The RunGood Poker Series might not receive as much attention as the World Series of Poker, but it does a great job of highlighting some local players. So far in 2024, the series has been hitting the state of Missouri, and one man continues to prove that he is one of the top players in this area.
Blair Hinkle recently won the 2024 Destination RunGood Kansas City Main Event and cashed in during the process. Hinkle beat out 476 other players to win this event, and he won over $92,000 in the process.
Winning a RunGood Poker Series event is nothing new for Hinkle, as he has already won the main event four times. Along with winning the main event four times in his career, he has won 13 tournaments up to this point.
Hinkle has had a terrific career, winning more than $5 million playing live poker tournaments. He does most of his damage in Missouri, and that strategy has worked out for him throughout his playing career.
Big Money Handed Out
The initial guarantee for this tournament was set at $200,000, but that pot was more than doubled as 477 entries signed up to compete in the main event. The final pot of money was more than $462,000, which allowed the top eight players to bring in more than $10,000.
Nine players advanced to the final table, but only the top eight players were able to win at least five digits. While Hinkle was clearly the big winner at this event, some other notable players took home nice prizes.
Here is a look at the players who finished between 2 and 9 at this event and the amount of money each player earned.
- Shaun Emery $61,485
- Cory Smith $45,473
- Beau Wilshire $33,971
- Michael Lucas $25,637
- Zack Steutermann $19,546
- Colin Riesman $15,058
- Frank Kissick $11,722
- Michael Fouts $9,223
POY points were also handed out during this tournament, and those points can be cashed in later in the year.
Hinkle In Control
Poker tournament winners aren’t always in control the entire time, but that seemed to be the case in this specific tournament. Hinkle had a big chip lead when it was time for the final table, and then he built up an even bigger lead when heads-up play began.
Hinkle was responsible for over half of the eliminations at the final table, as others were being too aggressive to try to make a run. Beau Wilshire had the best chance to beat Hinkle in a hand to make a run, but the leader got some luck on the turn.