PGT Bounty Blitz Hits Halfway Mark in Las Vegas
The inaugural PGT Bounty Blitz has reached its midpoint at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, with three of six $5,100 events already in the books. The fresh format funnels $2,000 from each entry directly into the bounty pool, ensuring action-heavy dynamics as elite pros chase both payouts and knockouts.
Through three events, Jeremy Becker has been the standout performer, winning the opener and adding two more final-table appearances. He’s joined on the winners’ list by Spanish high-stakes star Sergio Aido and his 2024 crossbook rival Landon Tice.
Becker Bags Event #1 for Second Career PGT Title
Daily-tournament grinder turned high-stakes threat Jeremy Becker kicked off the series by winning Event #1: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em. The standard knockout format suited him perfectly—he collected five bounties and captured the $45,600 top prize for a $55,600 total payday.
The 46-entry field was loaded with bracelet winners and high rollers. Becker outlasted a final table featuring Andrew Lichtenberger (4th – $30,500) and Josh Arieh (6th – $13,600), then closed it out heads-up against Qin Zhao. The victory marked Becker’s second PGT title, following his breakthrough last September for $255,000, and pushed his live earnings past $3.5 million, per The Hendon Mob.
Event #1: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em — Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize | Bounties | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremy Becker | $45,600 | $10,000 | $55,600 |
| 2 | Qin Zhao | $29,000 | $14,000 | $43,000 |
| 3 | John Andress | $19,300 | $6,000 | $25,300 |
| 4 | Andrew Lichtenberger | $14,500 | $16,000 | $30,500 |
| 5 | Darren Rabinowitz | $11,700 | $6,000 | $17,700 |
| 6 | Josh Arieh | $9,600 | $4,000 | $13,600 |
Aido Denies Hunichen in Rapid-Fire Escalator
Sergio Aido claimed Event #2: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em Escalator, outlasting a 48-entry field and defeating Chris Hunichen heads-up. Aido earned $47,500 plus $21,500 in bounties after wrapping one of the fastest final tables in PGT history in just over 90 minutes.
The Escalator format featured tiered bounty values: $500 during open registration, $1,000 after registration closed, and a dynamic adjustment to the bounty amount once the event reached a full table before the bubble (by dividing the remaining prize pool by players remaining).
Aido’s surge began when his pocket kings spiked a set to crack Becker’s aces, preventing a Becker back-to-back. Chino Rheem was cooled off by Sean Winter before busting shortly after, while Winter’s run ended at the hands of Hunichen and then Michael Berk. Hunichen entered heads-up ahead after eliminating Berk in third, but Aido battled back and secured the trophy when his top two pair held against Hunichen’s top pair.
Event #2: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em Escalator — Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Prize | Bounties | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergio Aido | $47,500 | $21,500 | $69,000 |
| 2 | Chris Hunichen | $30,200 | $13,600 | $43,800 |
| 3 | Michael Berk | $20,100 | $22,200 | $42,300 |
| 4 | Sean Winter | $15,100 | $7,800 | $22,900 |
| 5 | Chino Rheem | $12,300 | $8,300 | $20,600 |
| 6 | Jeremy Becker | $10,100 | $5,300 | $15,400 |
Tice Lands Biggest Payday of the Blitz in Quattro
Landon Tice battled through 50 other entries to capture Event #3: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em Quattro, where each knockout was worth $8,000. Tice banked $47,500 plus $32,000 in bounties—$79,500 total—for the biggest single cash of the series so far.
Starting the final day with a middling stack, Tice survived multiple all-ins, found timely doubles, then eliminated Sam Laskowitz in third before defeating Dan Shak heads-up. The win marked Tice’s first PGT title of the season and his sixth cash overall.
Event #3: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em Quattro — Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Prize | Bounties | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Landon Tice | $47,500 | $32,000 | $79,500 |
| 2 | Dan Shak | $32,200 | $16,000 | $48,200 |
| 3 | Sam Laskowitz | $21,400 | $0 | $21,400 |
| 4 | Andrew Ostapchenko | $15,300 | $16,000 | $31,300 |
| 5 | Cherish Andrews | $12,200 | $14,000 | $26,200 |
| 6 | John Andress | $9,200 | $16,000 | $25,200 |
Rheem Leads Event #4 PKO; Becker Reaches Third FT
Fresh off his Event #2 final table, Chino Rheem bagged the chip lead in Event #4: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em PKO. The 36-entry tournament built a $180,000 prize pool, with $72,000 allocated to progressive bounties.
Rheem ended Day 1 with more than a quarter of the chips in play and returns to a six-handed final alongside Chris “Big Huni” Hunichen, Andrew Kelsall, Mike Zulker, Alex Condon, and Jeremy Becker. It’s Becker’s third in-the-money finish of the series, and he’ll draw plenty of heat thanks to a $10,000 bounty on his head. All six are guaranteed $8,600, with $28,100 up top plus bounties.
Play resumes Friday, September 5, at 12 p.m. PT, with the final table streaming live on PokerGO from 1 p.m. PT.
Event #4: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em PKO — Final Table Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Progressive Bounty | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chino Rheem | $4,000 | 1,165,000 | 58 |
| 2 | Chris Hunichen | $5,000 | 1,100,000 | 55 |
| 3 | Andrew Kelsall | $8,000 | 635,000 | 32 |
| 4 | Alex Condon | $4,000 | 120,000 | 6 |
| 5 | Mike Zulker | $6,000 | 970,000 | 49 |
| 6 | Jeremy Becker | $10,000 | 510,000 | 26 |
