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Local Favorite Vincenti Cham Wins $29k in Inaugural $400 RunGood in Aruba Event
For the first time ever, the RunGood Poker Series made its way to the white-sand beaches of the Caribbean. Over the past four days, a total of 404 hopefuls battled it out at the beautiful Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino for the $400 RunGood in Aruba Ring Event, competing for a prize pool of $133,320.
Forty-two returned to play down to winner in a field comprised of players from all around the globe. However, it was Aruba local Vincenti Cham who took down the title, and claimed the first-place prize of $29,116 and the RunGood ring.
Cham is no stranger to success on his home turf, now reaching $200,000 in live tournament earnings just in Aruban tournaments. This result also catapults him to first place on the Aruba all time money list, passing his student Pieter Susebeek.
$400 RunGood in Aruba Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vincenti Cham | Aruba | $29,106 |
| 2 | Michael Baumann | Germany | $19,344 |
| 3 | Maher Al Mouselly | Canada | $13,166 |
| 4 | Ernest Bush | United States | $9,186 |
| 5 | Michael Killory | United States | $6,575 |
| 6 | Steven Dechello | United States | $4,831 |
| 7 | Joseph Connor | United States | $3,646 |
| 8 | Todd Dunlop | United States | $2,829 |
| 9 | Evgenii Tsatskin | Canada | $2,258 |
| 10 | Suru Patel | Canada | $1,856 |
Winner's Reaction
"I am so happy for this result," an elated Cham described after his victory.
Cham had a wave of support from the local poker community and clearly has strong connection with many others in the room.
"I've been playing a little over 25 years," Cham specified, "I am a local. Three years I won the [WSOP-C $1,700] Main Event here."
Both of the RunGood rings awarded at the series have gone to Aruban locals, which makes Cham proud.
"If you come to my island, I think we should keep the money," he joked.
Cham also touched on his excitement for the rest of the series, with hopes to repeat his prior successes in this venue.
"I wanna try my best in the Main Event, it's not easy," the champ explained, "It's a grind, really."
"I love playing big pots. That's the only way to get a big chip stack."
Cham also mentioned that he will be giving his ring to his son as a gift, but he hopes to add more to his collection soon.
Day 2 Action
404 entries were tallied across four starting flights, but just 42 would return today for a chance at the ring.
The eliminations came fast and furious to begin the day, with Tyler Boyer (41st - $1,180), Lisa Roberts (38th), and La Sengphet (31st) all hitting the rail in the early stages.
Play began to tighten up once the final two tables were reached, and some of those who missed out on the final table include Ronnie Bardah (18th - $1,239), Tim Acker (16th - $1,373), and Kris Burchfield (11th - $1,856).
Final Table Action
The final ten players combined at a single final table with Michael Baumann holding a commanding lead over the field.
Baumann continued his dominance, notching three of the first four eliminations after taking out Suru Patel (10th - $1,856), Todd Dunlop (8th - $2,829), and Joseph Connor (7th - $3,646).
Evgenii Tsatskin (9th - $2,258) and Steven Dechello (6th - $4,831) were also among the early departures before the storm calmed down.
The five-handed stalemate was broken after Michael Killory turned top pair against Cham's flopped set. All of the money went in on the turn, and Cham took down the largest pot of the tournament to that point to send Killory to the exit in fifth.
Not long after, Ernest Bush was the next casualty after jamming 22 big blinds with king-jack over a button open from Baumann, only to run into aces and be drawing dead on the turn.
Just two hands later, Maher Al Mouselly four-bet jammed ace-queen, but he was in rough shape against the queens of Cham. The Canadian found no help, and his run ended in third.
The heads-up match between Cham and Baumann began with even stacks, and small pots were traded between the two for thirty minutes. However, Cham opened a lead after making trips against top pair and getting paid on the river.
A couple hands later, a massive cooler ended the tournament. Cham raised on the button with pocket kings before Baumann jammed with pocket queens. A king then landed on the flop, and the 21-year-old Baumann's miracle run was over on the turn.
The two shared a tight embrace after a long battle, and Cham was able to celebrate another incredible result with his close friends on the rail.
This concludes PokerNews's coverage from the Caribbean for the $400 RunGood in Aruba Ring Event. Stay tuned as we deliver updates from tournament around the globe and bring you the hottest news in the poker world.