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Henri Perez Lopez Fulfills Dream of Becoming Champion
Henri Perez Lopez always had a dream of winning a big score at the felt. Lopez learned the game of poker when he was a young kid and began his journey in the world of Texas No-Limit Hold’em when his friends and coworkers taught him how to play at a restaurant he worked at many moons ago.
The spark was always there, and Lopez had the belief that he could one day call himself a champion. He will no longer have to wait, as Lopez outlasted a field of 1,096 players to take down the RunGood Poker Series $600 The Hendon Mob Mid-Major Championship at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort, and fulfill his dream of becoming a poker champion and take home the first-place prize of $83,380 after he earned the biggest piece of the $577,720 prize pool.
Lopez spoke to PokerNews in Spanish and agreed to have his thoughts translated into English.
“I told my friends I’m going for first place,” said Lopez after securing his first RGPS title. “It was my moment. I knew I could get to this point. I knew I could do it, and thanks to God I did.”
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henri Perez Lopez | United States | $83,380 |
| 2 | Ryan Awwad | United States | $55,000 |
| 3 | Jedidiah Hoffman | United States | $41,000 |
| 4 | Aaron Overton | United States | $30,500 |
| 5 | Gregory Pon | United States | $23,200 |
| 6 | Victor Paredes | United States | $17,700 |
| 7 | Zachary Smyth | United States | $13,600 |
| 8 | Anthony Murphy | United States | $10,600 |
| 9 | Rickey Evans | United States | $8,300 |
Lopez began his ascension with five left in the tournament. After knocking out Gregory Pon in fifth place, Lopez was the chip leader who had double the second-biggest stack of Jedidiah Hoffman. His knockout streak would continue when he eliminated Aaron Overton in fourth place and Jedidiah Hoffman in third place to enter the heads-up battle with Ryan Awwad with possession of over 85% of the chips in play.
Lopez appeared destined for a a sun run to live his dream of winning a title, but Awwad proved to be a menacing opponent heads-up.
Awwad snagged four double-ups to flip the script and wrestle the chip lead away from Lopez to take a two-to-one chip lead against the eventual champion.
Just when it appeared that the dream was fading, Lopez battled back, winning a flip to tighten the race.
Awwad pulled back ahead after a series of skirmishes built him back up to a two-to-one chip lead, but as per the theme of the heads-up match, it was far from over.
Lopez doubled when his pocket fours held before chipping away at Awwad when Lopez turned a flush.
Lopez dealt a heavy blow late in the match when he turned a straight against Awwad’s trip deuces to climb back to a dominant chip lead once again.
Lopez offered his thoughts on the back-and-forth battle between him and Awwad.
“I felt calm. I knew he was a good player, and he wanted to win. I wanted to win too. I knew it was going to be a tough fight. We both made great moves, but I had luck on my side,” said Lopez. “I was at peace when I lost my chips, but I knew I had to keep going. It was a good decision that I did.”
The perseverance from Lopez paid off as he finished Awwad once and for all to capture his first RGPS title. Lopez entered the day with just over $36,000 in live career earnings according to his The Hendon Mob page, and in one swoop, over doubled his career earnings with his win this evening.
This concludes the PokerNews coverage of the RGPS $600 The Hendon Mob Mid-Major Championship. Check back here for more coverage from Thunder Valley Casino Resort as the RGPS Main Event gets underway this weekend.