WSOP Bracelet Winner Takes Down Biggest-Ever RGPS Reno Main Event
Just two years ago, the RunGood Poker Series made its debut at Atlantis Casino in Reno, Nevada. Since then, both the tour and the stop have flourished, culminating in this year's $600 Main Event, which shattered records with a $188,700 prize pool generated by 370 entries across four starting flights. Of those, only 44 returned for Day 2, each chasing the title, but after eight hours of play, just one remained.
Readers familiar with the poker circuit will recognize the name Ian Steinman. A WSOP bracelet winner from California with 14 years of live tournament experience, Steinman has built an impressive résumé with deep runs and major victories. Now, he has added another accolade to the list, capturing his second RGPS ring and a $36,220 payday.
RGPS Reno Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Steinman | Mountainview, CA | *$36,220 |
| 2 | Yang Zhao | Reno, NV | *$25,000 |
| 3 | Art Tanimoto | Elk Grove, Ca | *$25,000 |
| 4 | Shawn Van Asdale | Reno, NV | $11,690 |
| 5 | Ryan Awwad | Ann Arbor, MI | $9,010 |
| 6 | Ed Miller | Granite Bay, CA | $7,455 |
| 7 | Greg Paradero | Reno, NV | $6,255 |
| 8 | Adam Saven | Del Mar, CA | $5,125 |
| 9 | Johnny Ye | Salem, OR | $4,010 |
*indicates deal made
Winner's Reaction
“I’m pretty calm no matter what,” Steinman said, reflecting on his dominant performance at the final table. “I’m ok even if I make a mistake. It’s a little bit more pressure with the chip lead because even then your odds of winning are still low. Even with that, I was still zoned in.”
Three-handed play wrapped up quickly after Steinman, Art Tanimoto, and Yang Zhou agreed to a deal. Steinman took the largest share of the prize pool and the ring, while Tanimoto and Zhou each locked up an equal payout, officially finishing in third and second, respectively. It was the best RGPS Main Event finish for both runners-up, with Tanimoto having previously final-tabled the Thunder Valley stop. While Zhou played the full event, both Tanimoto and Steinman took advantage of max late registration.
“It’s cool to win a tournament,” Steinman continued, referring to this win from the perspective of his career. "I’ve never won a tournament this big in Reno. I’ve been coming to Atlantis for 14 years, and this is the first tournament I’ve won here. It’s hard to win tournaments.”
Looking ahead, Steinman has a busy schedule, though he’s planning to take most of May off. “There haven’t been a ton of tournaments around here, and online is kind of dying,” he noted. “The WSOP is less than two months away. Before that, I’ll play the Peppermill series and the WSOPC Tournament of Champions in Commerce.”
One event he’s particularly excited about is the Dream Seat Invitational at Thunder Valley. “I played it last time, and we had the final table in the nightclub. I’m looking forward to it again.”
Final Day Action
After his son, Daniil Fedunov (23rd - $1,600), busted twelve places before him, Gennadiy Fedunov (10th - $3,380) became the final elimination before the final table was set.
Steinman entered the final table with the chip lead, having just eliminated Antonio Ma (11th - $3,380) with the nut flush before Fedunov’s departure.
At the start of the final table, Johnny Ye had lost most of the chips he had accumulated on the outer table and soon fell to Tanimoto’s stack. Ye moved all in with ace-jack against Tanimoto’s jack-ten, but a flopped king-high straight sealed his fate. He exited in ninth place for $4,010.
Making three consecutive RGPS Main Event final tables is a rare feat, but Adam Saven accomplished it here. His run ended sooner than he had hoped when he jammed his last chips in with ace-queen over Ed Miller’s raise. Miller called with pocket kings and held, sending Saven to the rail in eighth place for $5,125.
From there, Steinman resumed his role as the table’s dominant force, raking in massive pots to build an even bigger chip lead. His first knockout came against Greg Paradero, who shoved with pocket kings against Steinman’s ace-queen. The turn brought an ace, sending Paradero out in seventh place for $6,255—two spots better than his finish in last October’s Reno Main Event.
Steinman’s momentum continued when he clashed with Miller. Miller moved all in with ace-queen over Steinman’s open, and Steinman called with pocket tens. A queen appeared on the flop, but a ten on the turn gave Steinman the winning set. Miller exited in sixth place for $7,455.
Ryan Awwad followed in fifth place. Yang Zhou shoved from the small blind with pocket sixes, and Awwad called from the big blind with ace-eight. The board provided no help, sending Awwad to the rail with $9,010 while Zhou climbed to second in chips.
With Steinman applying relentless pressure, his stack grew to more than half the chips in play. He opened a pot with pocket nines from the button, and Shawn Van Asdale defended from the big blind with jack-seven. Van Asdale check-jammed on a king-high board after pairing his seven, but Steinman called and his nines held. Van Asdale’s deep run ended in fourth place for $11,690, while Steinman moved up to nearly 70% of the chips in play.
At that point, the final three players discussed an ICM deal. Steinman negotiated for more than the calculated ICM share, ultimately securing first place and $36,220. Yang Zhou and Art Tanimoto each took home $25,000, officially finishing in second and third place, respectively.
