Cody Hughey Goes Wire-to-Wire to Win First RGPS Title
Cody Hughey walked into the room as the player to beat after earning the title of overall chip leader as the final 87 players returned to vie for the RunGood Poker Series Passport $600 Main Event title at the Downstream Casino Resort.
After nearly 14 hours of play, nobody was able to knock him off his perch as he left with the first-place prize of $67,940 and the RGPS ring.
Hughey has been a long-time friend of the RunGood Poker Series and worked as a former manager at Hard Rock Tulsa. He had a wave of support from local players and RGPS Ambassadors who were pulling for the Muskogee resident. Hughey took some time to talk to PokerNews after securing the title.
“I’ve been around Tulsa poker for a long time, whether it’s as a manager working with Tana (Karn) or as a player,” Hughey said. “The watch it (RGPS) grow as much as it has, and to win a main event ring is very sweet. I had so many people in my corner rooting for me. It’s very special.”
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cody Hughey | United States | $67,940 |
| 2 | William Romine | United States | $45,236 |
| 3 | Kyle McConnell | United States | $33,347 |
| 4 | William Margo | United States | $24,857 |
| 5 | Jeff Copeland | United States | $18,738 |
| 6 | Bobby Sanoubane | United States | $14,286 |
| 7 | Brandon Elmore | United States | $11,017 |
| 8 | Rodney Spriggs | United States | $8,596 |
| 9 | Benjamin Rohrs | United States | $6,785 |
No one was supporting with as much of a rooting interest as Cody’s wife, Brandy, who was anxiously observing the action at the final table. Hughey shared how much it meant to have his wife there to witness him climb the mountain to a main event title.
“It was very cool. She’s one hundred percent out of her element here. The stress of the swings was more of a ride for her than it was for me,” Hughey said. “It’s foreign to me, but it’s definitely foreign to her.”
Hughey came into Day 2 as the player to beat, but his path to a championship was not without adversity. Hughey grew his stack to as much as three million by Level 23, but by the time he reached the final table, his stack had shrunk back down to one and a half million and was eighth in chips with nine left.
Hughey hung around, but was never able to fully catch his stride. He entered the final four third in chips and was far behind William Romine, who was leading in chips at the time. Hughey began his ascension with three left in the tournament.
Hughey doubled through Kyle McConnell and then Romine to gain a foothold in the tournament.
Hughey narrowly won a small pot against McConnell to climb the chip counts, but then sank back down to just one million in chips. Hughey fatefully managed to double up against McConnell. This marked a turning point for the future champion.
“I was able to spin it up. Just be patient and know that it can turn at any time,” Hughey said. The tournament indeed turned around for Hughey. After he got off the mat to double to two million, Hughey never looked back.
He doubled up against McConnell again, then won a massive pot that served as the big wave he needed to gain momentum down the stretch, when he won an all-in against McConnell that left McConnell in dire straits.
Hughey would then go on to finish off his main event story when he knocked out Romine heads-up to secure the title.
Day 2 Action
Drew Sommerer was a force to be reckoned with early during Day 2 as he rose up the charts to cross the seven-figure mark when he won a significant pot off of Day 1c chip leader Benjamin Rohrs.
Joseph Gatlin joined Sommerer in the millionaire club when he knocked out Brian Jones when his aces held.
William Margo emerged as a factor on Day 2 when he busted Day 1b chip leader Tony Courtney when he caught Courtney bluffing on the river.
Gatlin’s journey would end in 14th place when his pocket fours failed to hold against William Romine, who emerged as the player to beat during the final two tables. Romine would take some losses to Sommerer and Bobby Sanoubane to the point that when the final nine players reached the final table, it was still anyone’s game.
Brandon Elmore dealt the first fatal blow of the final table when he eliminated Rohrs. RGPS Ambassador Jeff Copeland followed with a knockout against Rodney Spriggs.
Romine firmly established his chip lead when he eliminated Elmore to cross nine million in chips. Romine would go on to knock out Sanoubane and Copeland to have a commanding chip lead with five left. Margo fell to McConnell before Hughey emerged as the threat following the final three.
Hughey would take over and become the RGPS Passport Joplin Main Event Champion.
This concludes the PokerNews coverage here at the Downstream Casino Resort in Joplin. Check back for continued coverage of poker tournaments from around the world.