Kentucky farmer wins RGPS Main Event and $57,054

Jack Hayes, a farmer from Kentucky, sensationally won the main event of the RunGood Poker Series Southern Indiana, defeating experienced opponents and taking the top prize.

Kentucky farmer Jack Hays became the winner of the RunGood Poker Series Golden Expedition Southern Indiana Main Event with an $800 buy-in, defeating experienced series ambassador Craig Welko heads-up to claim the championship ring and the top prize of $57,054. The tournament drew 393 entries, and Hays’ road to the title was full of dramatic hands, incredible luck, and battles against recognized poker masters. RunGood Poker Series Golden Expedition Southern Indiana: Tournament Context and Format The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) is a popular poker series held in various regions across the USA, attracting both amateurs and professionals. The series’ main events traditionally gather hundreds of participants thanks to affordable buy-ins, a packed schedule, and a special community atmosphere. The Golden Expedition Southern Indiana stop took place in the Caesars Southern Indiana poker room, where 393 players competed for the title, with the prize pool formed by the $800 buy-in. The RGPS Main Event is a no-limit hold’em tournament where players start with equal stacks and play down to a single winner. The final table features the top nine, and prizes are distributed according to finishing positions. The tournament included both RunGood ambassadors and strong regulars, as well as representatives of regional poker communities. Road to the Final Table: Favorites Bust and Unexpected Twists Day 2 of the tournament began with 46 players, including five RunGood ambassadors. Early in the day, Delilah Lerner exited the tournament after going all-in with a short stack against Craig Welko. Despite making a straight, Lerner lost as Welko had a full house (kings full). Lerner finished in 28th place. Soon after, Taylor Howard (25th place), Matthew Lawrence (16th place), and Day 1b chip leader Libby Wilson (21st place) followed her out. Defending champion Jasper May also failed to defend his title: his final all-in with ace-queen lost to Tim Burden’s ace-jack, as Burden hit a jack on the board. May finished in 13th place. Final Table: Battle for the Lead and Key Hands By the time the final table of nine was set, Mike Scarborough was the chip leader with 2,300,000 chips, while Jack Hays was second with a stack of 1,600,000. Carl Masters doubled up in a flip against Don Coakley, after which Coakley was soon eliminated in 9th place, losing to Patty Till’s aces. One of the key hands occurred when Hays, on the button, 3-bet to 250,000, and Masters, from the small blind, went all-in for 800,000. Hays instantly called with pocket aces against Masters’ pocket kings. Hays improved to a set on the board and knocked out Masters in 8th place. Patty Till continued to build her stack, knocking out Stephan Mobley with aces. James Rion lost to Craig Welko and finished 6th. By dinner break, Till was leading with 4,500,000, and after the break, she climbed to 5,000,000, but then lost a crucial hand to Hays. In that hand, three players saw a queen-high flop, Till bet 255,000, Hays raised to 620,000, Till shoved, and Hays called with two pair against Till’s pocket kings. Hays won the hand, doubled up to 5,000,000, and took the lead. Tim Burden and Mike Scarborough both made two pair on the flop, but Scarborough hit a full house on the river and eliminated Burden in 5th place. Soon after, Patty Till’s A-10 lost to Craig Welko’s A-K, and she finished in 4th place. Jack Hays solidified his lead by making a set of deuces against Welko, increasing his stack to 7,500,000. Then Scarborough went all-in on the turn with a straight, but Hays showed the nut straight and eliminated Scarborough in 3rd place. Heads-Up: Dramatic Showdown Between Hays and Welko In the final duel, Jack Hays started with a chip advantage—9,700,000 to Craig Welko’s 2,000,000. However, Welko quickly doubled up, winning a flip with K-8 against Hays’ pocket sevens, and soon took the initiative, playing confidently post-flop and taking pot after pot. Hays admitted his opponent played flawlessly and decided to change his strategy, increasing variance: “I just started shoving, and I got lucky. I gave myself a chance, and it worked.” In one of the key hands, Hays shoved blind for 4,925,000, and Welko called with K-6. Hays only had jack-high, but hit a jack on the turn and doubled up. In the next hand, Welko shoved for 5,000,000, Hays called with K-7 against Welko’s A-J. Hays hit a seven on the flop and claimed the title. Thus, Craig Welko finishes just short of victory in this tournament for the second year in a row, while Jack Hays, despite being the underdog, becomes the champion. Hays himself admitted that luck was the key factor: “No one in the world would win this tournament with the cards I was getting. I played a lot of bad hands that won, and folded good ones that would have lost. This was my luckiest run ever.” Final Table: Results and Payouts Place Player Prize ($) 1 Jack Hays 57,054 2 Craig Welko 37,303 3 Mike Scarborough 27,098 4 Patty Till 19,981 5 Tim Burden 14,930 6 James Rion 11,312 7 Stephan Mobley 8,654 8 Carl Masters 6,699 9 Don Coakley 5,279 Other Notable Results Delilah Lerner — 28th place Taylor Howard — 25th place Libby Wilson — 21st place Matthew Lawrence — 16th place Jasper May (defending champion) — 13th place Finalists’ Profiles and Their Achievements in the RGPS Jack Hays, a farmer from Kentucky, had over $63,000 in live tournament winnings before this victory, a significant portion of which came from winning a $500 buy-in event at The Barrel (Franklin, Kentucky) in January, where he earned $26,000. This was his second major success and his first outside his home club. Craig Welko is a RunGood ambassador, holder of three RGPS championship rings, and a finalist in this same tournament last year (2nd place in 2023 after losing to Nick Rigby). His experience and status were considered an advantage, but this time luck was on his opponent’s side. Patty Till, who played aggressively and doubled up several times with aces, led the final table for a long time but lost a key hand to Hays and finished 4th. Mike Scarborough was the chip leader at the start of the final table and finished 3rd after a series of dramatic hands. Key Moments and Winner’s Quotes After his victory, Jack Hays couldn’t hide his emotions: “I’ve been playing for 21 years. I’ve worked so hard for this. It’s unreal. I can’t believe this happened to me.” He also noted that this win means a lot to him: “I had a win in January, but this is my first win outside my home club. I never thought I’d be here.” Hays emphasized that his success was not just about skill, but also luck: “I met a lot of good people, played with friends, had fun, and I was very lucky to come out on top.” He honestly admitted that in heads-up, he was outplayed by Craig Welko: “My opponent didn’t make mistakes, played perfectly. My only chance was to add variance, and I got lucky.” Winning the tournament was not only a poker achievement for Hays, but also a personal one: “This will help me at home, but family always comes first. I have two little kids, and I want to spend time with them. I’ll play the next RGPS stop at The Barrel, and then take a break until January.” What This Means for PPPoker Club Players Jack Hays’ story is a great example that even players without big titles or bankrolls can succeed in major series if they use their strengths wisely and aren’t afraid to change strategy when needed. For PPPoker club members, this is a signal: don’t underestimate the importance of mental resilience, discipline, and the ability to adapt to opponents, even if your chances seem slim at first glance. In tournaments with deep structures and large fields, not only technical skills matter, but also the ability to make unconventional decisions under pressure. As Hays showed, sometimes courage and willingness to take risks can be the key to victory, especially when your opponent plays flawlessly and demands your maximum focus. For PPPoker club players, participating in online tournaments and club series is a great way to hone your skills, learn to play against different styles, and prepare for live events. Stories like this inspire not only to win, but also to grow in poker: regular play, hand analysis, and sharing experiences in the club community can lead to great achievements, even if you start out in local tournaments.