It is often said that it isn’t where you start, but where you end. Clemen Deng was the epitome of that axiom on Tuesday night at the PokerGO Studios in Las Vegas, as he started the final table of Event #1 of the 2026 PGT Last Chance Series as the short stack. By the end, however, Deng had conquered the poker demons at the table to earn his first PGT championship and the $$277,950 payday that went with it.
Battling the Titans
Deng had his work cut out for him from the start on Tuesday afternoon. With only 850,000 in chips to work with, Deng was the short stack against a lineup of poker heavyweights. Leading the way was 2025 Poker Player of the Year (for CardPlayer at least), Jesse Lonis, who led the way with almost half the chips in play (6.06 million). Following Lonis was only Poker Hall of Famer Phil Hellmuth, healthy with 2.835 million in ammunition. At the same time, PokerGO owner Cary Katz, David ‘ODB’ Baker, and a hungry Matthew Wantman (needing points to move up the PGT Championship Invitational leaderboard) were also obstacles.
Life got better for Deng almost immediately. Only moments after the start of the final table action, Deng found a double through Lonis, his Big Chick (A-Q) holding strong over Lonis’ Little Slick (A-J). Lonis tried to take out both Katz and Baker, but chopped with Katz when they both made Broadway straights, and Baker pushed Lonis out of another pot. These moves made Lonis vulnerable, and there is one player who knows what to do when he sees weakness.
Hellmuth would be responsible for the first elimination of the day, and it would boost him to the lead. After a raise from Wantman, Hellmuth re-raised the betting, and Wantman would call for less with his final chips. Hellmuth’s pocket eights were slightly ahead of Wantman’s A-7, and an eight on the flop basically sealed the deal, although Wantman hit his seven. The six on the turn ended any chances that Wantman had, as he departed following the innocuous deuce on the river in sixth place.
Deng would administer a bad beat to move further up the leaderboard. After Katz opened the betting, Deng would move all-in from the small blind for almost 1.5 million chips. Katz was more than happy to make the call, and the hands were tabled:
Katz (EP): pocket Kings
Deng (SB): A-K
It was a monster lead in the hand for Katz, and the 10-7-6-Q flop and turn didn’t change anything. The Jack on the river did, however, earning Deng an improbable double up with a straight. Deng and Katz would switch positions, with Deng moving into third and Katz falling to the basement and out on the next hand to Lonis in fifth place.
During four-handed play, Deng would move into the lead, and it would come at the expense of Hellmuth. On a 6-6-2-5-7 runout that looked innocent, Deng would put the seventeen-time WSOP bracelet winner to the test with an all-in move. As soon as Deng announced his intentions, Hellmuth dropped an F-bomb and, eventually, would drop his cards into the muck, taking him down to the bottom of the ladder as the intensity increased.
Deng Rises from the Ashes
Deng would continue to rise, putting more space between him and the other three men on the felt. Hellmuth would find a double through Lonis, but it would not be enough to stave off elimination in fourth place at the hands of Baker. The chips went to the center on a 10-6-2 flop, with Hellmuth’s A-2 shrinking against Baker’s pocket Jacks, and no saving deuce or Ace would come on the turn or river.
Lonis also decided to mix it up at this time, much to his chagrin. Although he would take some chips from Baker, Lonis would clash in a penultimate race that sealed Deng’s title. It was Lonis’ pocket nines against Deng’s Big Slick, and the Ace in the window of the flop changed the fortunes of the two men. A second Ace on the turn ended any hopes of Lonis in winning the hand, sending the 2025 POY to the rail in third place.
‘ODB’ may be one of the best poker players around, but nobody comes back from a 13.125 million-to-500,000 chip deficit, especially in such a major event as the 2026 PGT Last Chance Series. Baker would double up on the first hand of heads-up play, but the second time around, Deng would end the evening. On a K-5-4 flop, Baker would move all-in, and Deng made the call:
Deng: 8-4 (flopped bottom pair)
Baker: 6-3 (open-ended straight draw, over card)
A second five came on the turn, improving Deng to two pair, but not changing what Baker was drawing to in taking the hand (a straight or the six for a better two pair). That would not come home as a Jack came on the river, earning the checkmark and the championship trophy for Clemen Deng.
1. Clemen Deng, $277,950 (278 PGT points)
2. David ‘ODB’ Baker, $174,400 (174)
3. Jesse Lonis, $125,350 (125)
4. Phil Hellmuth, $91,800 (92)
5. Cary Katz, $70,850 (71)
6. Matthew Wantman, $54,500 (55)
Five more tournaments, including Event #2’s final table today, remain in the 2026 PGT Last Chance Series. As stated, it is the last chance for players to earn points toward entry in the PGT Championship Invitational, which will feature the top forty players on the PGT leaderboard as they play for a $1 million payday ($500,000 to the eventual champion, along with PGT World Champion honors).
(Photo courtesy of PokerGO)
