Gal Yifrach Stages Dramatic Comeback in the Main Event!
American pro Gal Yifrach gave himself the best birthday present by capturing the NAPT Las Vegas Main Event 2025 title right before turning 39! In a field of 738 entries, the seasoned player clinched the PS Golden Shard trophy and a prize of $543,025, defeating Belgian favorite Thomas Boivin in the final showdown.
The final day did not start ideally for Yifrach. He began fourth in chips and was initially hovering around 15 big blinds, while Boivin controlled the table with more than half the chips in play. Yet, the American managed an impressive turnaround, swinging the heads-up final in his favor. The pivotal hand occurred when Yifrach went all-in pre-flop with A d 9 d against Boivin's attempt to double up with T c T d. The board 9 s 4 d 3 d 5 d Q s completed a flush for Yifrach, sealing his victory.
“It was my birthday, so I decided to play the tournament. My mom surprised me by visiting Vegas, so everything was perfect,” the happy champion shared after the finale. This win marks Yifrach's largest victory since earning a WSOP bracelet in 2018, bringing him closer to $3 million in live tournament earnings.
|
Rank |
Player |
Country |
Prize |
|
1. |
Gal Yifrach |
USA |
$543,025* |
|
2. |
Thomas Boivin |
Belgium |
$518,575* |
|
3. |
Jen Shahade |
USA |
$291,800 |
|
4. |
Ekrem Bozkurt |
USA |
$224,450 |
|
5. |
Michael Berk |
USA |
$172,650 |
|
6. |
Peter Mugar |
USA |
$132,850 |
|
7. |
Abdullah Akbarpoor |
Turkey |
$102,200 |
|
8. |
Richard Green |
USA |
$78,600 |
Vitalijs Zavorotnijs Dominates $10K High Roller
The final day of NAPT Las Vegas 2025 also saw another spectacular finale. Latvian pro Vitalijs Zavorotnijs emerged victorious in Event #42: $10,300 High Roller, securing a victory worth $358,400 (his second-largest career win) and claiming his first PGT title.
Zavorotnijs triumphed over 158 entries, defeating experienced American pro Bin Weng heads-up. On his path to victory, he faced poker elites including Sam Laskowitz, Kristen Foxen, Isaac Haxton, and Aram Oganyan.
For his win, Zavorotnijs earned 358 PGT points, propelling him to the top of the NAPT Las Vegas Dream Seat Leaderboard.
|
Rank |
Player |
Country |
Prize |
|
1. |
Vitalijs Zavorotnijs |
Latvia |
$358,400 |
|
2. |
Bin Weng |
USA |
$224,100 |
|
3. |
Sam Laskowitz |
USA |
$160,000 |
|
4. |
Barry Woods |
USA |
$123,100 |
|
5. |
Daniel Lee |
USA |
$94,700 |
|
6. |
Kristen Foxen |
Canada |
$72,800 |
|
7. |
Isaac Haxton |
USA |
$59,200 |
|
8. |
Aram Oganyan |
USA |
$49,300 |
Nick Petrangelo Secures Spot at PGT Championship
The conclusion of the NAPT Las Vegas 2025 series brought the unveiling of the final Dream Seat Leaderboard standings. Although Vitalijs Zavorotnijs collected the most points (358) thanks to his $10K High Roller victory, he failed to meet the requirement of at least two ITM finishes, preventing him from securing a spot in the prestigious PGT Championship, set for January 2026 at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas.
The spot thus went to runner-up Nick Petrangelo, who confirmed his elite player status throughout the series. Petrangelo cashed twice—finishing 2nd in the $10K Mystery Bounty and later winning the $20K Super High Roller Warm Up. In total, he garnered 319 PGT points and winnings of $380,730.
Only the top 40 players from the PGT leaderboard, along with winners of Dream Seat promotions, such as those from the NAPT series, will make it to the PGT Championship, which boasts a guaranteed $1,000,000 prize pool.
|
Rank |
Player |
PGT Points |
ITM Placements |
Winnings |
|
1. |
Vitalijs Zavorotnijs |
358 |
1 |
$358,400 |
|
2. |
Nick Petrangelo |
319 |
2 |
$380,730 |
|
3. |
Sam Soverel |
267 |
3 |
$266,140 |
|
4. |
Stephen Chidwick |
263 |
2 |
$608,530 |
|
5. |
Bin Weng |
224 |
1 |
$224,100 |
|
6. |
Jordan Glazer |
211 |
4 |
$248,060 |
|
7. |
Sam Laskowitz |
199 |
2 |
$199,400 |
|
8. |
Joao Simao |
196 |
2 |
$195,100 |
|
9. |
Kristen Foxen |
190 |
2 |
$219,600 |
|
10. |
Cary Katz |
173 |
3 |
$324,500 |
Sources: PSlive, PGT, Flickr, Hendon Mob, PokerNews
