The first RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) title at Lake Erie Poker Room was up for grabs as the remaining 37 players took to the felt to decide who would take the top prize of $40,875 and the ring during the championship day of the RGPS Golden Expedition Ohio $600 Main Event.
A total of 360 players took their shot, creating a prize pool of $200,000, but in the end, it was Michael Barlow who took down the title.
RGPS Ohio $600 Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Barlow | United States | $29,318* |
| 2 | Antonio Ndoja | United States | $29,316* |
| 3 | David Hanna | United States | $29,316* |
| 4 | Joffrey Gaetz | United States | $15,270 |
| 5 | Patrick Beatrez | United States | $11,000 |
| 6 | Joel Brink | United States | $8,645 |
| 7 | Jonathan Tackett | United States | $6,760 |
| 8 | Nicholas Lanzi | United States | $5,290 |
| 9 | James Garr | United States | $4,185 |
Denotes three-way deal
Barlow garnered the distinction of becoming RGPS Main Event champion after he agreed to an even chop with Antonio Ndoja and David Hanna with three left at the final table.
“I typically don’t like to chop,” said Barlow. “I was last in chips, and they were giving me even money. It wouldn’t have been the most economical to turn down the deal.”
Barlow convinced Ndoja and Hanna to flip for the ring. Only Ndoja opted to take a shot at winning the flip. Barlow and Ndoja were both dealt nine cards and used the nine cards to make the best hand with five community cards. Barlow won the flip and the ring with it.
This is Barlow’s second RunGood title. He won his first title with his brother Matthew when they took down the RGPS Resort Ohio Tag Team event in 2024.
Ndoja came out on the wrong end of the flip, but he shared with PokerNews that after the stacks tightened up, he began to think about the chop as a possibility.
“I didn’t want to leave ten grand up to chance. He [Barlow] won a big flip. We were pretty even, and my advantage dwindled. I decided to go with it.”
Ndoja shared that this chop will likely be the last, and he plans to continue to work on his game and become a force at the table in the near future.
“From now on there will be no more chops,” said Ndoja. “I’m newer on the scene, and I hope to keep working on my game and being a threat in the next two years.”
Final Table Action
Ndoja, Barlow, and Hanna entered the final table as the top three stacks in that order. Ndoja went to work early when he busted James Garr in ninth, Nicholas Lanzi in eighth, and Jonathan Tackett in seventh place to start the final table.
Joel Brink was the next to go when he fell in sixth place after Barlow, and Hanna checked it down on a runout before Hanna tabled the winner.
Hanna was back at it again when he knocked out Patrick Beatrez in fifth place before Joffrey Gaetz was the next to go in fourth place.
A deal began to enter the conversation in earnest when Ndoja, Barlow, and Hanna reached the final three, but the trio had trouble reaching a deal initially. Eventually, a deal was struck when they agreed to an even-money chop.
Barlow and Ndoja did a wild flip that involved nine cards each and a five-card community board. Barlow came out on top with a higher full house of tens full of aces to beat Ndoja’s tens full of jacks to claim the RGPS ring.
