Lawrence Chang Wins PGT Texas PLO Roundup Main Event

The 2024 PokerGO Tour Texas PLO Roundup $3,300 buy-in pot-limit Omaha principal occasion attracted an enormous discipline of 474 entries to Champions Club Texas in Houston, blowing away the $1 million assure whereas setting a document for the most important PLO prize pool in Texas historical past. That $1,422,000 was paid out among the many prime 55 finishers, with $300,000 going to eventual champion Lawrence Chang.

This was the primary recorded six-figure match rating for Chang, who is predicated in Texas. Prior to this marquee victory, his prime rating was the $25,650 he earned for a fourth-place end in a $500,000 assured $120 buy-in occasion on the 2019 L.A. Poker Classic sequence that drew 6,454 entries.

This victory additionally awarded 1,080 Card Player Player of the Year factors to Chang. This was his second final-table end of the 12 months, having additionally positioned sixth in a $5,000 PLO excessive curler at ARIA again in June. With 1,160 complete factors, he now sits inside attain of the highest 500 within the 2024 POY standings offered by Global Poker.

Among the various notables to run deep on this occasion had been 2019 World Series of Poker principal occasion third-place finisher Alex Livingston (forty fourth), four-time bracelet winner Brad Ruben (forty third), six-time bracelet winner Josh Arieh (forty first), excessive curler winners Adam Hendrix (thirty fourth) and Ronald Keijzer (thirtieth), two-time bracelet winner Martin Zamani (thirty second), 2024 WSOP principal occasion runner-up Jordan Griff (twenty seventh), Ren Lin (twenty sixth), Ben Ludlow (twenty fourth), three-time bracelet winner Sean Troha (twentieth), Anthony Hu (18th), Arthur Morris (fifteenth), and prelim occasion winner Stephanie Chung (eleventh).

The closing day started with seven gamers remaining and Chang out in entrance. LaDarren Banks was the primary to fall (seventh – $43,000), with Sean Rafael ultimately following in sixth place ($51,000) after greater than two hours of six-handed play. Rafael’s overpair of kings and nut flush draw was outran by the center pair and wrap draw of Senovio Ramirez, who made a seven-high straight on the tip to attain the knockout. This was Rafael’s second final-table of the sequence, having positioned second in one of many three $5,100 buy-in excessive rollers held on the schedule.

Kyle Arora had moved into the chip lead at one level within the early going of the ultimate day, however discovered himself because the shortest stack throughout five-handed motion. He ultimately obtained his final 4 large blinds in with 8664 going through the AJ83 of Andrew Ige. The board ran out OkayOkayQ8A and Ige made aces as much as get rid of Arora in fifth place ($60,000). This was Arora’s third-largest rating but.

Sterling Savill started the day because the quick stack, however managed to outlive to the ultimate 4. He obtained his closing chips in with AOkayQJ going through the A754 of a surging Ige. Savill hit prime two on a OkayJ5 flop, however Ige turned journeys to take the lead with the 5. The 8 river then improved Ige to a flush to see Savill despatched packing in fourth place ($80,000). He now has almost $1.2 million in profession cashes to his identify.

It was a traditional PLO preflop showdown for the subsequent large all-in, with Ramirez’s AA109 going through off in opposition to Ige’s QJ108 in a battle of the blinds. It was four-bet by Ramirez preflop from the small blind, rising the pot to eight,775,000 when Ige referred to as. The first three playing cards off the deck had been J92. Ramirez moved all-in for his remaining 3,800,000 together with his overpair and Ige referred to as together with his pair and wrap draw. The flip was the Q to offer Ige a queen-high straight and two pair. The 6 accomplished the board and Ramirez was eradicated in third place, incomes $120,000 for his third profession six-figure rating.

Things have heated up inside @ChampionsClubTX as we have reached heads-up play on the Final Table of the Main Event on the 2024 Texas PLO Roundup

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— PokerGO (@PokerGO) November 26, 2024

Heads-up play started with Ige holding a 9:5 chip lead over Chang. The lead modified palms a few instances, nevertheless it was Chang sitting barely forward when the ultimate hand of the match was dealt. With blinds of 125,000-250,000 with a giant blind ante of 250,000, Chang raised to 1,000,000 on the button with 8654 and Ige referred to as with AJ98. The flop got here down 1093 and Ige checked. Chang checked behind and the flip introduced an motion card within the 7. Ige guess 1,600,000 with the jack-high straight and the nut membership redraw. Chang potted together with his ten-high straight and coronary heart draw and Ige moved all-in. Chang referred to as, establishing a showdown for basically the entire chips in play (Chang had Ige coated by a handful of huge blinds). The river introduced the A to finish Chang’s flush, profitable him the title. Ige earned a career-high windfall of $200,000 for his runner-up show.

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

Photo credit: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.