Hot off the heels of the 2023 Poker Masters, PGT Mixed Games Series II kicked off on October 5th at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Las Vegas. Poker’s top mixed game players descended on Vegas to battle for what is quickly becoming the ultimate series for high-stakes mixed game tournaments worldwide.
Chino Rheem ran hot during the Poker Masters and continued his streak during this series. He cashed five times in the series, including a victory, before becoming the eventual series champion. Other winners in the series include Nick Schulman, David Funkhouser, and Dylan Weisman.
David Funkhouser Wins Opening $10,200 HORSE Title
PGT Mixed Games Series II kicked off with a $10,200 HORSE event that drew a field of 72 players. Heading into the final table, Paul Volpe held the chip lead with Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra in a close second. Others making the final table included David Funkhouser, Anthony Zinno and Chino Rheem. Rheem had a stellar Poker Masters and looked to continue his winning ways in this one.
Volpe, Elezra, and Funkhouser started the final day in the top 3 in chips, and that’s how they finished. Elezra managed a third-place finish, with Volpe and Funkhouser battling heads-up for the title. Funkhouser started heads-up play with a 2.5-to-1 chip advantage. Volpe began to close the gap, but a failed bluff attempt during Limit Hold’em would put him on the ropes. Soon after, he hit the rail in second place.
David Funkhouser took the opening event for $187,200 and 187 PGT points.
Chino Rheem Remains Hot After Taking Big Bet Mix Title
Chino Rheem has been on fire in recent weeks. He finished third in points during the Poker Masters last month, taking one title. He continued his winning ways during this event after taking down the $10,200 Big Bet Mix Title.
Stephen Chidwick took the Poker Masters Purple Jacket last month and came into the final table of this event as the chip leader. He could only muster a third-place finish. This left Chino Rheem and a streaking Andres Korn to battle for the title. Korn came into the final table as the short stack and managed to take the chip lead by heads-up.
Rheem stormed into the chip lead after taking a pair of hands during an NL Hold’em round and then managed to seal the deal during PLO. In the final hand, Korn was all-in with a flopped set against the nut straight for Rheem. The board failed to pair, and Rheem took the title, $171k in prize money, and 171 PGT points.
David Prociak Wins $5,100 10-Game Mini Championship
The $5,100 10-Game Mini Championship was fast-paced, with play reaching heads-up in a single day. Some players making the final table included Alex Livingston, Jeremy Ausmus, and Bradley Ruben.
Philip Sternheimer and David Prociak battled heads-up for the title. Sternheimer started play with a 2-to-1 chip lead. However, Prociak managed to chip up steadily and soon took the chip lead. He continued grinding Sternheimer’s stack to take a large chip lead.
The final hand came during PLO. Sternheimer shoved with two pair but ran into a set of sixes from Prociak. Prociak’s set held, and he took the title, $93,600 in prize money, and 94 PGT points.
Dzmitry Urbanovich Wins $10,200 8-Game
Event #4, the $10,200 8-Game, was a small field event with an exciting finish. The five-handed final table was stacked with poker talent with Arthur Morris, Max Hoffman, Anthony Zinno, Dzmitry Urbanovich, and Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu.
Negreanu ultimately battled Urbanovich for the title, and players started dead even in chips. Negreanu briefly took the lead during a Stud round, but PLO proved his downfall. After losing the chip lead, Negreanu was all-in with two pair. He was in the lead against Urbanovich’s single pair and a straight draw.
Unfortunately for Negreanu, the straight got there and Urbanovich took his first career PGT title. He also earned $179,200 in prize money and 179 PGT points.
Nick Schulman Wins $10,200 Triple Stud
The $10,200 Triple Stud was another small, yet mighty field. This was highlighted by those making the final table. Ryan Miller, Adam Friedman, and Nick Schulman were among the finalists. Chino Rheem made his second final table of the series, looking to climb the leaderboard.
Rheem only managed a fourth-place finish, and it was ultimately John Racener against Nick Schulman for the title. Schulman held the chip lead to start heads-up play, but Racener managed to come back and take a massive lead.
Schulman did not give up and steadily clawed his way back on top. Ultimately, he took a 4.5-to-1 chip lead into the final Razz hand. Racener was all-in with a J-9 low, while Schulman had a worse J-9 low. However, Schulman would improve to a 9-7 low by the river, and Racener failed to improve.
Schulman is widely considered one of the world’s top Stud poker players, and this title further solidifies his reputation. In addition to the trophy, he won $144,000 in prize money and earned 144 PGT points.
Dylan Weisman Wins $10,200 Dealer’s Choice
Dylan Weisman made his second final table of the series in the $10,200 Dealer’s Choice. This time around, he managed to take the title. The final table included Dan Shak, John Monnette, and David Funkhouser.
Weisman battled Craig Chait heads-up for the title. Chait started the battle as the chip leader, but his lead did not last long. Weisman soon took the lead, and he never relinquished it. The final hand was in Pot Limit Omaha 8, which proved to be a cooler for Chait.
Chait flopped the nut straight, but Weisman hit runner-runner to make a flush. Weisman put Chait all-in on the river, and Chait made the reluctant call to discover the bad news.
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Weisman won the title, along with $156,400 and 167 PGT points.
Hal Rotholz Beats Nick Schulman for $10,200 Triple Draw Mix Title
The final table of the $10,000 Triple Draw Mix was one of the best of the series. Jeremy Ausmus, Hal Rotholz, and Nick Schulman made their second final tables of the series, while Chino Rheem made his third. Others making the final table included David “ODB” Baker, and Andrew Yeh.
Nick Schulman made heads-up for the second time this series, facing Hal Rotholz. Rotholz had the chip lead at the start of heads-up play, but Schulman quickly took the lead. Later, Rotholz would make an eight perfect in A-5 Triple Draw to retake the lead.
From there, Rotholz continued climbing, and the title was decided during a Badugi round. Schulman was all-in with a 9 Badugi, and Rotholz was drawing to a wheel, holding 3h-2s-Ac. On the last draw, Rotholz drew perfectly, hitting the 4d to complete his wheeled Badugi and take the title. Rotholz earned $163,200 in prize money and 163 PGT points.
Maxx Coleman Wins $25,300 10-Game Championship
The $25,300 10-Game Championship kicked off on Friday and drew a small 29-entry field. The five-handed final table was stacked and included Poker Hall of Famer John Hennigan, Maxx Coleman, and Alex Livingston. Chino Rheem made his fourth final table of the series, while Dylan Weisman was looking for his second title, respectively.
Ultimately, it was Alex Livingston and Maxx Coleman battling for the bracelet. Livingston started out as the chip leader, and both players took turns exchanging top stack. Ultimately, Coleman built some momentum and ground Livingston down to less than four big bets.
In the final hand, Livingston was all-in with A-7 against a flopped top pair for Coleman. Livingston could not spike an ace and had to settle for second place. Maxx Coleman won the title, $245,630 in prize money, and 174 PGT points.
Arthur Morris Wins $5,100 NL 2-7 Single Draw to Close Series
The final event of the series was the $5,100 NL 2-7 Single Draw. This was the smallest field of the series at just 24 entries, and only the top four players earned a payday. David Funkhouser was looking for his second title in this one, while Arthur Morris, Philip Sternheimer, and Andres Korn were looking for their first.
Heads-up in this event came down to Arthur Morris and David Funkhouser. The pair quickly struck a deal to chop up prize money and played for the final $5k. Heads-up play lasted just a single hand. Funkhouser moved all-in pre-draw and was called.
Both players stood pat, and Morris revealed a #2 (7-6-4-3-2). Funkhouser’s nine was no good, and his quest to win a second title fell short. After the deal, Morris earned $49,902 and the final title of the series.
Chino Rheem Crowned PGT Mixed Games II Champion
Chino Rheem finished in third place for the Poker Masters Purple Jacket, but he would not be denied in this series. He cashed five times, won one event, and earned $433,600 en route to becoming PGT Mixed Games II Champion. Along with the title, Rheem took home a $25,000 championship bonus.
The last month has been wildly profitable for Rheem. He’s earned two PGT titles and over $1 million in prize money. His recent performances have moved him to 31st on this year’s PGT Leaderboard. The top 40 players on the leaderboard will earn a seat into the 2023 PGT Championship, a $1 million freeroll with a $500,000 first-place prize.
Credit to PokerGO/PGT for all images used in this article.
