Poker News from Pennsylvania: Nick Rigby’s Victory and New Tournaments

Overview of the main poker events in Pennsylvania in June 2025: Nick Rigby’s triumph, RunGood Grand Prix stops, online room promotions, and tips for PPPoker players.

In this review, we cover the most notable poker events in Pennsylvania and the USA for June 2025. The spotlight is on Nick Rigby’s victory, new stages of the RunGood Grand Prix series, the successes of online operators, and fresh promotions on the largest platforms. At the end of the article, you’ll also find practical tips for PPPoker club players. Nick Rigby’s Success: Third Biggest Win and New Horizons Nick Rigby, a well-known poker player from Pennsylvania, is back in the spotlight after a strong performance in a live tournament. Rigby won the Main Event of the RunGood Grand Prix Southern Indiana, taking down the $800 buy-in tournament and earning over $52,000 in prize money. This is the third largest win of his career. Rigby became famous for his standout performances in the WSOP Main Event, where he gained notoriety for his aggressive play and unconventional bluffs with 2-3 offsuit, a hand he calls the "dirty diaper." After this victory, Nick shared that he plans to play in the WPT Bay 101 tournament, where he will be one of the special “Shooting Star Bounties” players, with extra rewards for those who knock him out. RunGood Grand Prix Debuts in Pennsylvania: Schedule and Features In September 2025, the RunGood Grand Prix series will be held for the first time in central Pennsylvania — at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course (Grantville, Pennsylvania). The tournament festival will take place from September 16 to 21 and will last six days. The series will feature nine RGPS Ring Events, with buy-ins ranging from $200 to $400. The highlight will be the $800 Main Event, which will have official live coverage and reporting from PokerNews. For Hollywood Casino, this is the debut RGPS stop, generating special interest among local players and organizers. The guaranteed prize pool for the series is $50,000. Despite the relatively modest guarantee, organizers believe that even a small guarantee is better than none. Many players, including the author of this review — Keith Becker, are eagerly awaiting the event, hoping it will breathe new life into the region’s poker community. A unique feature of RGPS 2025 is that all ring event winners earn a seat in the PokerGO Tour Dream Seat Invitational. This is a unique chance to win a ticket to the PGT Championship — a freeroll for the world’s top players, which will be held at PokerGo Studio in 2026 and broadcast worldwide. Online Series and Promotions Overview: BetRivers, BetMGM, WSOP, and PokerStars USA BetRivers: Debut Multi-State Summer Series and New Promos In June, BetRivers successfully held its first major Multi-State Summer Series. For players in Delaware, this event was especially significant: before BetRivers launched in the state (in June 2025), online poker had been unavailable there for 18 months. The series featured two leaderboards — Gold and Silver — which fueled interest and created extra competition among participants. For regular players, BetRivers also offers ongoing cash game leaderboards and the SNG SURGE promotion, aimed at low-stakes fans. For example, by playing 9 sit-and-go tournaments at $1 each, a player receives tickets worth $16 — a great offer for beginners and recreational players. BetMGM Poker: Satellites to Borgata BIG BIG BUY-IN BetMGM Poker continues to run qualifiers for the live Borgata BIG BIG BUY-IN series. The tournaments will take place from September 8 to 16, 2025, with buy-ins ranging from $580 to $10,000. Players can qualify through online satellites in the BetMGM Poker client or register directly for selected events. WSOP: Summer Series Finale and Major Promos The WSOP platform is wrapping up its 2025 Summer Series with the Mystery Bounty Main Event, featuring a $150,000 guarantee. In this format, part of the prize pool is distributed randomly as “mystery prizes” for knocking out opponents. WSOP is also running the $1 Million Blast promotion: by playing $100 worth of Blast Spins, players get a shot at a $1,000,000 total prize pool. For cash game players, there’s the Card Strike promo — after registering, players receive a special Card Strike board, where they need to collect certain pocket card combinations. Once the requirements are met, they can spin the prize wheel for a chance to win up to $25,000. PokerStars USA: Silver Pass to NAPT and Satellites to PokerStars Open Maryland PokerStars USA continues to award Silver Passes to the North American Poker Tour (NAPT), and is also running satellites to PokerStars Open Maryland, which will take place from October 19 to 26, 2025. The festival will feature: Main Event with a $1,100 buy-in and a $300,000 guarantee Ladies Event High Roller with a $2,200 buy-in Mystery Bounty with a unique “sports” twist In the Mystery Bounty, after late registration ends, players pick the winner of a football game. Those who guess correctly can use the “Go for 2” option: return their Mystery Bounty Prize and draw a new one. This approach adds a sports betting element and increases the event’s interactivity. Prize Table and Key Results This month’s most significant result was Nick Rigby’s victory in the RunGood Grand Prix Southern Indiana Main Event: Nick Rigby — 1st place, $800 Main Event, winnings: over $52,000 Upcoming series and events schedule: RunGood Grand Prix Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course: September 16–21, 2025, 9 events with $200–$400 buy-ins, Main Event — $800, $50,000 guarantee Borgata BIG BIG BUY-IN: September 8–16, 2025, buy-ins from $580 to $10,000 PokerStars Open Maryland: October 19–26, 2025, Main Event — $1,100, $300,000 guarantee WSOP Summer Series: finale — Mystery Bounty Main Event, $150,000 guarantee Context: What These Events Mean for the Poker Community Poker in the USA and Pennsylvania continues to gain momentum, as shown by the growth of live series (RunGood Grand Prix, Borgata) and activity on online platforms (BetRivers, WSOP, PokerStars USA). For players, this means more choices between live and online tournaments, as well as a variety of formats: from classic MTTs to Mystery Bounty and promotions with sports prediction elements. The emergence of new stops and the expansion of series geography (such as the RGPS debut in Pennsylvania) help develop local poker communities, increase interest in the game, and give regional players a chance to reach a new level. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, this news is a great reason to consider expanding their poker experience. First, the success of players like Nick Rigby shows that even an unconventional style and bold play can lead to big wins. This inspires players to experiment with strategy and not be afraid to show individuality at the table. Second, the focus on new formats (Mystery Bounty, sports elements, leaderboards) shows that today’s players value variety and extra incentives. PPPoker clubs can introduce similar formats to keep members engaged and interested, such as running their own leaderboards or tournaments with unusual rules. Finally, the growth in live and online events in the USA is a signal for PPPoker players to keep an eye on trends and use best practices for organizing club events. This will help attract new members and make the game even more interesting and competitive.