Henri Perez Lopez achieves his dream of becoming a poker champion

Henri Perez Lopez defeated a field of 1,096 players in the RGPS $600 Mid-Major tournament to win the $83,380 first prize, realizing his dream of becoming a poker champion.

Henri Perez Lopez had always dreamed of winning a big prize at the poker table. Lopez learned poker at a young age, and years ago, friends and colleagues at the restaurant where he worked taught him how to play No-Limit Texas Hold'em, thus beginning his poker journey.

That passion remained, and Lopez always believed he would one day call himself a champion. He finally realized that dream at the RunGood Poker Series $600 The Hendon Mob Mid-Major tournament at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort—winning the championship from a field of 1,096 players and taking home the jackpot of $83,380 from a total prize pool of $577,720.

"I told my friends I was going to win number one," Lopez said after winning his first RGPS championship. "That was my moment. I knew I could get this far. I knew I could do it, and thank God, I did it."

Final table prize money distribution

 

Ranking	player	country	bonus
1	Henri Perez Lopez	United States	$83,380
2	Ryan Awwad	United States	$55,000
3	Jedidiah Hoffman	United States	$41,000
4	Aaron Overton	United States	$30,500
5	Gregory Pon	United States	$23,200
6	Victor Paredes	United States	$17,700
7	Zachary Smyth	United States	$13,600
8	Anthony Murphy	United States	$10,600
9	Rickey Evans	United States	$8,300

Luck was on Lopez's side.

Lopez's rise began when only five players remained in the tournament. After eliminating Gregory Pon to finish in fifth place, Lopez became the chip leader, holding twice the chips of second-place Jediah Hoffman. His elimination streak continued—he successively eliminated fourth-place Aaron Overton and third-place Jediah Hoffman, and at the start of his heads-up match against Ryan Awwad, he held over 85% of chips.

Lopez seemed destined for a lucky winning streak and the realization of his dream of winning the championship, but Awwad proved himself to be a dangerous opponent in the heads-up match.

Awwad doubled up four times in a row, reversing the situation and taking the chip lead from Lopez, giving him a 2-1 chip lead over the eventual champion.

Just when his dream seemed about to be shattered, Lopez fought back and won a coin toss, narrowing the gap.

Awwad regained the lead after a series of exchanges, rebuilding a 2:1 chip advantage, but as the theme of this heads-up match suggests, it's far from over.

Lopez doubled up after holding onto pocket fours, then made a flush on the turn, gradually chipping away at Awwad's chips.

Late in the game, Lopez made a straight on the turn, beating Awwad's three 2s and dealing a heavy blow, regaining an overwhelming chip lead.

“I felt calm. I knew he was a good opponent, and he wanted to win. I wanted to win too. I knew it would be a tough fight. We both made good moves, but luck was on my side,” Lopez said. “When I lost chips, I felt calm, but I knew I had to keep going. I made the right decision to keep going.”

Lopez's persistence finally paid off as he decisively defeated Awwad to win his first RGPS title. According to his The Hendon Mob data, Lopez entered the day with just over $36,000 in live career winnings, and this victory more than doubled his career earnings.

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