Andrew Moreno Takes Down Mission RunGood Million Dollar Main Event

Photo credit: RGPS / Rachel Kay Winter.

Andrew Moreno recently went on his brother Johnnie Vibes’s video podcast to discuss the pair’s results at the 2025 World Series of Poker. In a clip shared on social media, the younger Moreno said, “I’m losing this World Series, I’m winning this year. For the last two years, I’m losing. For the last three years, maybe I’m breaking even. For the last four years, I’m up a lot. How much do you want to zoom in, how much do you want to zoom out, and how much does it really matter? These are the things you tell yourself when you are losing.”

Being a tournament poker professional can be a rollercoaster ride, with plenty of peaks and valleys. Just a couple of weeks removed from that conversation, Moreno battled his way to another high point on the journey. The 42-year-old based out of Texas outlasted 386 entries in the $1,000,000 guaranteed $2,700 Mission RunGood Million Dollar Main Event at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort near Sacramento, California. As the last player standing, he earned $200,080 and the RunGood Poker Series championship ring.

Moreno now has more than $5.5 million in tournament earnings to his name, including seven recorded titles. His largest score remains the $1.4 million he secured as the winner of the 2021 Wynn Millions main event.

This was the second victory and ninth final-table finish of the year for Moreno. The 900 Card Player Player of the Year points that came with this title run grew his total points to 3,900, which is currently good for 25th place in the 2025 standings presented by CoinPoker.

Thinning The Field

This event ran from Aug. 1 -4. The top 58 finishers earned a share of the seven-figure prize pool, with notables like Erick Lindgren (58th), Taylor Black (57th), Jacqueline Burkhart (19th), and 2023 champion of this event Tyler Patterson (17th) running deep.

The final day began with 17 remaining and Moreno in third chip position. Moreno scored several knockouts on the way to the final table, giving him the largest stack amongst the last nine contenders. He then won an all-in with A♦2♥ against the A♠9♥ of Dan Stavila, with a deuce on the river giving him a pair and the elimination. Stavila took home $19,950 as the ninth-place finisher.

Michael Persky, who won two WSOP Circuit main events in a 49-day span in 2023 including one at this same venue, was the next to fall. A preflop cooler saw his pocket queens clash with pocket kings of Robert Grossglauser, who made kings full in the end to narrow the field to seven. Persky cashed for $26,350, bringing his career haul to more than $670,000.

Grossglauser scored two more eliminations to leave just five remaining. He then ran pocket jacks into the pocket kings of Jackson Spencer to slide down the leaderboard. He then took a stand with pocket fours against the pocket sixes of Moreno. Neither player improved and Grossglauser headed to the payout desk to collect $47,030.

Closing Out The Win

A battle of the blinds spelled the end of Spencer’s run. Moreno shoved from the small blind with 8♦4♥ and Spencer woke up with A♥K♣ in the big blind. He made the call and was well ahead preflop, but a 7♠4♣2♣4♦A♦ runout gave Moreno trip fours and the pot. Spencer cashed for $61,220 as the fourth-place finisher.

Joshua Prager soon took a stand, ripping from the button with A♠10♥ and receiving a call from Moreno’s A♠3♥ out of the big blind. Moreno flopped a gutshot draw and turned the wheel. Prager had a redraw to the nut flush, but a brick on the end sent him packing in third place ($89,620).

Hamed Valizadegan was the only player who stood between Moreno and the title after that. Valizadegan managed an early double-up, but was soon all-in and at risk again. The chips went in after a 7♥4♦3♠ flop. Both players had made top pair, but Valizadegan’s 10♦7♦ was pipped by the J♥7♣ of Moreno. The Q♣ turn and 8♦ river changed nothing, and Valizadegan was awarded $139,240 as the runner-up.

Final Table Results