Toan Nguyen is the RGPS Grand Prix $800 Main Event Champion
Toan Nguyen wasn’t originally going to come to the Atlantis Casino Resort for the RunGood Poker Series Grand Prix in Reno, Nevada, but undoubtedly, he’s glad he did, as Nguyen took home a first-place prize of $45,000 after a six-way chop brought the RGPS Grand Prix $800 Main Event to a close. Winning the main event wrapped up an outstanding performance from Nguyen, who had already won the RGPS Grand Prix Deepstack before locking up the RGPS Main Event title and ring.
This weekend’s results were a product of the momentum Nguyen has built in the last month of playing poker. Nguyen kept the momentum rolling after winning the RGPS heads-up event and placing second in the RGPS The Hendon Mob Mid Major Championship approximately a month ago. Nguyen commented on the repeated success he has found in the last month of his tournament career.
“Part of it is luck, but I have a partner who has been coming along with me. I’ve told him that I’ve been playing very good. I’m picking the right spot, folding when I’m supposed to,” Nguyen said to PokerNews after his victory. “I feel like I’m playing really solid as of late, and the cards have been rolling my way as well.”
Nguyen expressed that he is incredibly blessed by the results he has enjoyed over the last month and thanked his wife and family for their support during this journey.
“I’m grateful that my wife and both my kids are very supportive,” Nguyen said. “They’re super supportive of what I’m doing, and that helped a lot. I’m just grateful for this whole weekend.”
RunGood Poker Series Grand Prix Reno Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
| 1 | Toan Nguyen | United States | $45,000* |
| 2 | Paul McGurk | United States | $31,595* |
| 3 | James Cihla | United States | $26,170* |
| 4 | Roger Van Valkenburg | United States | $25,483* |
| 5 | Daniil Fedunov | United States | $21,766* |
| 6 | Brian Curtis | United States | $18,481* |
| 7 | Rian Mullins | United States | $9,340 |
| 8 | Rick Murray | United States | $7,605 |
| 9 | Denis Lee | United States | $5,875 |
*Denotes a six-way chop
Nguyen entered Day 2 facing an uphill battle as he entered with 18 big blinds as play began. Nguyen gained some traction when he doubled up with his pocket kings against Kim Le during the second level of the day.
By the time the players hit the three-table redraw, Nguyen had amassed half a million in chips and had more room to play with 42 big blinds; however, this momentum was short-lived as Nguyen hit a rut and sank back down to 315,000 after crossing the seven-figure chip mark earlier in the tournament.
Nguyen’s final ascension to the top of the leaderboards began in earnest when he knocked out Andrew Joros in 15th place to regain some traction. Nguyen then went on to knock out Kim Le and David Bridgett to enter the final table as the chip leader.
He remained unfazed and was willing to clash in pots with the other big stacks at the table before eliminating Rian Mullins in seventh place, which saw Nguyen soar to nearly four million in chips. This final table surge proved pivotal as it put Nguyen in a dominant position with six players left before the chop was made to earn him the title.
This concludes the PokerNews coverage of the RGPS Grand Prix at the Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno, Nevada. Check back for more coverage of RGPS and other major tournaments.