Blair Hinkle Wins RunGood Poker Series Kansas City Main Event

Blair Hinkle topped a field of 477 entries to win the 2024 Destination RunGood Kansas City $1,100 no-limit hold’em main event. The Kansas City resident earned $92,228 and his fourth career RunGood Poker Series main event title. Hinkle now has 13 recorded tournament titles from 161 in-the-money finishes.

This score pushed Hinkle, who also has a World Series of Poker bracelet in his hardware collection, past the $5.3 million mark in career tournament earnings.

Earlier this year Hinkle placed third in a $1,110 buy-in event during the Missouri State Poker Championship Series for $64,320 and 608 Card Player Player of the Year. With the 720 points he secured with his RGPS victory, he now sits in 114th place in the 2024 standings presented by Global Poker.

The $200,000 guarantee for this tournament was more than doubled, with 477 entries creating a final prize pool of $462,690 that was paid out among the top 58 finishers.

Hinkle was the big stack when the official final table was set. He then won a big preflop race with A-K suited against the pocket queens of Michael Fouts (9th – $9,223) and held with pocket jacks against Frank Kissick’s pocket eights (8th – $11,722) to further extend his lead.

After Colin Riesman (7th – $15,058) and Zack Steutermann (6th – $19,546) bowed out, Hinkle called an all-in on a 1010610 board with A9. Michael Lucas, who had shoved, was making a move with 87. The 5 river sent the sizable pot to Hinkle, while Lucas earned $25,637 for his fifth-place showing.

Beau Wilshire looked like he was going to score a double-up despite getting all-in with pocket fours trailing the pocket jacks of Hinkle. Wilshire flopped bottom set to take the lead, but there ended up being three sixes on board by the river to give Hinkle sixes full of jacks for the win. Wilshire walked away with $33,971 for his efforts.

Shaun Emery’s A-7 suited held against the K-10 of Cory Smith (3rd – $45,473) to set up the heads-up showdown for the title. Hinkle held 10,500,000 to Emery’s 3,650,000 when the clash began.

Hinkle remained ahead when the final hand was dealt. He limped in from the button with 88 and Emery checked from the big blind with J6. The flop came down 1063 and Emery checked. Hinkle bet 200,000 and Emery check-raised all in for 2,500,000 (nearly 17 big blinds). Hinkle made the call and the turn brought the 3. Emery was in need of a six or jack on the river, but instead the Q appeared to lock up the pot and title for Hinkle. Emery earned $61,485 as the runner-up finisher.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Photo credit: RunGood Poker Series / Rachel Kay Winter.

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