to a head in the final hand. Wazwaz rivered a straight against the trip of Thompson and all the chips found their way into the middle on the river.
It was a roaring celebration for the man they call "Waz" and who is well known in the Minnesota poker community.
"I have a loud mouth, but that's good for your advertising," he admitted to the RPT staff. "I'm gonna blast you guys everywhere. You run a great event!"
That wraps up the coverage for this event, but there is always plenty of tournaments to keep up with on PokerNews, so keep it locked here for all of your up-to-date poker information.