Chino Rheem entered the Event #2: $10,200 Big Bet Mix final table second in chips and navigated a stacked last six to capture his 4th career PGT title and the $171,000 first-place prize.
This was Rheem’s fifth straight final table inside the PokerGo studio and seventh in the last three weeks, as he has now positioned himself atop the leaderboard as he looks to capture the player of the series trophy that eluded him during Poker Master. In addition to being atop the PGT Mixed Game II series leaderboard, Rheem also moves into the top 40 at 38th place in the overall PGT standings as he looks to qualify for the end-of-year freeroll.
“I’m obviously trying to play much better, and I’m running really good here. I love playing in the studio. Things are going really well, I love playing with all these guys, you feel like a family here,” Rheem said. “In my entire career, this is the sickest heater that I’ve been on in 20 years of playing poker. I’m just riding it trying to stay humble, stay present, appreciate everything, and stay grateful.”
Rheem quickly took the chip lead when he picked off a Stephen Chidwick bluff in No-Limit Hold’em in the day’s second level, but it took a fortuitous draw to stay at the top.
Playing No Limit 5 Card Draw, Adam Friedman opened the cutoff to 225,000, and Rheem moved all in from the small blind with a covering stack. Friedman called for 1,400,000 and tabled jacks and sevens for two pair. Rheem tabled tens and eights and was in rough shape. Friedman peeled a duece, but when Rheem pulled the eight of clubs, he improved to a full house, crossed the five million chip mark, and sent Friedman to the payout desk in 6th place for $34,200.
Rheem continued the hot start as he eliminated Ben Yu in 5th place for $45,600 and then watched Chidwick eliminated John Hennigan in 4th place for $57,000 to set up three-handed play. Andres Korn would wrestle the chip lead away from Rheem as three-handed play raged on, but Rheem would do the heavy lifting.
Playing pot limit 2-7 triple draw, Chidwick would find himself all in with eight-seven-four-deuce against the nine-six-five-three of Rheem with one draw to go and nearly five million in the middle. Chidwick would catch an eight to make a pair, and when Rheem pulled a queen, that was good enough to send Chidwick home in third place for $79,800.
Heads-up was all Rheem as he turned on the jets and quickly distanced himself from Korn as he built a nearly three-to-one chip lead. In the tournament’s final hand, playing Pot Limit Omaha eight or better, Rheem flopped a ten-high straight against Korn’s top set of nines.
All the money went in on the flop, and when the board failed to pair on the turn or the river, Rheem captured the title and sent Korn to the payout desk in 2nd place for $114,000.
