Chino Rheem Among the Early Winners in PokerGO Tour's Mixed Games II Series
The PokerGO Studio is back in action after Stephen Chidwick won the Purple Jacket at last month’s Poker Masters — this time with the second edition of the popular PokerGO Tour Mixed Games series.
Four of nine events have come and gone in PGT Mixed Games II, and the leaderboard is a mix of familiar faces and mixed-game experts. Event #2 winner Chino Rheem leads the way after one win and two cashes in the first four events, while David Funkhouser lurks close behind after a victory in the opening event of the series. Dzmitry Urbanovich rounds out the top three after he topped Daniel Negreanu in heads-up play to win Event #4.
Funkhouser Wins H.O.R.S.E.; Rheem Beats Star-Studded Big Bet Final Table
The series kicked off with 72 entries jumping in for Event #1: $10,200 H.O.R.S.E., and Funkhouser took down the top prize of $187,200 after the defeat of Paul Volpe in heads-up play. Volpe, the Day 1 chip leader, joined a final table that included third-place finisher Eli Elezra and fourth-place finisher Rheem. Anthony Zinno and Dylan Weisman rounded out the top six.
Funkhouser fought back after finding himself short-stacked in six-handed play, thanks in part to a straight to scoop a big pot against Rheem in Omaha Hi-Lo. The champ went from the bottom of the leaderboard to the top and held off a late run by Volpe in heads-up play to take it down.
Event #1: $10,200 H.O.R.S.E. Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize | PGT Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Funkhouser | $187,200 | 187 |
| 2 | Paul Volpe | $136,800 | 137 |
| 3 | Eli Elezra | $93,600 | 94 |
| 4 | Chino Rheem | $72,000 | 72 |
| 5 | Anthony Zinno | $57,600 | 58 |
| 6 | Dylan Weisman | $43,200 | 43 |
Rheem followed up his fourth-place finish in the opening event with a victory in Event #2: $10,200 Big Bet Mix for $171,000. The final table included Day 1 chip leader and third-place finisher Chidwick, as well as Andres Korn — who finished in second after he came into the final table on the short stack.
Finishing in fourth place was the legendary John Hennigan, while Ben Yu and Adam Friedman rounded out the top six. The final table was the fifth consecutive for Rheem on the PokerGO Tour after he finished the Poker Masters series with three deep runs.
Event #2: $10,200 Big Bet Mix Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chino Rheem | $171,000 | 171 |
| 2 | Andres Korn | $114,000 | 114 |
| 3 | Stephen Chidwick | $79,800 | 80 |
| 4 | John Hennigan | $57,000 | 57 |
| 5 | Ben Yu | $45,600 | 46 |
| 6 | Adam Friedman | $34,200 | 34 |
Prociak Wins 10-Game Mini; Urbanovich Beats Negreanu
The mini-version of the series climax drew 72 entries and David Prociak beat Philip Sternheimer on the final day to win $93,600 in Event #3: $5,100 10-Game Mini Championship. The final two players returned on Day 2 to battle it out after they entered final table play one-two on the leaderboard, and Prociak overcame Sternheimer’s two-to-one chip lead to take the win.
Bradley Ruben was the final elimination on Day 1, while Seth Perlman, Jeremy Ausmus, and Alex Livingston rounded out the top six. Hal Rothold also made the final table of seven players and bowed out for $18,000 in seventh place.
The win was the first for Prociak on the PokerGO Tour.
Event #3: $5,100 10-Game Mini Championship Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Prociak | $93,600 | 94 |
| 2 | Philip Sternheimer | $64,800 | 65 |
| 3 | Bradley Ruben | $46,800 | 47 |
| 4 | Seth Perlman | $36,000 | 36 |
| 5 | Jeremy Ausmus | $28,800 | 29 |
| 6 | Alex Livingston | $21,600 | 22 |
Negreanu entered Day 2 with the chip lead in the Event #4: $10,200 8-Game, but Dzmitry Urbanovich was the one to beat the 56-entrant field for the top prize of $179,200.
Urbanovich entered Day 2 in fourth on a leaderboard of six, but a red-hot run in Razz sent him on the path to victory. Arthur Morris finished in third and Max Hoffman bowed out in fourth, while Zinno picked up his second cash of the series along with Hennigan for their fifth and sixth place finishes, respectively.
Negreanu nearly missed a victory after heads-up play started with the final two players nearly even in chips, but a rivered straight in Pot Limit Omaha gave Urbanovich a lead that he would not relinquish. Negreanu got it in a few hands later but Urbanovich held him off to secure the win.
Event #4: $10,200 8-Game Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | $179,200 | 179 |
| 2 | Daniel Negreanu | $117,600 | 118 |
| 3 | Arthur Morris | $78,400 | 78 |
| 4 | Max Hoffman | $56,000 | 56 |
| 5 | Anthony Zinno | $44,800 | 45 |
| 6 | John Hennigan | $33,600 | 34 |
PGT Mixed Games II Points Race
Players are fighting for their spot on a leaderboard that will award $25,000 to the winner at the end of nine events. Rheem is in the lead after a win and two cashes in the first four tournaments, while Funkhouser trails him with Urbanovich close behind. Volpe and Negreanu are also in the top five after their respective runner-up finishes.
PGT Mixed Games II Leaderboard (through 4 events)
| Rank | Player | Points | Wins | Cashes | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chino Rheem | 243 | 1 | 2 | $243,000 |
| 2 | David Funkhouser | 187 | 1 | 1 | $187,200 |
| 3 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | 179 | 1 | 1 | $179,200 |
| 4 | Paul Volpe | 137 | 0 | 1 | $136,800 |
| 5 | Daniel Negreanu | 118 | 0 | 1 | $117,600 |
| 6 | Andres Korn | 114 | 0 | 1 | $114,000 |
| 7 | Eli Elezra | 108 | 0 | 2 | $108,000 |
| 8 | Anthony Zinno | 103 | 0 | 2 | $102,400 |
| 9 | Arthur Morris | 95 | 0 | 2 | $95,500 |
| 10 | David Prociak | 94 | 1 | 1 | $93,600 |
The fifth event, a $10,000 Triple Stud Mix, will crown a winner on Wednesday while the $10,000 Dealer’s Choice kicks off concurrently. The final $10,000 event is a Triple Draw Mix before the prestigious $25,000 10-Game Championship closes the series along with a one-day $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw on Saturday, Oct. 14.
Be sure to check in with the PokerNews team for recaps of the action in PGT Mixed Games II at the PokerGO Studio at Aria Las Vegas.
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*Images courtesy of PokerGO / Antonio Abrego
