Doesn’t it seem like it was just moments ago that the PokerGO Tour was in action? You wouldn’t be wrong. Hot off the heels of ending the 2023 PokerGO Cup, the PGT jumped right back into action with something a little different for the players. This time around, it is a Mixed Game Festival, which will feature eight different mixed game formats over the next week. In Event #1, Shaun Deeb has drawn first blood as he took the title in Event #1, the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament.
Deeb Rides Chip Lead, But Makes it Eventful
An 87-entry field (70 unique entries) came out on Friday for the start of Event #1 and the PGT Mixed Game Series. The prize pool from all the $10K buy-ins would amount to $870,000, of which thirteen players would take a piece. On Saturday’s Day Two action, Deeb was at the helm of the ship with his 4.275 million in chips, but David ‘ODB’ Baker was right behind him with a 3.5 million stack. Rounding out the five-man table were Johannes Becker (2.35 million), Andrew Yeh (1.625 million), and a short-stacked Nick Guagenti (1.225 million).
Despite the factor that Deeb had the lead to start, he tried to make it difficult for himself. Befitting his usual aggressive manner, he challenged his opposition and, unfortunately for him, came out on the losing end of the equation too often. Deeb would, at one point, find himself down to only 1.5 million and in danger of falling early in the play.
Another feature of Deeb’s play is his tenacity, something that is very overlooked in his mental game. He would fight back in a three-way pot with Guagenti and Becker, eventually taking it down and knocking out Becker in fourth place at the same time. That resuscitated his stack and, once Deeb took out Guagenti in an Omaha Hi-Lo hand, he went to heads-up play against Baker with a more than 3:1 lead.
Baker certainly made a run, pulling within a couple of million of Deeb at one point, but one hand changed the direction of the tournament. In Stud Hi-Lo, Deeb battered Baker around, bringing him down to scraps (125K) by the final hand. In that final hand, Baker committed his chips with a (10-6) 3, while Deeb was more than willing to look him up with a (6-5) 4.
Deeb would roll off a pair of eights and a five for eights up by Seventh Street, while Baker could only muster a gut shot straight draw after seeing a K-9-Q by the final card. The river was dealt and Deeb failed to improve his two pair with a Queen. Baker squeezed the river card and reluctantly turned up another ten for a pair, not enough to win the hand or the tournament.
1. Shaun Deeb, $208,800
2. David ‘ODB’ Baker, $147,900
3. Nick Guagenti, $104,400
4. Johannes Becker, $87,000
5. Andrew Yeh, $69,600
6. Michael Martinelli, $52,200*
7. Erik Sagstrom, $43,500*
(* – part of official final table)
Seven Tournaments Left To Determine Mixed Game Series Champion
With Event #1 out of the way, there are seven tournaments on the agenda that will spread out a boatload of money to players. Each day of the upcoming week, such poker disciplines as an Eight-Game Mixed tournament (Event #2, final table in action), a Triple Stud Mix, a Dealer’s Choice, and a $25,000 Ten Game Championship tournament. Points are being handed out for each of these events and the overall champion will be crowned the inaugural PGT Mixed Games champion and take down a $50,000 bonus.
Deeb has already stated he will be looking to hunt down that bonus. Who else will join him? It should be a fascinating week of poker as we see the specialists come out to play at the PokerGO Studios in Las Vegas this week on the PokerGO Tour.
(Photo courtesy of PokerGO.com)
