The PokerGO Trip was first presented in 2021. The high-stakes-focused tour was a rousing success in its first run and also still handled excellent growth in its 2nd year. The 2022 PGT period featured 175 occasions, with 24,998 total entries made and also greater than $426 million in prize money granted along the road. This period concluded with the first-ever running of the PGT Champion, a $500,000 winner-take-all freeroll.
The event saw the top 21 from the final PGT welcomed to take part in the final showdown. An additional distinct wrinkle for this occasion saw the beginning chip heaps identified by the certifying gamers’ last PGT factor overalls. As an example, top-ranked Stephen Chidwick’s 3,412 points saw him begin with 342,000, while Benny Glaser, that certified thanks to his runner-up surface in the WPT World Champion just a day before this event, started with 165,000 thanks to 1,646 points. A complete listing of the last PGT leaderboard for 2022 can be located on the tour’s website.
After two days of action, Jason Koon arised victorious, capturing the prize and the top prize of half a million bucks. The 37-year-old poker pro now has greater than $41.9 million in life time event incomes to his name, putting him 7th on Card Player’s all-time cash listing.
This win came just a couple of weeks after Koon defeated all-time Globe Collection of Texas hold’em arm band leader Phil Hellmuth in the largest High Risks Duel match yet, with $1.6 million on the line.
“It’s always beautiful. I somehow run hot towards the end of the year. Do you remember the WPT at Bellagio when they had those two 25Ks and I won them back-to-back in late December? I just kind of run hot in December,” Koon told PGT reporters. “I don’t know if it’s Christmas time or what, but it’s beautiful.”
Koon entered into the PGT Champion with the third-largest stack thanks to an additional solid year on the online money player circuit. Koon paid 18 times in PGT events, with 3 titles won and also more than $6.7 million in qualified profits accrued along the road. This $500,000 win was his fourth-largest cash money of the year. His leading cash advance in 2022 came when he took down the EUR150,000 buy-in brief deck occasion at the Triton Series Madrid event for $1,837,500. That success saw Koon link the document for the most Triton titles, signing up with Mikita Badziakouski with 4 success on the high-stakes tour.
Koon may have begun this occasion in third area, but he completed day 1 as the clear chip leader with almost 57 percent of the total chips in play and also just 6 competitors remaining.
“Almost every time, unless it’s a total dream, you come into a final table and you have all the chips but at some point, generally three-handed, stacks are going to converge and change hands, and you almost always lose the chip lead,” said Koon. “That’s why when I was hearing people say, ‘It’s your tourney to lose,’ I said, ‘Guys, I’ve got 57 percent of the chips and there are six people here and it’s the best players in the world. This is not my tourney to lose. I’m going to win it maybe half the time or whatever.’ I just embraced it, and then looked up and there was basically 100 big blinds in play three-handed. I knew that I’m not the chip leader, so I’ll just do what I can do and go from there. I took some beats and then I made some hands, and there I was.”
Globe Texas Hold’em Tour Player of the Year Chad Eveslage was the very first to fall on day 2, with his tumbled flush facing a higher tumbled flush for Koon. 2022 PGT Gamer of the Year Stephen Chidwick soon followed when his K-10 was unable to defeat the Q-8 of Koon. Chidwick shoved 4 big blinds from the cutoff. Koon called from the big blind, tumbled 2 set, and also held from there to tighten the area to 4.
Glaser’s run wrapped up when his K-Q matched was not able ahead from behind versus the A-4 suited of Sean Winter season Glaser flopped a gutshot straight draw, however Wintertime’s leading set held with the river to see him get in three-handed activity with the second-largest stack.
Koon and also Winter months clashed numerous times during the following stretch of play, with Wintertime primarily coming out on top. Koon after that slid to third location briefly after his AHeart SuitKHeart Suit was defeated by the ASpade Suit3Heart Match of two-time bracelet winner Nick Petrangelo in a preflop all-in.
Koon quickly managed to move back right into 2nd area with his trip threes besting the queens and also 3s of Petrangelo. A preflop coin flip then established heads-up, with Wintertime’s pocket sixes besting the K-10 of Petrangelo.
The last showdown, with the title and $500,000 hanging in the balance, began with Winter holding 2,035,000 to Koon’s 1,185,000. Both took place to battle for nearly two hours. Relatively early, Koon doubled up with a turned 2 pair besting the tumbled leading set of Winter months. His river shove was phoned call to see him take much better than a 3:1 chip lead.
Winter fought completely back into the lead, but his last time on the top was temporary. Koon won a huge pot with aces full besting the busted nut flush draw of Winter, that called the river with king high to go with the two set aboard.
By the time the final hand was dealt, Koon’s lead had actually grown to more than 6:1. Koon raised sufficient on the button to put Winter season all-in. Winter months called with JHeart Suit8Club Match as well as was controling the 10Diamond Suit8Spade Fit of Koon, however a 10Club Suit6Club Suit5Spade Suit3Diamond Suit3Club Suit runout gave Koon 10s and 3s for the win.
Wintertime, who had 20 PGT money and also 3 titles won in 2022, was sent out home empty-handed in this winner-take-all tournament.
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