Kenneth Hirose Went All-In on Fasting and Came Out a RGPS Champion
Kenneth Hirose Emerged Victorious at the RunGood Poker Series Jamul Main Event
The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) made a triumphant return to Jamul Casino, attracting 407 entrants across three starting flights. This exceeded the guaranteed prize pool, resulting in a total of $211,640 to be distributed among the top 52 players. After an intense ten-hour final day, Kenneth Hirose emerged as the last player standing, claiming the coveted RGPS Main Event title.
Just four months ago, Hirose achieved a career-best score by finishing second in the WSOP Circuit Commerce Mini-Main event, earning $53,258. While that result was significant, he narrowly missed out on the victory in the heads-up match. This time, however, Hirose seized the opportunity and secured the ultimate triumph.
“It feels much better to take it down,” Hirose said, proudly wearing the new champion’s ring. “Obviously, that’s the goal of any tournament. To come so close and not close it out, it stings. It just feels a million times better to take the whole thing down.”
The turning point came at the final table when Hirose, holding the second-largest stack, clashed with chip leader James Lawrey. In a pivotal hand, Hirose eliminated Allen Moheimani and gained a commanding lead that he never relinquished.
Hirose attributed his success to his understanding of Independent Chip Model (ICM) considerations. “At a big final table, there should be a pretty heavy focus on ICM,” he said, donning an Anti-Nit Campaign shirt. “Especially with the payjumps being as significant as they are. In tournaments, I see a lot of ICM mistakes because, generally speaking, most people know how to play poker. The dynamic changes when the pay jumps come into play, and you need to be able to navigate the situation and understand the value of your chips.”
As a primarily cash game player, Hirose also discussed his tournament strategy, emphasizing the importance of mental clarity. “One thing for any tournament that I think is important is I don’t eat. I feel like, personally, it helps me keep a much clearer head and gets rid of brain fog.”
With his newfound success, Hirose plans to continue grinding cash games and prepare for the 2025 World Series of Poker.
The Jamul Main Event final table results were as follows:
1st: Kenneth Hirose ($42,875)
2nd: Ramon Mantuano ($30,675)
3rd: Luis Medina ($20,130)
4th: Tim Acker ($13,220)
5th: Nan Chen ($9,870)
6th: Fabrice Lapeyre ($8,175)
7th: Di Wu ($6,855)
8th: James Lawrey ($5,570)
9th: Allen Moheimani ($4,295)
