Chino Rheem Conquers the Rollercoaster Finale in Event #5 ($10,100 NLH)
Seasoned American pro Chino Rheem arrived at the final table of the fifth event as the chipleader, and he converted this advantage into his fourth PGT title in 2025. The start of the final table was dominated by others – just the second hand saw a 3-way all-in with AA, KK, and AK, resulting in two quick eliminations.
Soon after, Rheem ousted Stephen Song in 4th place, leading to a crucial moment: Nikitin's AK couldn't prevail over Rheem's AT when a ten landed on the flop, pushing the tournament into heads-up play. Rheem entered this with a 12-to-1 chip lead against Daniyal Gheba, and it wrapped up just two hands later. This 7th career PGT title netted Rheem $280,000 and put him in 3rd place in the race for the purple jacket.
| # | Name | Country | Amount |
| 1 | Chino Rheem | USA | $280,000 |
| 2 | Daniyal Gheba | USA | $185,000 |
| 3 | Anatoly Nikitin | Russia | $129,000 |
| 4 | Stephen Song | USA | $100,500 |
| 5 | John Riordan | USA | $72,500 |
| 6 | Andrew Lichtenberger | USA | $56,200 |
| 7 | Aram Zobian | USA | $44,800 |
Alex Foxen Claims Tenth PGT Title in Event #6 ($10,100 NLH)
After a day filled with swings, Alex Foxen secured his first live title from Poker Masters, marking his tenth win on the PGT circuit. His first “online” title from this series came in 2020, but this time he achieved it under the lights of the PokerGO Studio, after a finale where he exchanged the chiplead with Doug Lee like a pendulum. The sweet victory brought $272,000 and 272 PGT points, propelling him back to the top of the season-long PGT leaderboard (2,404 points). pgt.com
The start of the final table quickly sent Weng and Sullivan to the payout desk, after which the remaining four battled for over two levels. Andrew Lichtenberger eventually finished fourth, shortly followed by Martin Zamani. Heads-up saw a series of doubles on both sides, but the finale played out like a screenplay: Lee, with two pairs behind, fell after Foxen hit a gutshot on the river.
.@WAFoxen takes home the Event #6 title! Foxen tops Doug Lee in heads-up play to win $272,000 and 272 @PokerGOTour points. pic.twitter.com/ZOF5P14JRu
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) September 28, 2025
Alex Foxen, besting 109 entries, took home not just the trophy but also $272,000 and 272 points, ascending to 1st place in the season-long PGT leaderboard (2,404 points). Thanks to his eighteenth ITM finish, he surpassed this year's World Master – Michael Mizrachi.
| # | Name | Country | Amount |
| 1 | Alex Foxen | USA | $272,000 |
| 2 | Doug Lee | Canada | $180,000 |
| 3 | Martin Zamani | USA | $125,000 |
| 4 | Andrew Lichtenberger | USA | $98,000 |
| 5 | RJ Sullivan | USA | $71,000 |
| 6 | Bin Weng | USA | $55,000 |
Cary Katz Stops Hyman's Run in Event #7 ($10,100 NLH)
The seventh event of Poker Masters fittingly attracted 77 entries, creating a prizepool of $770,000. Jared Hyman entered the finale of this tournament with a massive lead, and it seemed for a while that he was cruising to the trophy. He claimed three eliminations and went heads-up against Cary Katz with nearly twice the stack.
However, Cary “El Jefe” Katz turned the tide, meticulously chipping away at Hyman's lead. After a crucial flip where his AK overcame QQ with an ace on the river, Katz took control and soon sealed the victory. This triumph awarded him $223,000 and his first Poker Masters title (his 7th overall on PGT).
| # | Name | Country | Amount |
| 1 | Cary Katz | USA | $223,000 |
| 2 | Jared Hyman | USA | $146,500 |
| 3 | Masato Yokosawa | Japan | $104,000 |
| 4 | John Riordan | USA | $73,000 |
| 5 | Daniel Sepiol | USA | $53,800 |
| 6 | Matthew McEwan | USA | $38,500 |
Overall Standings Before the Last Events
All 10 events of the Poker Masters series are connected through an overall leaderboard, determining the champion who will don the purple jacket. Mitchell Halverson (330 points) remains closest to the prize, followed by David Coleman (303 points) and Stephen Song (302 points). The top five is rounded out by champions Chino Rheem (290 points) and Darren Elias (280 points). Upcoming are the final three tournaments, two with a $15,100 buy-in and a grand finale with a $25,200 buy-in.
Sources – PGT, X, TheHendonMob
