Justin Arnwine wins again at the RGPS Maryland Main Event

Justin Arnwine won the RGPS Maryland Main Event, taking home $78,501 and his second championship ring. The tournament attracted 329 participants.

There are names in the poker world that are consistently associated with victories and steady results. Justin Arnwine once again confirmed his status as one of the most successful tournament players by winning the Main Event of the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Maryland Golden Expedition with a $1,300 buy-in. The tournament took place at MGM National Harbor and attracted 329 entries, with Arnwine taking home the top prize of $78,501 and his second RGPS championship ring. Less than a year earlier, he had already won the debut stop of the series here, and now he has once again come out on top, defeating Maclaren Chatham heads-up. Final Table Results of the RGPS Maryland Main Event The $1,300 buy-in tournament drew 329 entries and created a prize pool worthy of mid-stakes players’ attention. The final table was action-packed, with the battle for the title lasting over six hours and finishing after midnight. Here’s how the finalists placed and the prizes were distributed: 1st place: Justin Arnwine — $78,501 2nd place: Maclaren Chatham — prize not specified in the original 3rd place: Jimmy Chen — prize not specified in the original 4th place: Nathan Farlow — prize not specified in the original 5th place: Casey Hatmaker — prize not specified in the original 6th place: Michael Stroman — prize not specified in the original 7th place: Valentin Lita — prize not specified in the original 8th place: Mark Wahba — prize not specified in the original 9th place: Boris Kravets — prize not specified in the original Unfortunately, the original source does not provide the exact prize amounts for all finalists except the winner, but it does note that the competition was intense and filled with key hands. Justin Arnwine’s Road to Victory and His Goals for 2024 Justin Arnwine has long been considered one of the most accomplished tournament players, with an unofficial record for the number of tournaments won—over 150. In recent months, he has significantly expanded his trophy collection. In the spring, Arnwine won an RGPS ring at the previous Maryland stop, then became the Mystery Bounty champion at ARIA in June, won a WSOP Circuit event in July, as well as a tournament at the Venetian. Most recently, he chopped first place in the Maryland State Poker Championship after a three-way deal. This year, Arnwine found new motivation: he set himself the goal of becoming the Mid-Stakes Player of the Year. As Justin admits, his achievements were often underestimated in the past, with many believing most of his wins came in daily tournaments with small fields. His wife, Caityn, always supported him and encouraged him to travel to major series. Arnwine notes that to win multi-day tournaments, he had to step out of his comfort zone and start playing in different regions. “I won so many tournaments before people started to recognize me, but then I felt underestimated, as if they were just daily tournaments. My wife always said: you need to travel. I realized that if I wanted to win multi-day tournaments, I had to go beyond my usual circle,” Arnwine shares. Last year, after winning this same tournament among 251 entrants, he held up a sign reading “1 Buy-In Haters,” hinting at his victory on the first try. This time, he had to fire eight bullets on Day 1, but he has no regrets about the experience. According to Justin, his strategy is to play as aggressively as possible and not be afraid to bust out earlier than ICM (Independent Chip Model, which determines optimal payout decisions) would dictate. This style brought him another victory. “Today it really helped. There were moments when I lost the chip lead and Maclaren Chatham was controlling the table. But I was ready to take risks and go all-in earlier than ICM would usually justify, because I wanted to win, not just make a deep run,” Arnwine says. Key Events of Day 2: Bustouts of Favorites and the Formation of the Final Table Day 2 began with 43 remaining players, and Arnwine entered as the chip leader with over a million chips—the only one to do so. Early in the day, well-known players such as Greg Raymer (40th place), Nicholas Rigby (36th place), John Major (30th place), Day 1C chip leader Ivan Tomic (29th place), last year’s champion Arash Asadabadi (28th place), and Kash Corpening (17th place) were eliminated. Special attention goes to the showdown between Arnwine and Russ Dunlevy, who lost to him heads-up a year ago. This year, Dunlevy was again knocked out by Arnwine, finishing in 16th place. Nathan Farlow stood out with a series of successful hands on the final table bubble: first, he made a flush on the river to bust Ari Katz (14th place), then hit a straight against Christopher Caruso. George Karmires commented on his luck, but soon became Farlow’s next victim, as Farlow hit another straight on the river to send Karmires out in 12th place. The final table was set after Jimmy Chen, with a full house, eliminated Nathan Bomey (10th place). Arnwine started the final table with a huge lead—4,900,000 chips, more than double that of Chen and Farlow. Boris Kravets, who began with less than two big blinds, was eliminated on the very first hand. Farlow continued his run, flopping a set against Mark Wahba, then making two pair to bust Valentin Lita (7th place). In a hand between Michael Stroman and Jimmy Chen, there was a classic coin flip: Stroman had pocket queens, Chen had ace-king. The flop brought a pair of aces, and Chen sent his opponent to the rail. Casey Hatmaker, left with a short stack, shoved with pocket fives, but Arnwine called with top pair aces and eliminated Hatmaker in fifth place. Farlow, having lost most of his stack, went all-in with jack-four, but Chen found ace-king and knocked him out in fourth place. At this point, Chatham took the lead, getting paid on the river with trip tens. He continued to build his stack, surpassing 10 million chips, while Arnwine dropped to 2 million. However, Arnwine doubled up with a straight against Chatham’s two pair, then went all-in with pocket deuces against Chen’s ace-nine. Chen flopped trips, but Arnwine hit another deuce on the turn to make a full house, eliminating Chen in third place. The heads-up began with Chatham holding the lead—10,000,000 to Arnwine’s 6,400,000. However, Arnwine soon took the initiative, calling a 1,000,000 river bet with two pair. Another key hand was a quick river call with pocket aces against Chatham’s missed straight. After a misclick, Chatham was left with just 1,100,000 and shoved with ace-seven against Arnwine’s pocket eights. The eights held, and Justin Arnwine once again became the RGPS Maryland Main Event champion. Arnwine’s Preparation: Balancing Poker and Family The final day of the tournament was exhausting: the final table alone lasted over six hours and finished after midnight. Arnwine approached this challenge with maximum responsibility. He noted that he made himself get a full eight hours of sleep the night before to be ready for the long battle. His wife helped create the perfect conditions—putting their seven-month-old daughter to bed and ensuring the house was quiet so Justin could fully recover. Life away from the poker table has changed dramatically for Arnwine: he has become a father and is trying to balance his career with family responsibilities. He prepared for this stage in advance, writing an entire book about how he and his wife would raise their daughter. Arnwine said that three weeks before the baby was born, he drew up a detailed parenting plan so he wouldn’t be lost in the new circumstances. The book hasn’t been published yet, but according to him, it should be out by the end of the year. “My wife and I are working together to follow this path and give our daughter the chance to live an extraordinary life,” Arnwine shares. Context: The RunGood Poker Series and MGM National Harbor The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) is a popular tournament series for mid-stakes players, held across the United States. The Maryland stop, hosted at MGM National Harbor, traditionally attracts a strong field, including well-known professionals and ambitious regulars. This year, the tournament once again confirmed its status as one of the most competitive events in the region, and Arnwine’s victory only strengthened his reputation as one of the best players at his level. Among the tournament participants were such notable names as Arash Asadabadi, Ari Katz, Boris Kravets, Casey Hatmaker, Christopher Caruso, George Karmires, Greg Raymer, Ivan Tomic, Jimmy Chen, John Major, Kash Corpening, Maclaren Chatham, Mark Wahba, Michael Stroman, Nathan Bomey, and Nathan Farlow. Strategic Takeaways and Lessons for PPPoker Club Players Justin Arnwine’s story at the RGPS Maryland Main Event is an excellent example for everyone playing in PPPoker clubs. First, his success proves that even players who started out in small tournaments can achieve serious results if they’re not afraid to step outside their comfort zone and take part in more complex, multi-level events. Arnwine didn’t stop at daily tournament wins and began actively traveling to test himself in new fields. Second, his approach to the game—willingness to take risks and make conscious all-ins, even if it goes against standard ICM calculations—can be useful for those who want not just to “survive” a tournament, but to actually win it. Arnwine shows that sometimes aggressive and uncompromising play brings more rewards than an overly cautious strategy. Finally, Arnwine’s example is inspiring in terms of balancing poker with personal life and not forgetting about the importance of family. His thorough tournament preparation, family support, and ability to plan his time are important qualities for any player, especially in online clubs where the temptation to play non-stop is strong. For PPPoker club members, this case is a reminder: poker success is built on discipline, constant improvement, readiness for new challenges, and learning from your own experience. Don’t be afraid to step outside your usual field, analyze your game, and try new formats—and maybe your story will become the next inspiring news for the poker community.