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Michael Barlow is Crowned RGPS Lake Erie Main Event Champion After Deal is Reached
The first RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) title at Lake Erie Poker Room was up for grabs as the remaining 37 players took to the felt to decide who would take the top prize of $40,875 and the ring during the championship day of the RGPS Golden Expedition Lake Erie $600 Main Event. A total of 360 players took their shot, creating a prize pool of $200,000, but in the end, it was Michael Barlow who took down the title.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Barlow | United States | $29,318 |
| 2 | Antonio Ndoja | United States | $29,316 |
| 3 | David Hanna | United States | $29,316 |
| 4 | Joffrey Gaetz | United States | $15,270 |
| 5 | Patrick Beatrez | United States | $11,000 |
| 6 | Joel Brink | United States | $8,645 |
| 7 | Jonathan Tackett | United States | $6,760 |
| 8 | Nicholas Lanzi | United States | $5,290 |
| 9 | James Garr | United States | $4,185 |
Barlow garnered the distinction of RGPS main event champion after he agreed to an even chop with Antonio Ndoja and David Hanna with three left at the final table.
Barlow shared some of his thoughts with PokerNews following the conclusion of the tournament.
“I typically don’t like to chop,” said Barlow. “I was last in chips, and they were giving me even money. It wouldn’t have been the most economical to turn down the deal.”
Barlow convinced Ndoja and Hanna to flip for the ring. Only Ndoja opted to take a shot at winning the flip. Barlow and Ndoja were both dealt nine cards and used the nine cards to make the best hand with five community cards. Barlow won the flip and the ring with it.
This is Barlow’s second RunGood title. He won his first title with his brother Matthew when they took down the RGPS Resort Ohio Tag Team event in 2024.
Ndoja came out on the wrong end of the flip, but he shared with PokerNews that after the stacks tightened up, he began to think about the chop as a possibility.
“I didn’t want to leave ten grand up to chance,” said Ndoja following the tournament. “He (Barlow) won a big flip. We were pretty even, and my advantage dwindled. I decided to go with it.”
Ndoja shared that this chop will likely be the last, and he plans to continue to work on his game and become a force at the table in the near future.
“From now on there will be no more chops,” said Ndoja. “I’m newer on the scene, and I hope to keep working on my game and being a threat in the next two years.”
Day 2 Action
Sean Doyle came into the day third in chips, but he did not last long despite that. Doyle was the first to exit the tournament on Day 2 after he called off his chips and ran into a full house from Hanna.
World Series of Poker bracelet winner William Kopp and Day 1a chip leader Daniel Hughes were among the next crop to exit the tournament during the first level of play on Day 2.
RGPS Ambassador Robert Gardner was unable to get much going on Day 2 as he fell in 28th place to exit the tournament.
Three-time WSOP bracelet winner Sean Troha got a foothold when he knocked out John Pshock, but Troha’s run would be a turbulent affair from that point forward. Troha would stumble in a pot against Ndoja before being left with crumbs after a loss to Brink. Troha would rebound with a series of double-ups, but he ran out of steam, exiting in 17th place.
RGPS Ambassador Keith Becker was next to go after Troha, bowing out in 16th place.
Barlow made a splash when he scored a double knockout, sending out Jefferson Wilson and Jon Hoellein in 11th and 12th, respectively.
David Bobkovich was the next to go, setting up the final table showdown.
Ndoja, Barlow, and Hanna entered the final table as the top three stacks in that order. Ndoja went to work early when he busted James Garr in ninth, Nicholas Lanzi in eighth, and Jonathan Tackett in seventh place to start the final table.
Joel Brink was the next to go when he fell in sixth place after Barlow, and Hanna checked it down on a runout before Hanna tabled the winner.
Hanna was back at it again when he knocked out Patrick Beatrez in fifth place before Joffrey Gaetz was the next to go in fourth place.
A deal began to enter the conversation in earnest when Ndoja, Barlow, and Hanna reached the final three, but the trio had trouble reaching a deal initially. Eventually, a deal was struck when they agreed to an even-money chop.
Barlow and Ndoja did a wild flip that involved nine cards each and a community board of five. Barlow came out on top with a higher full house of tens full of aces to beat Ndoja’s tens full of jacks to claim the RGPS ring.
This concludes coverage from PokerNews at the Lake Erie Poker Room for the RunGood Poker Series Golden Expedition Lake Erie $600 Main Event. Check back here at PokerNews for more coverage of poker from around the world.