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Chino Rheem became the king of the premiere Heads-up Showdown
If you watch poker news regularly, you certainly haven't missed the news in the highest poker circles - it's the PGT Heads-Up Showdown, in which 32 daredevils paid a $25k buy-in to take part in the heads-up bracket. It gradually led to the first place, where the crown and a reward of $400,000 were waiting for the best.
After three rounds, the last game evening was waiting for the players yesterday, during which two semi-final matches were planned and a subsequent final finish for the prestigious title. The best of the spades team was Justin Young, who was facing a duel with Darren Elias, while the other semifinal was a duel between Isaac Kempton and Chino Rheem.
The winners of these two heads-ups came Chino Rheem and Darren Elias, which meant that the spectators were waiting for the final duel between the three- and four-time WPT champions. Each player had a guaranteed $200,000 before the start, but another $200k was still up for grabs. The fighting lasted almost two hours before a flop crash decided everything, where Chino held a flush draw and Darren top pair.
Thanks to the completed flush on the river, it was finally decided that the historically first champion of this show was Chino Rheem, who thanks to this win increased his live tournament winnings to the level of $12.3 million, which ranks him 79th in worldwide all-time money list.
“I feel really great! Honestly, it was a great honor for me to just get the opportunity to play this event, especially looking at where I was not even a year ago. It's a great feeling to come back and even win!” In an interview after the win, Chino hinted at his long-standing alcohol problems, which he seems to have finally won. "It's no secret that my life was full of wins and falls, at one point I found myself in a very dark place, from which I thought there would be no return. I am very grateful that I have found the light and God, and that for the first time in my career I have played a poker tournament sober and clean - I am a great debtor for all those who help me on this journey."
Source: PGT.com