Joshua Staples limped under the gun, the player in middle position raised to 600, and the player on the button called. Derrick Thomas three-bet to 2,500 in the big blind, Staples called, as did middle position. The button got out of the way.
The flop came J♥5♥7♦ and Thomas continued with a bet of 5,500. Only Staples continued to the 5♣ turn. Thomas bet 17,000, which was enough to put Staples at risk, who had 11,800 behind. Staples made the call.
Joshua Staples: A♥J♣
Derrick Thomas: A♦Q♥
Staples was in great shape to double up with top pair, top kicker and the 8♠ fell on the river to keep his tournament hopes alive.
The RunGood Poker Series returns to Maryland here at MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino just outside of Washington, D.C., with Day 1a of the RGPS Passport Season $1,300 Main Event kicking off at 11:15 a.m. local time. The tournament features a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool, with three Day 1 starting flights taking place over three days. Players who advance from each flight will combine and return for Day 2 on Sunday, April 19, where a winner will be crowned.
The last time the RGPS made a stop in Oxon Hill was back in the fall for the 2025 Grand Prix edition, where the main event generated a whopping $384,030 prize pool. Rocking his signature Hello Kitty attire, local tournament crusher Justin Arnwine topped a field of 251 entries to win his first RunGood ring and the $80,646 top prize.
Arnwine is already off to a hot start this week, having taken down the $300 Series Opener Ring Event just a couple days ago for $6,952. He’ll look to continue that momentum as the main event gets underway, aiming to defend his title.
2025 RGPS Grand Prix Maryland Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
Justin Arnwine
United States
$80,646
2
Russ Dunlevy
United States
$52,228
3
Hamid Izadi
United States
$34,947
4
Kade Venkatesan
United States
$23,042
5
Nicholas Rigby
United States
$18,203
6
Roy Kim
United States
$14,977
7
Kai Nicholls
Australia
$13,057
8
Craig Delisle
United States
$11,482
9
Lee Sommers
United States
$9,985
MGM National Harbor
Players will begin each starting flight with 50,000 in chips and blinds will begin at 100/200 with a 200 big blind ante. Blinds will be 40 minutes in length during the Day 1 flights and will increase to 50 minutes for Day 2. The final table will have one-hour levels. Late registration is open until the start of Level 10, where players have the option to forfeit their stack and reenter for $1,300.
Should a player choose to play multiple Day 1 flights, only the highest qualifying stack will be permitted to continue to Day 2. Any lower stack(s) will be removed from play at the start of Day 2 and receive a min-cash.
Play for Day 1 flights will conclude once 12.5% of the field (rounded up) remains and those who bag will be in the money. Day 2 will then start at the earliest blind level of the three flights on Sunday, April 19, where the event will play down to a winner.
Event Schedule
Day
Date
Time
Day 1a
April 16
11:15 a.m.
Day 1b
April 17
11:15 a.m.
Day 1c
April 18
11:15 a.m.
Day 2
April 19
12:15 p.m.
Be sure to follow PokerNews throughout the entirety of the $1,300 Main Event here at the 2026 RGPS Passport Season Maryland.
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