Michael Wang Goes Back-to-Back at Stairway to Millions for Third Title
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Michael Wang is climbing his way up the PokerGO Stairway to Millions at the Venetian in Las Vegas as he took down Event #5: $1,640 No-Limit Hold'em on Sept. 12 for $22,986 before going on to win the very next event.
That victory in Event #6: $1,640 No-Limit Hold'em earned the Vegas grinder $22,458 and his third career Stairway to Millions title — making him the first player to earn such a distinction. In January, Wang took down a $15,800 buy-in event at the inaugural Stairway to Millions at ARIA Resort and Casino in January for $219,300.
Read about Michael Wang's first Stairway to Millions title!
First to Win Three Titles
The second annual Stairway to Millions, a unique series that not only awards cashing players prize money, but also tickets into the ever-increasing buy-in events, kicked off at Venetian Las Vegas on Sept. 8 and will run through Sept. 20.
Wang began his recent heater by getting through a field of 73 runners in Event #5 that included Maria Konnikova, Victoria Livschitz and Ryan Laplante, who ended up in third for $9,340, according to PokerGO live updates.
Wang went on to defeat heads-up opponent Mikael Andersen, who took home $14,355.
Event #5: $1,640 No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | COUNTRY | PRIZE (IN USD) | ||
| 1st | Michael Wang | United States | $22,986 | ||
| 2nd | Mikael Andersen | United States | $14,355 | ||
| 3rd | Ryan Laplante | United States | $9,340 | ||
| 4th | Qing Liu | United States | $6,342 | ||
| 5th | Josue Aguirre | Mexico | $4,502 | ||
| 6th | Charles Capobianco | United States | $3,349 |
In Event #6, Wang again made a deep run and through the field of 75 entrants and ended up at the final table with the likes of Stephen Song, Kenny Huynh and Brett Kennedy.
Wang eventually got heads-up against Freddy Heller, who held a nearly five-to-one chip lead over Wang at one point, according to PokerGO updates. Wang managed to climb back and eliminated Heller to win his second title of the series and a second seat into Event #8: $5,350 NLH.
Event #6: $1,640 No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | COUNTRY | PRIZE (IN USD) | ||
| 1 | Michael Wang | United States | $22,458 | ||
| 2 | Freddy Heller | United States | $14,044 | ||
| 3 | Kenny Huynh | United States | $9,149 | ||
| 4 | Stephen Song | United States | $6,220 | ||
| 5 | Fred Tada | United States | $4,422 | ||
| 6 | Brett Kennedy | United States | $3,293 |
With the victory, Wang, who now has $4.5 million in Hendon Mob-reported earnings, became the first player to win three Stairway to Millions titles.
Additionally, he became just the third player to win back-to-back titles in the new PokerGO series, joining Chance Kornuth, who won Event #2 and Event #3 at the first annual Stairway to Millions in January, and Nick Petrangelo, who won the final two events of that series.
Other Winners
The series kicked off on Thursday, September 8 with Event #1: $460 NLH, a tournament that attracted 93 runners and offered up a $37,200 prize pool. Francis Anderson came out on top to win $6,702 plus a $1,640 ticket to compete in either Event #5 or #6.
Anderson, who earlier this summer finished third in Event #21: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold'em at the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for a career-best $449,912, nearly went back-to-back in Event #2: $460 NLH, ultimately finishing runner-up in a 94-entry field to John Yelaney, who captured a $6,417 top prize.
Finishing third in that tournament was India’s Arsh Grover, who turned right around and bested an 82-entry field to win Event #3: $900 NLH for $12,510. Meanwhile, in Event #4: $900 NLH, 2020 WSOP Tag Team champion Samy Dighlawi navigated his way through a 74-entry field to win an $11,330 top prize.
A full list of Stairway to Millions winners so far is available in the table below.
Stairway to Millions Winners So Far
| DATE | EVENT | ENTRANTS | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
| Thursday, September 8 | Event #1: $460 NLH $25K GTD | 93 | $37,200 | Francis Anderson | $6,702 | |
| Friday, September 9 | Event #2: $460 NLH $25K GTD | 94 | $37,600 | John Yelaney | $6,417 | |
| Saturday, September 10 | Event #3: $900 NLH $50K GTD | 82 | $65,600 | Arsh Grover | $12,510 | |
| Sunday, September 11 | Event #4: $900 NLH $50K GTD | 74 | $59,200 | Samy Dighlawi | $11,330 | |
| Monday, September 12 | Event #5: $1,640 NLH | 73 | $109,500 | Michael Wang | $22,986 | |
| Tuesday, September 13 | Event #6: $1,640 NLH | 75 | $112,500 | Michael Wang | $22,458 |
More Events to Come
There are still a handful of Stairway to Millions titles up for grabs, including in the currently underway Event #7: $2,740 NLH and Event #8: $5,350 NLH.
The stakes will double remaining tournament until the final event on Sept. 19, which will see players putting up $52,000 for a shot at the $600,000 guaranteed prize pool.
The remaining schedule at the second annual Stairway to Millions is available in the table below.
Stairway to Millions Remaining Schedule
| DATE | EVENT | |
| Wednesday, September 14 | Event #7: $2,740 NL Hold’em ($100,000 GTD) | |
| Thursday, September 15 | Event #8: $5,350 NL Hold’em ($100,000 GTD) | |
| Friday, September 16 | Event #9: $10,400 NL Hold’em ($200,000 GTD) | |
| Saturday, September 17 | Event #10: $16,800 NL Hold’em ($300,000 GTD) | |
| Sunday, September 18 | Event #11: $26,000 NL Hold’em ($500,000 GTD) | |
| Monday, September 19 | Event #12: $52,000 NL Hold’em ($600,000 GTD) |
Photos courtesy PokerGO
