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The final event of the 2025 PokerGO Tour (PGT) season kicked off today as 54 poker players made their way to the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas for the PGT Championship $1,000,000 Championship Freeroll. After Day 1, American pro Michael Wang leads the final seven players with a stack of 2,890,000 as he looks to claim the $500,000 first-place prize.
Also at the final table is poker superstar Daniel Negreanu, who bagged a middling stack to be just behind John Riordan in the counts and ahead of short stacks Chad Eveslage and Eric Blair. Meanwhile, Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger and Aaron Kupin, the last Dream Seat winner standing, will have the upper hand as the big stacks.
The bubble has yet to burst as only six spots are paid, with a minimum cash worth $40,000.
End of Day 1 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Wang | United States | 2,890,000 | 96 |
| 2 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | 2,410,000 | 80 |
| 3 | Aaron Kupin | United States | 1,690,000 | 56 |
| 4 | John Riordan | United States | 1,230,000 | 41 |
| 5 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | 1,020,000 | 34 |
| 6 | Chad Eveslage | United States | 800,000 | 27 |
| 7 | Eric Blair | United States | 685,000 | 23 |
Championship Freeroll Action
Day 1 had more swings than a playground as stacks grew and crumbled in the PokerGO Studio.
British grinder Philip Sternheimer ran hot early as he scored a double knockout of Jason Koon and Dream Seat qualifier Timothy Tuveson, but his run took a dark turn as he quickly went from a million chips to out after back-to-back confrontations with Andrew Lichtenberger.
The screaming heard throughout the day can be attributed to a black-and-red prop bet between Eric Wasserson and the team of Bryce Yockey and Chino Rheem.
Negreanu can be distinguished from many of today’s top pros by his willingness to value instinct more than math. He put those skills on display today when he just called with a fourth nuts after rivering a set, in a hand where almost any other player would have raised.
“This is part of what makes me a good poker player!” Negreanu cheered.
Meanwhile, PGT Player of the Year Alex Foxen, fresh off winning his 12th tour title, built a stack early but was eliminated by Lichtenberger as the event reached its last two tables.
Some other players who were eliminated as the money bubble approached include Eric Wasserson, Bryce Yockey, Adam Hendrix and poker’s second most winning Stephen Chidwick, who had moved to Hendrix’s seat but had no better luck than the Alaskan pro.
The final table formed after Chidwick’s elimination, but there were no more eliminations, and play ended with seven players remaining at the completion of level 15. The seven players will return for Day 2 on Tuesday at 1 p.m. local time, and the event will play to a winner.
PGT Championship Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 |
| 2 | $200,000 |
| 3 | $120,000 |
| 4 | $80,000 |
| 5 | $60,000 |
| 6 | $40,000 |
Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team will be back on-site tomorrow to see the completion of the PGT Championship. Check out the live reporting portal in the meantime.
*Photos courtesy of PokerGO & Antonio Abrego
Senior Editor U.S.