Texas Hold’em went to the back seat in the early days of March at the PokerGO Studio, as the best mixed game players came together to play their portion of the PokerGO Tour.
The PGT Mixed Games festival drew a couple of hundred of the most successful and renowned mixed games players in the world, including the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Benny Glaser, and Nick Schulman.
The festival saw several big names take down new PGT titles, but it was Chino Rheem who eventually came away as the PGT Mixed Games champion, taking home the PGT Gold Cup and a $10,000 PGT Passport.
The likes of Adam Friedman, Maxx Coleman, Daniel Negreanu, and James Obst all had successful series of their own, each adding a new PGT title to their illustrious resumes.
Chino Rheem Crowned Champion for the Second Time
Chino Rheem has been a staple of the poker community for decades and a player with plenty of success in both NLH and mixed games.
For the second time in his career, Rheem was named the champion at the PGT Mixed Games festival, a feat that he first accomplished in 2023.
Both times, it was Nick Schulman, a prolific mixed games player in his own right, who came close in the race and finished just behind Rheem, but both trophies went Chino’s way.
This time around, Rheem earned himself the trophy by winning Event #4, the $10,200 8-Game Mix, which drew 92 players and awarded the champion $195,500. Chino defeated Josh Arieh, another well-known name in the high-stakes poker scene, in the heads up battle for the trophy.
Along the way, Chino also came 3rd in Event #3, the $10,200 HORSE, and 8th in Event #6, the $15,200 Dealer’s Choice, good for a grand total of 384 PGT points.
These results put Chino in the 8th place on the overall PGT Leaderboard for the year with a total of 422 PGT points.
Negreanu, Obst, and Coleman All Victorious
Whenever a mixed game festival comes together at these stakes, you can bet that a whose who of tournament poker will show up to compete.
It was no different this time around, as every table at the PokerGO Studio was stacked with some of the most recognizable faces in the industry.
It didn’t take very long for one of them to come out on top either, as Adam Friedman won Event #2 for $170,200 after beating the biggest field of the festival made up of 148 players.
After Rheem’s win in Event #4, it was Maxx Coleman’s turn to add some silverware to his cabinets, as he took down Event #5, playfully dubbed Mori’s Mix. Interestingly enough, Mori Eskandani actually came second in this event, justifying the event’s name in every way.
The world’s most popular poker player, Daniel Negreanu was able to come away with the victory in one of the bigger buyins of the series, the $15,200 Dealer’s Choice, which was good for $292,500, while James Obst took down the final $25,300 10-Game Championship for $462,000.
Here is a quick look at all the champions, runner-ups, and the other key details from this week’s events.
| Event | Champion | Runner-Up | 1st Place Prize |
| #1 – $5,100 HORSE | Nicolas Milgrom | Jerry Wong | $159,200 |
| #2 – $5,100 8-Game | Adam Friedman | Tal Avivi | $170,200 |
| #3 – $10,200 HORSE | Ryan Miller | Samuel Sternfield | $247,000 |
| #4 – $10,200 8-Game | Chino Rheem | Josh Arieh | $195,500 |
| #5 – $10,200 Mori’s Mix | Maxx Coleman | Mori Eskandani | $210,000 |
| #6 – $15,200 Dealer’s Choice | Daniel Negreanu | Nick Schulman | $292,500 |
| #7 – $25,300 10-Game Championship | James Obst | Aaron Sacks | $462,000 |
Chad Eveslage Wins a Mixed Game Title of His Own
While not technically a part of the PGT Mixed Games festival, the $100,000 Super High Roller Bowl Mixed Games was played on the tail end of the series, allowing the players already in town to jump into the action.
This event drew in only 29 players, thanks mostly to its high buyin, which meant only the very best players were in the field.
Five out of the 29 made the money, and it was a truly stacked final table, as Daniel Negreanu, Benny Glaser, Yuri Dzivilievski, and Chad Eveslage all made it to the final five.
Somewhat surprisingly, it was Mike Moncek, better known as Texas Mike, who managed to upset these players and join the mix, eventually making it all the way to heads up action, before losing the match to Eveslage.
Not known as a mixed games specialist, Texas Mike showed once more than he is perhaps not being given enough credit by the poker fans, as he continued his hot run on this year’s PGT.
Eveslage eventually won the $1,200,000 first-place prize, along with 400 PGT Leaderboard points, while Mike had to settle for another $725,000 added to his poker bankroll.
Here is a look at the final five players and their payouts in this year’s Super High Roller Bowl Mixed Games:
| Place | Player | Cash |
| 1st | Chad Eveslage | $1,200,000 |
| 2nd | “Texas” Mike Moncek | $725,000 |
| 3rd | Yuri Dzivilievski | $450,000 |
| 4th | Daniel Negreanu | $300,000 |
| 5th | Benny Glaser | $225,000 |
Up Next – The Great Game of Pot Limit Omaha
The mixed games portion of this year’s PGT may be over, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to play Texas Hold’em just yet.
Instead, the players will be focused on Pot Limit Omaha next, with the PGT PLO Series kicking-off on March 25 and running over 11 events.
This series will be a thrill of the likes of Jared Bleznick and Daniel Negreanu, who believe PLO to be their best game, and who will certainly be looking to extend their PGT records in the coming weeks.
With significantly more players interested in playing PLO events than mixed games, we can expect the coming Series to draw in a much bigger crowd and pay out some massive prize pools.
Stay tuned for more news from the PokerGO Tour and the upcoming PGT PLO Series later this month.
