Daniel Smiljkovic Wins 2023 PokerGO Tour Championship For $500,000

The PokerGO Tour has accomplished its third season, which noticed greater than $352.4 million in whole prize cash paid out throughout 132 occasions. The 2023 season concluded with the second-annual PGT Championship freeroll that includes the top 40 PGT point earners throughout the season and 14 Dream Seat winners. The prestigious occasion sported a $1,000,000 prize pool, doubling the $500,000 that was awarded in final yr’s winner-take-all debut.

The high prize of $500,000 this yr was finally awarded to German poker professional Daniel Smiljkovic. This was the fourth-largest recorded rating for the bracelet winner from Filderstadt. He now has greater than $6 million in profession cashes to his title after this newest victory.

Smiljkovic needed to face up to a powerful show from actress Arden Cho, who got here into the day with the shortest stack, however appeared like she would possibly run away with the title at one level through the ultimate day. Smilkovic was finally capable of flip the tides, overcoming an enormous chip deficit throughout heads-up play to seize the title.

2023 was Smiljkovic’s finest yr but on the dwell scene. The longtime on-line grinder’s three largest scores all got here this yr, together with a third-place end in a $100,000 buy-in Triton Poker occasion in Vietnam for $1,450,000 and a third-place exhibiting within the huge $25,00 GGMillion$ excessive curler on the World Series of Poker Paradise pageant for almost $1.2 million. With seven PGT cashes totaling greater than $2.6 million in earnings, Smiljkovic ended the season in sixteenth place. He helped safe his spot on this freeroll occasion with three cashes through the PGT Last Chance pageant.

The PGT Championship performed out over the course of two days contained in the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The $1,000,000 prize pool was allotted to the highest six finishers, with day 1 seeing the 54-player subject narrowed all the way down to the cash.

As one would possibly count on, loads of the most important names within the recreation fell alongside the best way, together with 17-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, 10-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel, six-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu, four-time bracelet winner Nick Schulman, and lots of extra.

The ultimate desk started with Smiljkovic within the lead, having 42 % of the chips in play to begin. It didn’t take lengthy for an enormous hand to come up. Just a couple of minutes into the day, a three-way all-in noticed Artur Martirosian’s pocket queens sq. off A-Ok for each Smiljkovic and four-time World Poker Tour predominant occasion champion Darren Elias. A king-high flop was unhealthy information for Martirosan, however a river queen noticed him make a set to win the principle pot and surge into second place on the leaderboard. Smiljkovic remained out in entrance regardless of taking a loss within the hand. Elias, who ended 2023 in thirtieth place within the PGT standings, earned $40,000 because the sixth-place finisher. His lifetime match earnings grew to greater than $13.1 million in consequence.

Five-handed play continued for a few hours earlier than the subsequent elimination came about. In that span, younger German bracelet winner Leon Sturm had battled his method into the lead, whereas Martirosian had fallen to the brief stack. The two obtained concerned in a conflict that ended with all the chips within the center preflop. Martirosian’s A-Ok was flipping towards pocket fives for Sturm. An ace on the flop tipped the scales in Martirosian’s favor, however a 5 on the flip left the Russian drawing useless. He took residence $60,000 because the fifth-place finisher after ending the season because the Thirty second-ranked contender within the PGT race.

Daniel Weinman got here into this occasion with just one certified rating. It simply so occurred to be a win within the largest match of the yr: the World Series of Poker predominant occasion. Weinman topped the most important turnout ever for the massive dance, besting 10,043 entries to earn $12.1 million and a couple of,300 PGT factors. That ended up being good for 4th place within the ultimate standings, incomes the previous poker professional a seat on this freeroll. He turned the chance into $80,000 with a fourth-place end.

Weinman’s ultimate hand started with a limp from the small blind with Ok6. Smiljkovic checked his possibility with 105 andhit backside pair on the AJ10 flop. It checked to the flip and the ten improved Smiljkovic to journeys. He overbet the pot when checked to, firing 200,000 into 120,000. Weinman referred to as along with his king excessive and gutshot straight draw and the river introduced the 6. Weinman checked once more and Smiljkovic moved all-in. Weinman went into the tank along with his tens and sixes, however finally made the hero name. Smiljkovic revealed his journey tens to win the pot and slim the sphere to 3.

This was solely the third money recorded by Weinman since his career-defining win this summer time. He returned to his job at RF Poker engaged on RFID desk expertise for poker broadcasts and has not been enjoying many tournaments through the second half of the yr. Despite that truth, he did handle a runner-up end in a WSOP Circuit predominant occasion at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina.

The subsequent large hand was between Sturm, who had overtaken the lead by then, and Cho, who had climbed into second chip place due to some well-time strikes throughout short-handed play. Sturm tried a triple-barrel bluff towards the turned backside two pair of Cho. After a while within the tank, Cho referred to as Sturm’s overbet bluff together with her fours and threes to take down the pot and transfer into the lead.

Sturm by no means recovered after that pivotal conflict with Cho. He quickly discovered himself all-in and in danger for his final six or so large blinds with 102 trailing the J9 of Smiljkovic, who referred to as Sturm’s small blind shove from the massive blind. Smijkovic made a pair of nines by the river to win the pot. Sturm earned $120,000 because the third-place finisher and elevated his recorded earnings to just about $5.9 million. More than $5.2 of that has been earned because the begin of 2023.

Heads-up play started with Cho holding 4,990,000 to Smiljkovic’s 1,875,000. Right off the bat, Cho prolonged her lead with the identical turned journeys and a greater kicker than her opponent. Not lengthy after that, although, Smiljkovic gained a race with A-Ok towards pocket nines to offer himself some respiratory room.

Cho was capable of pull again out in entrance because the match continued, successful an enormous pot with high pair that become a backdoored nut flush to increase her result in almost 4:1. Smiljkovic quickly bounced again but once more, with A-5 besting Cho’s A-2 after all of the chips went within the center preflop. He made a straight on the flip to take a slight lead.

The decisive pot of the match started with him limping with Q10 on the button. Cho, who had Smiljkovic coated by simply 175,000 (1.75 large blinds) checked with J4 and the flop got here down J98, giving Smiljkovic the nut straight with an open-ended straight flush redraw. Cho check-called a wager of 125,000 together with her high pair and the flip introduced the 5. Cho checked once more and Smiljokov wager 500,000. Cho check-raised all-in and Smiljkovic rapidly referred to as for his final 3,075,000. The 9 was a mere formality as Cho was drawing useless on the flip.

Cho picked up A9 and obtained her final 175,000 in main the J5 of Smiljkovic. The board ran out 764JQ and Smiljkovic spiked a pair of jacks to win the pot and the title.

Cho earned a career-high payday of $200,000 because the runner-up. The actress is finest recognized for her work on tv exhibits like Teen Wolf, Partner Track, and the upcoming live-action model of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The cash-game aficionado primarily based in Los Angeles now has greater than $374,000 in lifetime match earnings. This deep run supplanted her earlier high rating of $71,400 earned for a Fifty fifth-place exhibiting within the 2022 World Poker Tour World Championship.

Cho was one of many Dream Seat qualifiers who participated on this occasion, representing sponsor Eat Mezcla. Of the 14, she was the one one to make the cash. Other Dream Seat winners included Albert Hart, Julio Clavell, and Steve Kearney, who obtained in by way of a drawing for PokerGO annual subscription holders. PokerGO additionally held a social media contest gained by Caleb Hancock. Ian Steinman and Ryan Bell earned seats by way of a sponsored promotion by GTO Wizard, whereas Jeff Lennon certified by means of the RunGood Poker Series.

Here is a take a look at the payouts awarded on the ultimate desk:

Isaac Haxton Wins 2023 PGT Points Race

Isaac Haxton fell simply a few spots shy of the cash on this occasion, ending eighth. Haxton ended the season atop the PGT standings, with 2,847 whole factors and greater than $7.2 million earned throughout 14 cashes. He additionally secured 4 PGT titles, together with successful the Super High Roller Bowl VIII for $2,760,000 and his first bracelet in a $25,000 occasion on the WSOP. Haxton almost gained two SHRB titles, however finally fell simply brief with a runner-up exhibiting within the first-ever pot-limit Omaha model of the nosebleed-stakes match.

Haxton now has greater than $48.9 million in profession match earnings after his unimaginable 2023 efficiency. For topping the leaderboard and changing into PGT Player of the Year, Haxton was awarded a $50,000 bonus.

Chris Brewer completed second with two qualifying titles and 24 cashes for greater than $7.4 million. 2022 PGT points-race winner Stephen Chidwick positioned third. The British poker celebrity has now completed inside the highest eight every of the primary three years of the PGT, with a median end of simply higher than fourth place.

Here is a take a look at the ultimate standings for the highest 40:

Photo credit: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.