Kumano Tops Close-Knit Final on Day 1c of the RGPS Mission RunGood Japan
The action started somewhat slow with the first tournament to kick off in the vast space of La Belle Salle in Shinjuku being the third and penultimate flight of the 2025 RGPS Mission RunGood Japan, but a handful of tables soon turned into frantic live poker action in Japan. By the time the room started to fill and other events of the 2025 Japan Open Poker Tour (JOPT) kicked off, the sound of riffling chips and chatter dominated and Event #22 NLH Colossus by Mission RunGood continued to grow.
Ultimately, the last flight with a regular level structure of 35 minutes each reached another 406 entries to boost the inaugural partnership between two thriving live poker brands from opposite parts of the world to four figures. And with the evening flight adding nearly as many entries, the tournament can certainly be considered a smashing success with more than 1,500 total entries.
Once the dust had settled for Day 1c, a very close-knit final sprint for the lead ended upon six players within ten big blinds. Tomokatsu Kumano narrowly secured the top spot with 613,000 after securing two late double-ups, one of which was a bad beat of sorts with ace-queen versus ace-king preflop, as he pulled ahead of yukine (604,000) and Kei Okuda (601,000).
Top 10 Chip Counts for Day 1c
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomokatsu Kumano | Japan | 613,000 | 102 |
| 2 | yukine | Japan | 604,000 | 101 |
| 3 | Kei Okuda | Japan | 601,000 | 100 |
| 4 | Pon | Japan | 589,000 | 98 |
| 5 | Hinako | Japan | 572,000 | 95 |
| 6 | Tado | Japan | 551,000 | 92 |
| 7 | Yusuke | Japan | 519,000 | 87 |
| 8 | aki1022 | Japan | 503,000 | 84 |
| 9 | KJ | Japan | 457,000 | 76 |
| 10 | Jon | Japan | 418,000 | 70 |
yukine was also involved in the massive pots during the final level of the night when their pocket kings for an overpair held against seven-four for a move on just a pair of sevens with one card to go. Okuda came out on top of a similar clash when his opponent called down a turn jam with ace-jack high and couldn't catch up against his pocket kings. And Hinako, one of several women who advanced from Day 1c, notched up several knockouts in the last few levels culminating in aces beating jack-eight suited preflop.
This penultimate starting day certainly kicked off more rowdy than the first two flights with numerous eliminations in the first level alone, one particular table had three departures within a matter of minutes to showcase the rapid action. Among those who steadied their ship to a healthy stack thereafter were the likes of Yusuke (519,000), aki1022 (503,000), Jon (418,000), Yuya (348,000), and Ryuichiro (213,000).
Two players from South Korea advanced in Hoyeon (313,000) and Kyeonghwan (149,000) with the former knocking out three opponents within the same level. The last of these showdowns was certainly a highlight as an ordinary flip with pocket eights against ace-ten produced unbeatable quads on the turn.
In case you are wondering why most players use an alias, that's the default for the low and mid-stakes highlight of the year in Japan with the game ID solution, which powers the registration system, JOPT player contracts and Web Coin prize distribution. One player not needing introduction to the field was the official JOPT partner Junnosuke Taguchi, a very popular singer-songwriter, actor, model, and former member of the Japanese idol group KAT-TUN. Unfortunately, Taguchi didn't make it through Day 1c despite being perhaps the best-dressed participant in the entire room.
All those who bowed out early on Day 1c still had the chance to enter the turbo heat 1c as of 5 p.m. local time with a level duration of 20 minutes each, and the late registration closed with an unofficial number of 357 entries on top when no more entries were allowed for the ¥25,000 buy-in. The survivors of the turbo heat will join the 136 players who advanced across the first three flights and return on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, to play all the way down to the winner. The final chip counts for Day 1d and the Day 2 seat draw will be published later tonight or early in the morning when it has been provided by the JOPT.
Recommencing blinds for the final day will be 4,000-8,000 with a big blind ante of 8,000 and the level duration reverts to 30 minutes each with a break every four levels. The top 175 spots will earn a portion of $165,394.37 in prizes via JOPT player contracts, with the tally already set at the start of Day 1a according to Japanese gaming regulations. it will be an action-packed final day to determine the recipient of the first-ever RunGood ring outside of the United States and you can follow all of it right here on PokerNews.