After the first day of the first PokerGO Tour Championship, the play definitely should have been halted under the mercy rule. Day One was dominated by Jason Koon, who had a stack approaching two million chips (while everyone else was nearly 1.5 million behind). This chip stack would propel Koon to victory in the invitation-only tournament that concludes the 2022 PokerGO Tour season.
Modified Beginning Positions Top Performers for Success
The PokerGO Tour Championship was a unique idea in that it was a 21-player tournament that only invited the top twelve point earners from the previous year. To give the top-ranked players a little edge, they were given a higher chip stack than the other competitors. It was similar to what the Professional Golf Association (PGA) of America does with the FedEx Championship, where the players’ scores are weighted based on their performance in the preceding events.
Using the PokerGO method (points collected over the season convert to beginning chips), Stephen Chidwick began play on Wednesday with 342,000 in chips, putting him atop the rankings. Phil Ivey (second, 309K), Koon (284K), Michael Duek (240K), and Sean Winter came in behind him in the rankings (237K). This continued all the way down to Benny Glaser, who made it into the event by virtue of his strong performance in the World Poker Tour World Championship (165K).
There were several “no-shows” for the winner-take-all freeroll worth $500,000 to the winner, despite the fact that 21 players were entitled to participate. On Wednesday, fifteen of the twenty-one players were in action, while Adrian Attenborough, Paul Phua, Daniel Dvoress, Danny Tang, Duek, and Ivey decided not to participate. Still, the fifteen guys competed fiercely for the grand prize and the honor of being the largest “High Roller” of all.
Koon Blitzes the Field
On the PokerGO feel, Koon proved from the beginning that he meant business. He then snatched chips from World Series of Poker World Champion Espen Jorstad and Daniel Negreanu. He was able to convince Sam Greenwood to lay down a hand after the flip that pushed his stack over his starting level. However, two hands on Day One propelled Koon to the top of the rankings.
On the first street, Koon witnessed a rainbow flip of 4-7-K against Chidwick’s 125K in the middle. Koon led from the small blind while Chidwick called from the large blind. A deuce on the turn caused both players to halt down, but a queen on the river prompted Koon to wager again, this time for just 60K. It was the correct wager, as Chidwick called and mucked when Koon revealed A-Q for a pair on the river.
After one hand, Koon would defeat Jeremy Ausmus. With a board of Q-8 K 6 10, Ausmus shoved his last few hundred thousand chips, and Koon was more than willing to call. Ausmus immediately saw why; after revealing an A 4 for nothing, Koon revealed a 9 7 for the flush, the victory, and a chip stack close to 900,000 strong.
When Day Two started on Thursday, Koon had more than half of the chips in play (1,829 million) and was one of the final six players. Nick Petrangelo (285K), Glaser (285K), and Chidwick (152K) rounded out the final six. Chad Eveslage (347K) and Sean Winter (322K) were his closest competitors, if you could call them that. The only thing that mattered to the five guys under Koon was finishing first, so they had their job cut out for them.
They attempted to eliminate Koon, though. Eveslage unexpectedly fell to Petrangelo in sixth place, while Chidwick’s time finished in fifth place against Koon. Winter rapidly reduced the field to three players when he eliminated Glaser in fourth place and Petrangelo in third to seize the lead over Koon. Two more hours of combat ensued until the last hand was dealt.
Koon resumed his aggressive play from earlier in the tournament by pushing pre-flop, and Winter called. Koon wanted to steal a blind from Winter while holding just 10-8. (J-8). A ten on the flip would alter the situation, putting Koon in the lead, while Winter would need a Jack to preserve his position. A triple on the turn and a second trey on the river maintained Koon in the lead and awarded him the 2022 PokerGO Tour Champion title.
1. Jason Koon, $500,000
2. Sean Winter
3. Nick Petrangelo
4. Benny Glaser
5. Stephen Chidwick
6. Chad Eveslage
(image provided by PokerGO.com)
Source: www.pokernewsdaily.com
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