The RunGood Poker Series has been providing some great drama and entertainment throughout the year, and that was the case with the most recent event. The Council Bluffs Main Event had nearly 650 players competing for the title, each of which paid the $700 buy-in.
Over $372,000 was handed out at the Horseshoe Casino, and a man from Omaha came away with the biggest win. Donald Nimneh was able to navigate a difficult field to come away with a win, and he now might have his sights set on entering bigger tournaments.
This RPGS was easily the biggest live poker win for Nimneh in his career, as his previous biggest win was a little more than $15,000. Nimneh is a player who only enters a few big events, but his play this weekend could give him some confidence moving forward.
Originally a native of Libya, Nimneh started to get into live poker after moving to the Midwestern part of the United States. He is a truck driver by trade but gets enough time off to play in weekend tournaments.
Nimneh plans to enter the WSOP Main Event this year, where his poker skills will be tested in a big way.
Some Great Poker Action
Paying $700 is not a huge buy-in for a big poker tournament, but it’s enough to put a ton of pressure on all players. Since this was the case, everyone was pushing extremely hard early in this event.
There were some very early eliminations in this tournament, and the top nine players didn’t take long to earn a seat at the final table. Darly Oppelt was the final player eliminated before the final table, taking home $5,725 for his efforts.
Mike Vanier was the one who set up the final table, and he was also the first to deliver an elimination on the very first hand. Vanier immediately sent Adam Bacome home after Bacome got way too aggressive with a weak hand.
Vanier was in a great position through the first few rounds at the final table, but a couple of big losses in a row disappointingly ended his night. It wasn’t until three-handed play that Nimneh was able to make a move after winning a couple of big hands in a row.
By the time Nimneh took on Stefan Kegley in heads-up action, Nimneh had a massive 5:1 lead in chips. That took away all the drama from the final table, but Nimneh didn’t mind.
Final Five Finishers
Nimneh got away with the massive payday, but other players also cashed in. Kegley took home $48,758 with a second-place finish but was hoping for more.
Tyler Klumb was patient at the final table, which paid off as he won over $31,000 by taking home third place. Stephen Moy and Jon Gibbs finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively.