San Diego’s own Nova Baghdasarian took down the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Jamul Casino Main Event late Sunday evening after nearly 9 hours of play on Day 2 to earn a payday of $40,950 after he and Rich Alsup decided to chop once it was heads-up.
“I really just wanted the ring,” Baghdasarian said about his commanding 6-1 chip lead in his post-win interview with PokerNews, “I just wanted it to be over so I really believe that giving up $5,000 was worth it.”
The players settled on an agreement in which Alsup would receive $39,005 while Baghdasarian would get $40,950 as well as the championship ring and the seat to the RGPS: All Stars ProAM Event at PokerGO Studios in December 2022.
The $600 Main Event, which offered four starting flights, attracted a field of 460 entrants to generate a total prize pool of $239,000, with only 59 of those players making it to Day 2.
RGPS Jamul Casino Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nova Baghdasarian | $40,950* |
| 2 | Rich Alsup | $39,005* |
| 3 | Mark Feinberg | $21,385 |
| 4 | Ediberto Pilotin | $14,640 |
| 5 | Sahar Bakshi | $11,240 |
| 6 | Sandor Molnar | $9,360 |
| 7 | Chris Smith | $7,820 |
| 8 | Stefan DeLorenzo | $6,285 |
| 9 | Grant Foster | $4,755 |
* – denotes chop deal
Hometown Hero
Baghdasarian, who is originally from Los Angeles but now currently lives in San Diego, told PokerNews after his victory 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 right now and all I could hear was a bunch of cheering and screaming, so it feels really good to win in your hometown. I try to stay local, I really only play here or L.A. and sometimes Vegas because I have some family there.”
When asked what his upcoming plans were, he replied, “I think I’m going to use some of the winnings to redecorate my garage, you know make it a mancave and of course fire some more bullets. I’m also really excited about the seat at 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 being last June at this same event, cashing in 54th for $1,140 according to Hendon Mob. He says he was playing a lot of online tournaments but is now turning more towards live events just because it’s an overall better experience.
Day 2 Action
One of the commanding forces of the day was Ediberto Pilotin, who was the chip leader at the end of Day 1d and caught fire again on Day 2. He was busting out players left and right until he had a string of bad run-ins with Baghdasarian, who eventually knocked him out in fourth place with a gutshot straight on the river.
RunGood Ambassadors Preston McEwen and Taylor Howard also made it to Day 2, but both were eliminated within a few hours. Howard was a big stack coming in from Day 1d but he had a string of bad luck and ended up coming in 23rd for a payout of $1,840.
Another player that was prominent throughout Day 2 was Sahar Bakshi, who also caught fire early on when she knocked out several players in one level to jump to the top of the counts. She made it all the way to the final table but was eliminated in fifth when Pilotin hit a flush on the turn to beat her pair of aces.
Runner-up Alsup was also a player to watch throughout Day 2 as he strategically navigated his way through the field, picking his spots carefully and steadily chipping up. He rarely went to a showdown, but when he did he had the goods, so players mostly tried to steer clear of him. He can also say that he didn’t bust out either as play was stopped when he and Baghdasarian made their chop deal.
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
| Event | Winner | Prize | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1: $200 Seniors | Vance Hughes | $1,210* | 138 | $16,560 |
| #2: $200 Guest Bounty | David Berger | $3,075* | 220 | $35,200 |
| #3: $250 DeepStack | Tlmoteo Calleio | $10,780 | 274 | $10,780 |
| #4: $200 One-Day | Eric Rivkin | $5,027 | 103 | $16,480 |
| #5: $300 Pot-Limit Omaha | Tai Reyes-Purpero | $5,579 | 62 | $15,500 |
| #6: $600 Main Event | Nova Baghdasarian | $40,950* | 460 | $239,200 |
| #7: $200 Ladies Event | Mary Sarver | $1,004 | 17 | $2,720 |
| #8: $250 Black Chip County | Adrian Cruz | $2,943* | 121 | $12,100 |
* – denotes chop deal
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That wraps up the PokerNews live reporting team’s coverage of the RGPS Jamul Casino Main Event on the tail end of an exciting RunGood stop. Their next stop will be November 25-December 6 at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, California with a whopping $1,000,000 GTD Main Event.
Photos courtesy of Joe Garrett/RGPS
