Japanese Vlogging Superstar Wins PokerGO Tour Kickoff Event

Masato ‘World Wide’ Yokosawa is without doubt one of the most profitable poker vloggers on this planet. The Japanese skilled participant’s YouTube channel has 945,000 subscribers, with pages stuffed with movies in regards to the 32-year-old’s life on the circuit with many sporting view counts within the tens of millions.

Yokosawa has discovered loads of success on the felt alongside the way in which, together with profitable the World Poker Tour Korea predominant occasion title again in 2013. The Tokyo resident’s newest triumph noticed him come out on prime within the third occasion of the 2025 PokerGO Tour Kickoff collection competition. Yokosawa beat a discipline of 112 entries within the $5,000 no-limit maintain’em event to earn $142,800 and his first PGT trophy.

Thanks to this victory, Yokosawa has surpassed $1.7 million in recorded event earnings. His largest payout but got here again in 2023, when he completed forty fifth within the World Series of Poker predominant occasion for $188,400.

The 480 Card Player Player of the Year factors that got here with this win have been sufficient to maneuver Yokosawa into seventieth place within the 2025 POY standings offered by Global Poker. He additionally secured 286 PGT factors, sufficient to maneuver into second place within the early season-long standings.

The prime 16 finishers earned a bit of the $560,000 prize pool on this occasion, with 9 gamers busting inside the cash earlier than the top of day 1 motion. Just seven gamers returned to the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas for day 2, with Yokosawa main the way in which.

Pocket aces featured prominently all through this last desk. Yokosawa picked up AA towards the QQ of two-time bracelet winner Justin Saliba to attain the primary knockout of the day. Then, after eliminating Michael Vanier (sixth – $28,000), Neil Warren coolered Yokosawa proper again, with AA besting OkayOkay.

The Ultimate Cooler for Masato Yokosawa! Aces vs. Kings at PGT Kickoff!

: https://t.co/34Dxw3w9PM pic.twitter.com/ZkYREgtDsr

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) January 23, 2025

Ten-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel’s run on this occasion got here to an finish when his pocket sixes have been unable to outrun the Q-7 suited of Blake Vogdes. Seidel earned $36,400 because the fifth-place finisher. The Poker Hall of Fame member now has greater than $48.4 million in lifetime cashes below his belt.

Despite scoring that knockout, Vogdes was the subsequent to fall. He misplaced a traditional preflop race with Q10 towards the three3 of Warren to go dwelling with $50,400.

Yokosawa gained the subsequent key pot with the hand of the day: pocket aces. He limped from the small blind for 250,000 whole with AA and known as a elevate to 700,000 from Nicholas Seward, who held Okay10. The flop got here down 1032 and Yokosawa check-called 325,000 along with his overpair. The 2 paired the board and Yokosawa check-called once more, this time for 825,000. The 5 on the top noticed Yokosawa transfer all-in. Seward made the fast name with tens up and was eradicated in third place ($64,400).

Heads-up play started with 8,600,000 for Yokosawa and 5,400,000 for Warren. That hole grew forward of the ultimate hand. Warren shoved for 3,325,000 from the button with A6 and Yokosawa known as with A2. The board got here down 54242 and deuces stuffed with fours gave Yokosawa the pot and the title. Warren walked away with $89,600 because the runner-up.

Masato Yokosawa takes down his first Las Vegas victory for $142,800 at PGT Kickoff! pic.twitter.com/MvTi7hRAKq

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) January 24, 2025

Here is a take a look at the payouts and rankings factors awarded on the last desk:

Photo credit: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.