Chino Rheem dominated the PokerGO Studio all series long to win the 2023 PGT Mixed Games II for a total haul of $433,600 and an additional $25,000 championship bonus. Rheem had five cashes, including a win in Event #2: Big Bet Mix to tally 388 PGT points and win by a large margin over his closest competitor on the overall leaderboard, David Funkhouser.
The series had nine events and paid out over $4.5 million in prizes, with Rheem clear of the field by over $150,000 in total winnings. Nick Schulman finished in third on the overall leaderboard with $273,900 in winnings, while Dylan Weisman and Maxx Coleman rounded out the top five as the only other players to win over $200,000 throughout the nine events.
Rheem kicked off the series with a third-place finish in the $10,200 H.O.R.S.E. tournament, and his win in Event #2 made it five straight final tables in the PokerGO Studio after his strong finish in the Poker Masters series the previous week.
The champ cashed five times, all of which were final table finishes.
While Rheem was making his way to the final table for most the second half of the series, Schulman, Coleman, Dylan Weisman, and Hal Rotholz all picked up wins before Arthur Morris took down the closing $5,100 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw event.
PGT Mixed Games II Event Winners
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $10,200 H.O.R.S.E. | 72 | $720,000 | David Funkhouser | $187,200 |
| Event #2: $10,200 Big Bet Mix | 57 | $570,000 | Chino Rheem | $171,000 |
| Event #3: $5,100 10-Game Mini-Championship | 72 | $360,000 | David Prociak | $93,600 |
| Event #4: $10,200 8-Game | 56 | $560,000 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | $179,200 |
| Event #5: $10,200 Triple Stud Mix | 40 | $400,000 | Nick Schulman | $144,000 |
| Event #6: $10,200 Dealers Choice | 49 | $490,000 | Dylan Weisman | $156,400 |
| Event #7: $10,200 Triple Draw Mix | 51 | $510,000 | Hal Rotholz | $163,200 |
| Event #8: $25,300 10-Game Championship | 29 | $725,000 | Maxx Coleman | $245,630 |
| Event #9: $5,100 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw | 24 | $120,000 | Arthur Morris | $49,902* |
Schulman won the $10,200 Triple Stud Mix, outlasting a field of 40 players to win $144,000 in a final table that also included John Racener and Adam Friedman. The win was Schulman’s second cash of the series after an eighth place finish in Event #2.
The sixth event of the series, a $10,200 Dealers Choice, drew 49 runners and the top prize of $156,400 went to Weisman after a heads-up battle with Craig Chait. Weisman finished the series with three cashes and $250,350 in total winnings — good for fourth on the final leaderboard.
Rotholz defeated Schulman in heads-up play to win Event #7: $10,200 Triple Draw Mix for $163,200 for his second cash of the series. Rheem found another final table and $30,600 for sixth place, helping him to keep the top spot on the leaderboard with Schulman jumping into second.
The flagship event of the series, the $25,300 10-Game Championship, was won by Coleman after a heads-up deal with Alex Livingston leveled the payouts and played for $25,000 and the trophy. Rheem finished in third out of 29 total entires, adding another 70 PGT points, enough to lock up the PGT Mixed Games II title and the $25,000 bonus.
The series finished up with a $5,100 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw event, where Morris took the top prize of $49,902 while surviving a field of 24 players. Funkhouser finished in second place, good enough to jump Schulman for second place on the overall leaderboard with just under $275,000 in total winnings.
PGT Mixed Games II Top 10 Leaderboard
| Rank | Name | Wins | Cashes | Total Winnings | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chino Rheem | 1 | 5 | $433,600 | 388 |
| 2 | David Funkhouser | 1 | 3 | $274,700 | 275 |
| 3 | Nick Schulman | 1 | 3 | $273,900 | 274 |
| 4 | Dylan Weisman | 1 | 3 | $250,350 | 240 |
| 5 | Maxx Coleman | 1 | 2 | $260,030 | 188 |
| 6 | Hal Rotholz | 1 | 2 | $181,200 | 181 |
| 7 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | 1 | 1 | $179,200 | 179 |
| 8 | Arthur Morris | 1 | 3 | $150,700 | 150 |
| 9 | John Hennigan | 0 | 3 | $170,350 | 139 |
| 10 | Paul Volpe | 0 | 1 | $136,800 | 137 |
Rheem has accumulated just over $1 million in nine cashes between the PGT Mixed Games II series and the Poker Masters after a summer with 11 cashes at the WSOP with a fifth place finish in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event. The champ has now passed the $14 million mark in career earnings, according to the Hendon Mob.
Chino Rheem’s Results
| Event | Place | Prize | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $10,200 H.O.R.S.E. | 3rd | $72,000 | 72 |
| Event #2: $10,200 Big Bet Mix | 1st | $171,000 | 171 |
| Event #5: $10,200 Triple Stud Mix | 4th | $44,000 | 44 |
| Event #7: $10,200 Triple Draw Mix | 6th | $30,600 | 31 |
| Event #8: $25,300 10-Game Championship | 3rd | $116,000 | 70 |
*Images courtesy of PokerGO / Antonio Abrego
Live Reporting Executive
Las Vegas-based PokerNews Live Reporting Executive, originally from Chicago, IL