This past weekend, the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) concluded its All-Stars Season with the year-end “All-Stars Pro-Am” at PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. The second annual RGPS All-Stars Pro-Am saw 65 entrants, a combination of invited pros and qualifiers from across the country, who competed for a $32,500 prize pool.
When the dust settled, “Boston” Rob Mariano emerged as the last player standing to claim the season-ending title, an $8,775 top prize, and his second RGPS ring of the season.
Mariano qualified for the tournament by topping a 206-entry field to win the $200 NLH Guest Ambassador Bounty Event at RGPS JACK Cleveland, good for $8,615.
Mariano is arguably the biggest star to come out of the hit CBS television show Survivor (he’s appeared on six seasons) and has also appeared on Amazing Race, The Price is Right, and most recently Season 2 of Secret Celebrity Renovation.
2022 RGPS All-Stars Pro-Am Final Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Boston” Rob Mariano | $8,775 |
| 2 | Denise Pratt | $6,500 |
| 3 | Dakotah O’Dell | $4,225 |
| 4 | Kulwant Singh | $3,250 |
| 5 | Ashley Jenkins | $2,600 |
| 6 | Timoteo Callejo | $1,950 |
| 7 | Forrest Kollar | $1,625 |
| 8 | Jean Santos | $1,300 |
| 9 | Vladimir Grechnikov | $1,300 |
| 10 | Shantanu Garg | $975 |
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Topping a Tough Field
Day 1 saw Studio Ticket winners and RGPS Main Event champs from across the season compete against a mix of poker pros, ambassadors, and industry veterans. That included 2021 WSOP Player of the Year Josh Arieh, who stayed busy playing props against bracelet winner Daniel Weinman; Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra; poker vlogger Johnnie Vibes; and Survivor alum Tyson Apostol.
Day 1 played down to the final table of nine with Dakotah O’Dell leading the way with Mariano and Denise Pratt sitting in second and third respectively. It wound up being those two who made it all the way to heads-up play.
At the time, Mariano held a 3:1 chip lead over Pratt, but she evened it up with a quick double. Not long after, Pratt shoved all in after flopping the nut-flush draw and Mariano called with top two pair. Both the turn and river were blanks, and Pratt had to settle for second place and $6,500 in prize money.
You can check out the final table replay here:
*Images courtesy of RGPS.
Executive Editor U.S.
Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.