Kristen Foxen Bests Negreanu & Cracks Husband's Aces to Win PGT Kickoff Finale
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After vowing to make changes to his game following a rough year, Daniel Negreanu came within inches of winning his second poker tournament of 2024 before falling to Kristen Foxen.
On Tuesday, Foxen defeated Negreanu during heads-up play PokerGO Tour Kickoff Series Event #5: 10,100 No-Limit Hold'em for $165,000 as the four-time bracelet winner added to her $7.1 million in live earnings and picked up her first live tournament win since just days before the COVID lockdowns in 2020.
Negreanu had the final table chip lead in the 50-player tournament, but Foxen made a late rally that included eliminating her husband, Alex Foxen, in a suck-out that saw Kristen cracking Alex's aces to send him out in fifth place for $40,000.
Watch the brutal hand below:
PokerGO Tour Kickoff Event #5 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kristen Foxen | $165,000 |
| 2 | Daniel Negreanu | $105,000 |
| 3 | Samuel Laskowitz | $70,000 |
| 4 | Aram Zobian | $50,000 |
| 5 | Alex Foxen | $40,000 |
| 6 | Masashi Oya | $30,000 |
Foxen Runs Hot During Heads-Up Play
Entering the Day 2 at the final table, Negreanu had a sizable chip lead over his five remaining opponents. Aram Zobian, who eventually busted in fourth place ($50,000), had the closest stack at 1,630,000, about 900,000 chips off the lead. Alex Foxen and Kristen Foxen each had under 1 million chips.
Early on Day 2 action, Alex Foxen took out Masashi Oya in sixth place ($30,000), but was still well off the chip lead. Kristen Foxen would then catch a lucky flop with pocket queens all in preflop to crack Alex's pocket aces when a queen fell.
With four players left, Negreanu and Kristen Foxen had control of the tournament. Negreanu would win a race to bust Zobian in fourth place, and then Samuel Laskowitz exited in third place ($70,000).
When heads-up play began, Foxen held a 4:3 chip advantage, but early on in the match the battle went back and forth. And then Foxen, with 9x6♣ on a board of 3♣4♣6♠2♣K♣ called a huge river bet to take down a crucial pot against 7♥7♦. That put her into better than a 3:1 chip lead.
But Negreanu, who won a PGT event last week, didn't just give up against the tough opponent. He battled back, but then lost a monster pot with a small pair calling off a large river bet against trips.
Down to around 15 big blinds, it was either time Negreanu to make a move or to settle for second place.
Foxen, who was up about 5:1 in chips, began to use the big stack to her advantage. On a board of 9x9x3xKxKx, she bet out 550,000 with eight-high, but then Negreanu made a huge gutsy play, jamming all in playing the board (he flopped a pair of 3's) for just 935,000 to take down the pot.
Still, Foxen was able to battle back into the chip lead before open-jamming with a suited jack-six as Negreanu called off his crumbs with king-nine. A jack-high flop left Negreanu drawing to a king and he couldn't hit it as he was denied his second tournament victory of the new year.
Negreanu was gracious in his loss and wrote on X that "Kristen is tough as nails and deserved the win."
Breakout Series For David Coleman
The PGT Kickoff Series consisted of five events and kicked off with David Coleman winning Event #1: $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em for $120,150 as he defeated heads-up opponent Aram Zobian.
It was just the beginning of a spectacular run for the New Jersey grinder. He finished fifth in Event #2 before a runner-up finish in Event #3 to Justin Young. After that, Coleman, who has $3.5 million in earnings and booked his first live tournament win earlier this month at the Venetian, had more left in the tank and took down Event #4 for $73,800.
The Event #2 title went to Dylan Weisman, a poker coach and bracelet winner who was playing his first tournament of the new year. Reflecting on his victory worth $121,500, Weisman said his performance "was by far the hottest I've ever run at a FT."
"Feels very good to get a W under my belt to start the year," he wrote on X.
A full list of winners at the PGT Kickoff Series is available in the table below.
PGT Kickoff Series Winners
| EVENT | ENTRIES | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em | 89 | $445,000 | David Coleman | $120,150 | |
| Event #2: $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em | 90 | $450,000 | Dylan Weisman | $121,500 | |
| Event #3: $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em | 73 | $365,000 | Justin Young | $105,850 | |
| Event #4: $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em | 41 | $205,000 | David Coleman | $73,800 | |
| Event #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em | 50 | $500,000 | Kristen Foxen | $165,000 |
*Feature image courtesy of PokerGO.
