Ausmus leading at the halfway point
The 2022 PokerGO Cup is starting to heat up. Jeremy Ausmus is in pole position at the halfway point but it’s still all to play for as the buy-ins go up and field sizes go down for the final four events. The remaining events range in buy-in from $25,000 to $100,000 and will likely all be 20-50-runner fields.
Last Thursday, Daniel Colpoys topped a field of 77 entries to win Event #1: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $200,200. On Friday, Sean Perry outlasted 79 other players to win Event #2: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $200,000. Then, on Saturday, Jake Daniels crushed dreams in Event #3: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em as he also walked away with a $200,000 payday. Last night, it was Jeremy Ausmus’ turn in the winner’s enclosure as he defeated 64 players on his way to a $263,250 score.
The final tables are streamed nightly on PokerGO from the PokerGO studios at Aria Casino. Players earn PokerGO Tour leaderboard points for their finishes with the highest scorer being crowned PGT Player of the Year.
Daniel Colpoys ran best in Event #1
Colpoys was in third place going into the final day, but a big flip early got his engines started as he sent Mike Lang to the rail:
Colpoys then eliminated Matthew Wantman in 4th when his Ace-King held versus Queen-Ten. Andrew Lichtenberger came into the final day of Event #1 with a big chip lead but ultimately it was “unluckychewy” as Colpoys took it down for $200,200.
In his post-match interview, a modest Colpoys paid tribute to the caliber of his opponents. “I was kind of handcuffed at the start, and then I got some momentum and ran pretty well,” Colpoys said. “I’m happy to take it down. I respect a lot of the guys there. It was nice.”
Final Table Results
1st: Daniel Colpoys – $200,200
2nd: Andrew Lichtenberger – $146,300
3rd: Darren Elias – $100,100
4th: Matthew Wantman – $77,000
5th: Scott Ball – $61,600
6th: Michael Lang – $46,200
Sean Perry comes back to win Event #2
Scott Ball made his second PokerGO Cup final table, but it was Sean Perry who finished on top in Event #2, picking up $200,000 in prize money for his troubles. There was plenty of hijinks on what was a very entertaining final table, with the players engaging in some prop bets that most certainly influenced play:
That hand gave Perry the chip lead three-handed. From there, the renowned closer never took his foot off the pedal, outlasting Bryn Kenney and Cary Katz, who came third and second, respectively.
“This is probably the most fun I’ve had winning a tournament,” said a jubilant Perry after the dust settled.
Even at the final table, I was down to two big blinds and somehow came back and won.”
He continued: “I was at three big blinds early in and I was telling everyone that I would make the money. Then I made the money. Even at the final table, I was down to two big blinds and somehow came back and won. That’s always nice. Bryn Kenney was giving action, I was giving action, it was a lot of fun. I just ran well.”
Perry came in third in last season’s PGT Player of the Year race and with this result, he has certainly put himself in the mix this time around.
Final Table Results
1st: Sean Perry – $200,000
2nd: Cary Katz – $144,000
3rd: Bryn Kenney – $96,000
4th: Scott Ball – $80,000
5th: Darren Elias – $64,000
6th: Dan Shak – $48,000
Jake Daniels like a wrecking ball in Event #3
Daniels was the proverbial wrecking ball in Event #3, eliminating every single player from seven left. Michael Wang, Brock Wilson, Sean Winter, Chris Moorman, Daniel Weinand and Jeremy Ausmus all succumbed to Daniels who was simply unstoppable on the day.
“I’ve hired a couple of coaches and I’ve put in a ton of work in the last five or six months trying to get better because these guys are so stinking good,” said Daniels in his post-match interview.
Final Table Results
1st: Jake Daniels – $200,000
2nd: Jeremy Ausmus – $144,000
3rd: Daniel Weinand – $96,000
4th: Chris Moorman – $80,000
5th: Sean Winter – $64,000
6th: Brock Wilson – $48,000
Jeremy Ausmus’s wins Event #4, jumps into PokerGO Cup lead
After finishing runner-up the night before, Ausmus tasted victory in Event #4, claiming the biggest first prize of the festival so far. Ausmus not only picked up a $263,250, but he also shot straight to the top of the series leaderboard with 407 points.
Ausmus came into the final day in fifth position, but a fortunate early triple-up propelled him into the chip lead:
From there, he successfully maneuvered his way to the winner’s circle, eliminating Katz in third before dispatching Brock Wilson heads-up.
Final Table Results
1st: Jeremy Ausmus – $263,250
2nd: Brock Wilson – $195,000
3rd: Cary Katz – $126,750
4th: Bill Klein – $97,500
5th: Justin Saliba – $78,000
6th: Jesse Lonis – $58,500