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Atsushi Koyama Brings the Heat and Wins 2026 RGPS Passport Japan ($10,000)
The gargantuan 1,865 entry strong field of the 2026 RGPS Passport Japan has found a champion just after midnight and one last local card shark ensured that the custom made RunGood Passport Champion Ring and Japan Open Poker Tour (JOPT) Grand Final trophy would stay on home soil at Belle Salle Takadanobaba. Union Team Pro Atsushi "heat" Koyama defeated Torey Byrne in heads-up play to claim the largest share of the $89,159 fixed prize pool and etched his name in the history books of the RunGood Poker Series as second champion outside of the United States.
It was the second cooperation between RunGood and Japan's largest live poker operator and the final turbo heat attracted a massive field of more than 400 entries on the first day of Golden Week in Japan to boost the overall attendance. There were so many players joining the fray that the restart for the final day had to be pushed back by half an hour for the ¥15,000 (~$95) buy-in. When the cards went back in the air, it took fewer than two levels to deliver the "you are in the prize" announcement and all those with chips at their disposal had ensured a player contract as per local gaming regulations.
Little did they know it would take until midnight to have a shot at the trophy, because there were still three hopefuls left then. Byrne described her sun-run to heads-up as follows:
"I have never had so much luck in my entire life" she said on the final table after earning yet another double-up in fortunate fashion.
There were many of them all the way from the final five tables and lady luck was always on her side. But in heads-up play against Koyama, pocket queens ultimately failed to hold up and the local poker pro was the one to lift the trophy along with $10,000 in player contracts for the efforts.
$95 RGPS Passport Colossus Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atsushi Koyama | Japan | $10,000 |
| 2 | Torey Byrne | United States | $6,319 |
| 3 | nakkaaaa | Japan | $4,511 |
| 4 | KNT | Japan | $3,468 |
| 5 | YOBU | Japan | $2,795 |
| 6 | He | Japan | $2,328 |
| 7 | Long-M | Japan | $1,938 |
| 8 | tanaka0129 | Japan | $1,614 |
| 9 | TKC25 | Japan | $1,343 |
Some 308 players returned for the final day after collecting the RunGood hats and t-shirts that were handed out before Day 2 officially kicked off. It took just one 30-minute level to bring the field within three tables of the prize bubble and a couple of minutes later, hand-for-hand mode was underway. There was no tense drama but a round of applause when floor staff shared the good news a few hands in and what followed can only be described as wild ride all the way to the end.
The chips were flying left and right without ever really slowing down and the Japanese efficiency showed in breaking tables and moving players to their new seats in perfectly planned precision. There was barely any tanking at the tables either and the all-in showdowns kept on coming every other minute.
With the vast majority of all contenders hailing from home soil, there were a few exceptions. Jonas Wallendorf from Germany currently resides in Tokyo and all but reached the top 50 spots only to see his flopped two pair getting two-outered. Daniel Shearer had the same luck on the main stage table when he flopped trips sevens but pocket kings got there on the river.
That only left Byrne still in contention and she was joined by fellow female compatriot Murakami on the final two tables. But while Byrne got there whenever she was at risk and trailing, Murakami eventually bowed out in 15th place. Right after her exit, Byrne doubled through a local player with the apt alias "cafe latte" who then joined the rail next. Day 1d chip leader KEN T made it all the way to 12th place but ultimately fell shy of the final table, which was set after the eliminations of Noguchi and Morisho.
Down to the final table, He appeared to be the chosen one - yes, that is his alias. He stormed to the top of the leaderboard with more than one third of the chips in play, having knocked out TKC25 with pocket nines versus ace-eight. tanaka0129 was the next to fall with sevens versus tens despite flopping a set as nakkaaaa did so as well.
But then, the lead of He crumbled as Koyama secured a double through him and dispatched Long-M after in a flip. Koyama would eventually finish the job against long-time chip leader He and the field was down to the final five players. Koyama also dispatched YOBU much to the delight of Byrne, who had doubled and laddered once more.
KNT tangled once too many times with Byrne to bow out in fourth place after being one of the most active players at the tables all day long. Byrne was down to only three big blinds at some point but came back thanks to a triple and double up, then doubled once more against nakkaaaa who himself was in need of luck. Another miracle comeback story was cut short and the heads-up was set.
Right away, Byrne doubled into the lead and a possible ICM deal fell through. Koyama chipped up into the lead and then cracked the pocket queens of Byrne to deny a cinderella comeback story for the only player from outside of Japan on the final table.
This wraps up the second-ever cooperation between RunGood and the JOPT for the time being, but two further RunGood Poker Series stops on American soil are already on the horizon.