Dakotah O’Dell Wins Second RGPS Main Event for $63,647

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On April 16, at the Downstream Casino and Resort near Joplin, Missouri, Dakotah O’Dell secured his second RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) ring and a $63,647 top prize. Dakotah O’Dell had won his first RGPS victory last February at the Iowa stop. These two RGPS rings are now added to the World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring O’Dell won in Choctaw in July 2022. O’Dell’s trophy case now boasts winnings of more than $300,000, which is impressive, considering he only began playing tournaments seriously in 2019, having been previously known as a cash-game player.

After his win, Dakotah O’Dell told that it felt great to win in his hometown casino, stating that while he travels to many circuit events, winning on his home turf was a dream come true. O’Dell attributed his success to learning from better players, absorbing as much content as possible, and grinding. Despite the challenges, he remains focused and continues playing.

The $600 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament attracted 683 entries over four starting flights, creating a total prize pool of $348,330, which surpassed the $100,000 guarantee. The top 84 players received at least $871 in prize money. Notable players that cashed included Mark Martin (33rd), Pete Petree (42nd), Ashley Frank (54th), Joey Gargiulo (64th), and Shantanu Garg (75th).

82 players returned for the final day of play, and it took three hours to reach the final table. O’Dell was initially one big blind above the short stack when the final nine began, but he didn’t let that faze him. “When you come into the final table with five big blinds, you kinda write yourself off sometimes. I had people in my corner, and this time it worked out,” Dakotah O’Dell said.

The final table lasted six hours, and O’Dell rose to the top when he doubled up during eight-handed play, taking the chip lead shortly afterward. O’Dell then eliminated Jael Lewis, but three players later doubled up through him. However, O’Dell regained his footing when he knocked out Richard Hawkins in fourth place and Jason Darland in third after a long battle between the final three players.

At the start of heads-up play, Dakotah O’Dell held a lead of 14 million chips against the 6.5 million of WSOP gold bracelet and five-time WSOP Circuit gold ring winner Blair Hinkle. Although Hinkle managed one double up, the second time he got all in, his cards did not favor him. The final hand saw Hinkle shove preflop with pocket fours, and O’Dell called with ADiamond Suit5Heart Suit. The board ran out AClub SuitQClub Suit6Spade Suit8Club Suit2Spade Suit, and Hinkle was eliminated in second place, taking home $42,427. While he narrowly missed out on winning his third RGPS ring, his career earnings rose to almost $5.1 million.

Final Table Results

Place Name Prize
1 Dakotah O’Dell $63,647
2 Blair Hinkle $42,427
3 Jason Darland $31,210
4 Richard Hawkins $23,338
5 Jared Ward $17,591
6 Kevin Unkel $13,411
7 Danny Barnes $10,345
8 Jael Lewis $8,081
9 John Reynolds $6,374