Poker Player Overcome with Emotion After RGPS St. Louis Victory

The $800 Main Event of the RunGood Poker Series at Hollywood Casino St. Louis has concluded with a three-way deal. Emerging as the big winner was chip leader Justin Done, who secured $62,000, a PokerGO PGT Dream Seat, and the prestigious RGPS Main Event ring.

Hunter Cichy second in chips at the time of the deal, took home $59,661, while Tyler Breeding rounded out the top three with a payout of $55,603.

$800 Main Event Final Table Results

*denotes ICM deal

Done, who had never recorded a major poker tournament cash prior to this event and had no earnings listed on HendonMob, reflected on his breakthrough victory: “It’s kind of unreal. I felt like this was a long time coming,” he said.

He went on to reminisce about his early passion for the game: “I always thought I was going to be a poker pro, but that didn’t exactly pan out. But back in college in the early 2000s, it was all about the Moneymaker boom. You know, ordering Chinese food and playing on PartyPoker all hours of the night.”

When asked when he began to feel like he could truly win the tournament, Done recalled a pivotal stretch. “I got aces twice, and queens once, and all three times someone jammed into me,” he said. “You know, sometimes it just feels like it’s your day, and nothing could go wrong.”

Overcome with emotion, Done continued, with his voice shaking and eyes filled with tears. “My dad passed away about a year and a half ago from throat cancer, and this hat I’m wearing…it’s his,” he said, pausing. “He was definitely with me today.”

Day 2 Action

The Main Event attracted a total of 640 entrants, generating a prize pool of $448,000, with 79 players advancing to Day 2.

Done, who admitted he doesn’t get many opportunities to play large poker tournaments, initially tried to satellite into the event on Thursday but fell just four players short. Undeterred, he returned Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. “with a vengeance,” and successfully earned his seat through a $185 satellite. He then entered Day 1b, where he bagged a healthy stack of 359,000 chips, good enough for 13th place heading into the final day.

Feeling confident, Done shared his mindset for Day 2: “Just play smart, pick your spots, play your opponents, but definitely play your position as well.”

As the day progressed, Done began to steadily build his stack, leaning into his aggression and executing well-timed bluffs. “With the chip stack I had, I felt that the pressure of putting their tournament life at risk was far superior to the hand they had,” he explained. “I was just looking to apply pressure.”

Breeding, who was part of the ICM deal, nearly found himself on the rail before the final table on Day 2. In a dramatic hand, he was all-in and at-risk holding ace-five suited against Michael Johns’ pocket aces in a six-bet pot. Nearly out the door, Breeding watched as the board gave him a flush on the river, awarding him a massive pot and a surge of momentum heading into the final table.

Jacob Foley, the overall chip leader heading into Day 2, saw his run come to an end earlier than planned as he finished in 20th place. Day 1d chip leader Keith McKuin also fell short, exiting in 12th. Other notable players who didn’t make the final table include RGPS ambassador Jeffrey Copeland, WSOP bracelet winner Kyle Cartwright, and Josh Martin, who burst the final table bubble.

Final Table

Done entered the final table sitting third in chips, with Breeding holding the chip lead and John Roberts just behind. However, Roberts quickly seized the lead after eliminating Nick Syrigos in ninth and Corey Nazaruk in eighth.

But things took a turn for Roberts when he doubled up Hunter Cichy. Shortly after, he found himself on the rail in seventh place after three-betting all-in with pocket jacks, only to be outdone by Done’s aces.

Done really took a stranglehold on the final table when, with five players remaining, Michael Johns jammed from the small blind with pocket fours. However, Done woke up with pocket queens in the big blind and eliminated the RGPS Player of the Year leader, Johns, sending him to the payout desk in fifth place. With that pot, Done now held about half of the chips in play.

Soon enough, the players were down to three, with Breeding as the short stack. He managed to double up after flopping a set of deuces to beat Cichy’s pocket fives, bringing the two players closer to even, with Done still holding a bit more than half the chips. After that, the players decided to review the ICM numbers. Once they adjusted the figures slightly to account for Done receiving the PokerGO PGT Dream Seat, the players reached a deal, and the tournament concluded with Done being crowned the champion.

Done, who mentioned that he recently gained more confidence in his game by playing alongside the likes of WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer and Blair Hinkle, said that it showed him he can “play with the big dogs, actually hang around, and keep up with them.”

Now, it looks like he’ll be putting his abilities to the test once again. He added, “I’m definitely thinking about playing in Joplin for the RGPS Main Event next week.”