Two Starting Days Remain in the RGPS Mission RunGood Japan JPY 25,000 Colossus
It was yet another busy day during the 2025 Japan Open Poker Tour (JOPT) Grand Final Tokyo as thousands of poker enthusiasts flooded the vast tournament area of La Belle Salle in Shinjuku yesterday, and the same can be expected today when the final two flights await for Event #22 NLH Colossus with a total of 15 different events taking place. With a price tag of ¥25,000, this tournament is sponsored by the award-winning RunGood Poker Series and the first ever RunGood ring is up for grabs outside of the United States in this partnership dubbed RGPS Mission RunGood Japan.
All participants are competing for their share of $165,394.37 in prizes for a low three-figure USD buy-in with 175 spots paid and $26,052.79 for the winner, as set in stone according to the local Japanese regulations. These prizes will be available in Web Coin or JOPT player contracts to take part in other international poker tournaments all over the world.
The first two starting days saw fields of 550 entries and 272 entries respectively generate an overall tally of 822 entries thus far, but this figure is expected to receive another major boost today with the final two flights scheduled. Day 1c will be kicking off at 11 a.m. local time and is the last with a regular 35-minute structure while the turbo heat 1d has a reduced level duration of 20 minutes each.
All players start their journey with 30,000 in chips, which is worth 150 big blinds in the opening level at blinds of 100-200 with a big blind ante of 200. The top stack to beat after two flights belongs to taisyo with 793,000 and he retained the lead from Day 1a ahead of Yoshihiro (672,000), while Day 1b leader Hyungjin joined the podium with 591,000 in the early morning hours.
Top 10 Chip Counts After Two Flights
| Rank | Player | Chip Count | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | taisyo | 793,000 | Japan |
| 2 | Yoshihiro | 672,000 | Japan |
| 3 | Hyungjin | 591,000 | Japan |
| 4 | Aki0330 | 570,000 | Japan |
| 5 | REN | 540,000 | Japan |
| 6 | KNT | 510,000 | Japan |
| 7 | yokoha | 489,000 | Japan |
| 8 | Kagura Monk | 464,000 | Japan |
| 9 | Bryan Nakamura | 449,000 | Japan |
| 10 | KBD05 | 444,000 | Japan |
The registration for both flights will be open for the first eight levels and following break and three re-entries are allowed during each flight with a total of 15 levels scheduled. Day 1c will conclude at approximately 8.15 p.m. local time, and that's also when the late registration for the last turbo heat closes to determine the overall field size for this unique partnership between two thriving live poker tours. Many other well-known Japanese brands are co-sponsoring tournaments during the JOPT Grand Final as well to raise the mainstream awareness of the game in the country.
While the vast majority of participants uses game ID aliases to compete, some well-known local poker pros are also joining the fun in the longest-running and largest live poker event in Japan as well. The JOPT ambassadors Shiina Okamoto and Nana Nakamura were trophy hunting last night, as were Jun Obara, Hiroyuki Noda and Mizuki Asai with the latter two doing so successfully. Poker pro and author Michael Acevedo was also spotted in the vast tournament area as well.
One thing is already for certain: It will be yet another exciting day for live poker in Tokyo and the local players are known to turn the card game into far more than that in a very fun environment and with plenty of JOPT merchandise up for grabs at the event location.
The PokerNews live updates for today will focus on Day 1c of the RGPS Mission RunGood Japan and the full chip counts as well as the Day 2 seat draw for Event #22 NLH Colossus will be published once it has been provided by the JOPT.