St. Louis Police Officer Brett Hagopian Wins Gateway Poker Classic Main Event for Career-High Score
TL;DR — Brett Hagopian, a Granite City police officer, won the Gateway Poker Classic Main Event at Hollywood Casino in St. Louis. He topped a 705-player field for the $493,500 prize pool event in the RunGood Poker Series, securing his largest score to date and pushing career earnings past $100,000.
SCCG Take — Regional series stops reward consistent local participation, as Hagopian’s preparation and repeated presence produced a title defense opportunity in October.
Brett Hagopian, a police officer in the St. Louis suburb of Granite City, won the Gateway Poker Classic $800 Main Event at Hollywood Casino & Hotel in St. Louis. Hagopian defeated Ben Miller heads-up to claim the title in the RunGood Poker Series event. A field of 705 players created a $493,500 prize pool, as reported by PokerNews.
Hagopian entered the tournament with $94,000 in prior live earnings according to The Hendon Mob. This victory pushes his career total past $100,000. It surpasses his previous biggest scores from a WSOP PokerNews Daily Deepstacks event and an Ameristar Poker Open win in January 2025.
Final Table Run
Day 2 began with 86 players already in the money. Early exits included WSOP bracelet winner Jason Simon, Horace Ingram, RunGood ambassador Jeffrey Copeland in 40th, and Steph Martines in 24th. Greg Iken carried a lead of 9,200,000 chips into the final table after eliminating start-of-day leader Phil Boyd in 10th place.
Multiple double-ups marked the final table. Hagopian survived an all-in race with tens against ace-king, then later doubled with ace-five against deuce-three. An ICM deal among the final six players awarded Hagopian $45,740 as chip leader and left $26,000 for the eventual champion. Post-deal, Miller eliminated Iken in sixth. Breeding finished fifth and Terrazas fourth. Hagopian doubled again before eliminating Breeding in third. In heads-up, Hagopian’s pocket eights held against king-four, then his king-eight flopped a king to beat Miller’s sevens for the win.
Local Player Perseverance Pays Off
Hagopian plays every RunGood event in St. Louis and had bagged 200K late on flight C. The final table pressure was minor compared to his regular job. “It’s No. 1, by far. This is great,” Hagopian said. “It means a lot to me.” He added that friends attend to rail him and that the series return in October will see him back to defend the title. “Every time they come through St. Louis. Maybe I’ll travel a bit, too.”
Reporting: PokerNews
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
Hagopian's win proves regional stops reward loyalty and preparation — operators should double down on repeatable local events.
We've built partnerships across 545 operators in every regulated market, and the data is clear: regional series like RunGood create sticky player ecosystems. Hollywood Casino St. Louis just proved consistent local programming — 705 entries, $493K pool — drives lifetime value better than one-off spectacles. This is how you build a poker economy.
- 705-player field in St. Louis generated $493,500 prize pool for RunGood Poker Series stop
- Winner Brett Hagopian: local regular who plays every event, career now past $100K
- Final six made ICM deal; Hagopian locked $45,740, played for $26K more
SCCG angle: SCCG works with poker network operators and casino properties globally to design and promote tournament series that maximize player retention and local engagement. If you're evaluating poker programming or partnerships with tour operators like RunGood, we connect you to the right infrastructure and marketing partners to replicate this St. Louis success.
Gaming, betting and prediction markets — the desk’s read, every weekday.
Subscribe →