Maksim Pisarenko Wins PGT Mixed Games Kickoff H.O.R.S.E. Title

The inaugural event of the 2024 PokerGO Tour Mixed Games series commenced this week, marking the beginning of a series of 10 tournaments. A total of 87 participants entered the $5,100 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. kickoff tournament, generating a prize pool of $435,000 distributed among the top 13 players. Among these top finishers, Maksim Pisarenko from Russia emerged victorious, triumphing over five-time bracelet winner Benny Glaser in the heads-up match to claim the trophy and the top prize of $117,450.

For Pisarenko, this win marked his second-largest cash in his poker career, surpassed only by his third-place finish in the 2019 European Poker Tour Sochi main event, where he earned $189,840. With this latest triumph, Pisarenko’s total lifetime earnings now stand at nearly $740,000.

The tournament unfolded over two days at the PokerGO Studio located in the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Notable players like John Monnette, a five-time bracelet winner, exited in seventh place, concluding day 1 of the event. Heading into day 2, Dennis Maschke led the final six, while Daniel Negreanu, a six-time bracelet winner and two-time World Poker Tour champion, held the second chip position.

The action intensified as the final table progressed. Negreanu, despite eliminating opponents earlier, met his own demise after losing a significant portion of his chips in a razz confrontation with Glaser. Ultimately, it was Glaser who sent Negreanu packing in fifth place, with Negreanu earning $30,450. Despite this exit, Negreanu maintains his position as the seventh-ranked player on poker’s all-time money list with lifetime earnings totaling $51.1 million.

Pisarenko’s dominance continued as he eliminated Andrew Kelsall in fourth place, followed by Dennis Maschke in third place. With a commanding chip lead, Pisarenko entered heads-up play against Glaser, holding 7,725,000 chips to Glaser’s 5,475,000. Despite Glaser’s efforts to stage a comeback, Pisarenko maintained control. In the final hand, Pisarenko’s king-high straight trumped Glaser’s six-high straight, securing him the victory. Glaser, the UK poker professional, earned $76,125 as the runner-up, adding to his impressive career earnings which now stand at nearly $7.5 million.

Here is a look at the payouts and rankings points awarded at the final table: