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Brett Hagopian, a police officer from Granite City, Illinois, has won the RunGood Poker Series Gateway Poker Classic $800 Main Event at Hollywood Casino & Hotel in St. Louis. Hagopian defeated Ben Miller in heads-up play to claim the title, calling it the biggest accomplishment of his poker career.
The event drew a massive field of 705 entries, generating a prize pool of $493,500. Hagopian, who regularly plays RGPS stops when they come through his home city, said the win meant a great deal to him given his history with the series and his previous best result, an Ameristar Poker Open title.
With just six players remaining and the stacks growing shallow, the group agreed to an ICM-based deal. Hagopian secured the largest share at $45,740, while $26,000 was left on the table for whoever ultimately won the bracelet.
Play continued after the chop, with Miller doubling through Iken to reach heads-up, while other contenders including Terrazas, Heine, and Breeding fell in the late stages. Breeding was eliminated in third place after Hagopian rivered a straight to seal a heads-up seat.
Heads-up began with Miller holding a slight chip lead, but Hagopian repeatedly pushed all in. After surviving a double-up from Miller, Hagopian ultimately sealed the win when his king-eight outran Miller’s pocket sevens, hitting a king on the flop.
The victory pushed Hagopian’s career live tournament earnings past $100,000, according to The Hendon Mob. He said he plans to return when the RunGood Poker Series revisits St. Louis in October, and may consider traveling to other stops as well.
