November 21, 2022 Kirk Brown
San Diego’s own New Baghdasarian he overthrew the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Jamul Casino Main Event Sunday evening after nearly 9 hours of play on Day 2 to earn a $40,950 payday after he and Rich Alsup he decided to cut once he was in the lead.
“I really just wanted the ring,” Baghdasarian said of his huge 6-1 lead in his post-victory interview with PokerNews, “I just wanted it to be over, so I really think giving up $5,000 to be worth it”.
The players agreed to a settlement in which Alsup would receive $39,005, while Baghdasarian would get $40,950, as well as the championship ring and seat in the RGPS: All Stars ProAM Event at PokerGO Studios in December 2022.
The $600 Main Event, which offered four starting flights, attracted a pool of 460 participants to generate total prize money of $239,000with only 59 of those players making it to Day 2.
RGPS Jamul Casino Main Event Final Table Results
PlaceNamePayment 1Nova Baghdasarian $40,950* 2Rich Alsup $39,005* 3Mark Feinberg $21,385 4Ediberto Pilotin $14,640 5Sahar Bakshi $11,240 6Sandor Molnar $9,360 $7,360 7Chren, $82 7Chris, $82
* – denotes the treatment of chopping
Runner-up Rich Alsup
Hometown hero
Baghdasarian, who is originally from Los Angeles but currently lives in San Diego, told PokerNews after his win that it felt great to take down a local tournament.
“Yeah, I called my girlfriend right away who’s out with a bunch of our friends in town at the moment and all I could hear was a lot of cheering and screaming so it feels great to win in your hometown. I try to stay local, I really only play here or LA and sometimes Las Vegas because I have family there.”
When asked what his next plans were, he replied: “I think I’ll use some of the winnings to redecorate my garage, you know, make a mancave and of course I’ll shoot some more bullets. I’m also very excited about the seat in the PokerGO ProAM, I can’t wait to see what happens there.”
This is Baghdasarian’s biggest score to date, with his last RunGood appearance last June at this same event earning 54th place for $1,140 according to Hendon Mob. He says he used to play a lot of tournaments online, but now he’s leaning more towards live events just because it’s a better overall experience.
Day 2 Action
One of the commanding forces of the day was Ediberto Pilotinwho was the chip leader at the end of Day 1 and caught fire again on Day 2. He was taking out players left and right until he had a series of bad matchups with Baghdasarian, who eventually took him out in fourth place with a direct shot to the river.
RunGood Ambassadors Preston McEwen i Taylor Howard also made it to day 2, but both were eliminated within hours. Howard was a big stack from Day 1, but had a run of bad luck and ended up in 23rd place for a payout of $1,840.
Preston McEwen
Another player who stood out during Day 2 was Sahar Bakshi, who also caught fire early on when he eliminated several players in a level to jump to the top of the standings. She made it all the way to the final table, but was eliminated in fifth place when Pilotin hit a flush on the turn to beat her pair of aces.
Runner-up Alsup was also a player to watch on Day 2 as he strategically navigated the field, picking his spots carefully and constantly stepping up. He rarely went into a matchup, but when he did he had the goods, so most players tried to stay away from him. Might as well say it didn’t pan out either, as the game stopped when he and Baghdasarian made their deal.
New Baghdasarian
The $600 Main Event was the flagship tournament in a week of successful events for RGPS at Jamul Casino. See the table below for the winners of the other events.
RGPS Jamul Event Winners
EventWinnerPrizeentrantsPrize Pool #1: $200 Seniorsvance Hughes $1,210*138 $16,560 #2: $200 Guests BountyDavid Berger $3,075*220 $35,200 #3: $250 DeepStacktlmoteO CALLEIO 10.78027 $10 $ #4 $4 $5 $ 5 $ 5 $ 5 $ 5 $ 5 $ 5 $ 5 $ 5 $ 5 $ 5 $ #$ 5 $ #$ #4 $ #$ #$ 200: $ 200: -Limit OmahaTai Reyes-Purpero 5.57962 $ 15,500 $ # 6: $600 Main Event Nova Baghdasarian $40,950 * $460 $239,200 # 7: $200 Ladies Event Mary Sarver $1,00417 $2,720 # $2,720 # 2.1, Adrian County $2 $2, $1 $1, $1 1
* – denotes the treatment of chopping
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That wraps up the PokerNews live reporting team’s coverage of the RGPS Jamul Casino Main Event at the end of an exciting RunGood stop. Its next stop will be from November 25 to December 6 at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, California with a $1,000,000 GTD Main Event.
Photos courtesy of Joe Garrett/RGPS
Kirk Brown
