Ever since real money poker returned to the live felt, players have been very eager to sit and test their skills in this card game. We’ve even been able to see some bizarre plays in the last couple of months, and the most interesting one took place during the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) All-Stars Horseshoe Council Bluffs. The last 11 players who made it to the very end of the $575 Main Event did something that was never seen before — they made an eleven-way chop of the prize.
Once the 11-player deal took place, every player was guaranteed the same payout: a total of $26,058. In the end, a player named Freeman Kauffman managed to win the tournament. This was his first-ever casino tourney as a poker player, and he immediately received a coveted All-Star Ring, in addition to a paid seat at the All-Start Event that will take place in Las Vegas later in 2021.
Kauffman started his day well and busted Adrian Jimenez’s queens with tens. He continued to perform well after the chop and eventually became the last man standing. Since the event allowed multiple rebuys, Kauffman actually risked it and managed to win the event with his third bullet.
Action During Day 2
A total of 161 players returned on the second day, and 71 of them left empty-handed, and only the top 90 made it to the paylist. Some of the popular names that managed to make it to the second day but failed to earn money were Alex Green, Mark Fink, and Tim Rystrom.
The bubble guy was Seth Gutz, who turned a set of aces but lost to a nut flush that Joseph Sutliff managed to get on the river. After the money burst, some other popular players had to leave the felt before the final table was formed. Some of those players are Ron McMillen, Grant Hinkle, Joe Wilson, and Tim Garles. As a matter of fact, Garles had been the last one to hit the rail before the final table, and the iconic chop took place.
Final Table
The situation in the final table was equal, so the remaining 11 players decided to make a chop. They continued playing poker to determine the winner, and the pace really increased after the deal. The field decreased from eleven to the top five in about one hour. Bhaskar Setti hit the rail as fifth-placed and was followed by Ryan Fetherkile in fourth place.
The last three players had pretty similar stack sizes, and they needed several levels to get the ball rolling. The third place was reserved for Steve Vang, meaning that Brantley Grace and Freeman Kauffman had an opportunity to meet head-to-head. Grace lost in the end, and Kauffmann became one of the few to win the very first live poker tournament. It’s safe to say that Kauffmann now officially has a 100% success rate in poker tournaments — something that not many players can brag about.