Chino Rheem Wins 10th PGT Title at 2026 PGT Sprint Event #1
Chino Rheem defeated Andrew Lichtenberger heads-up to win 2026 PGT Sprint Event #1, a $5,300 No-Limit Hold'em tournament that drew 92 entries. Rheem collected $119,600 from the $460,000 prize pool and earned 179 PGT points.
The result gave Rheem his second PGT victory of 2026 and his 10th career PGT title. He also moved into 19th place in the season standings.
Rheem Calls a Bluff Before Winning With Seven-Deuce
Rheem dealt a major blow to Lichtenberger's stack when he called a bluff with pocket tens on a Q-8-6-8-J board.
Lichtenberger moved all in with 6-5 on the next hand. Rheem called dark and turned over 7-2. The board ran out A-9-8-4-Q, leaving both players with ace high. Rheem's seven beat Lichtenberger's six on the final kicker, ending the tournament. Lichtenberger earned $75,900 as runner-up.
The seven-handed final table had begun after Jim Collopy was eliminated on the money bubble in 15th place, followed by seven more eliminations.
John Riordan was the first finalist to go, losing with suited ace-queen against Lichtenberger's pocket tens. Michael Berk then knocked out Jesse Lonis in sixth with suited queen-jack against ace-ten before eliminating Neil Warren in fifth with ace-three against ace-queen.
Berk's run ended in fourth place when his J♦5♦ lost to Rheem's K♥J♥. Patrick Leonard followed in third after his ace-queen ran into Lichtenberger's pocket kings, earning $55,200.
2026 PGT Sprint Event #1 Results
| Place | Player | Prize | PGT Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Chino Rheem | $119,600 | 179 |
| 2nd | Andrew Lichtenberger | $75,900 | 114 |
| 3rd | Patrick Leonard | $55,200 | 83 |
| 4th | Michael Berk | $41,400 | 62 |
| 5th | Neil Warren | $32,200 | 48 |
| 6th | Jesse Lonis | $23,000 | 35 |
| 7th | John Riordan | $18,400 | 28 |
| 8th | Nick Seward | $18,400 | 28 |
| 9th | Brock Wilson | $13,800 | 21 |
| 10th | Darren Rabinowitz | $13,800 | 21 |
| 11th | David Coleman | $13,800 | 21 |
| 12th | Joe McKeehen | $11,500 | 17 |
| 13th | Justin Vaysman | $11,500 | 17 |
| 14th | Michael Rossitto | $11,500 | 17 |
Rheem Climbs to 19th in the PGT Standings
Rheem's first PGT win of 2026 came in February at PGT Mixed Games Event #1: $5,300 H.O.R.S.E., where he earned $112,100.
After his Sprint victory, Rheem had two titles, 23 cashes and 1,220 PGT points for the season, placing him 19th on the leaderboard.
Lichtenberger moved to 22nd with 1,187 points, while Berk climbed to 30th with 1,114.
The season-ending PGT Championship is scheduled for January 11-12, 2027. The $500,000 freeroll is open to the top 40 eligible players on the PGT leaderboard and select Dream Seat winners.
To qualify through the leaderboard, players must record at least four PGT cashes during the season, including one in an event owned and operated by PGT. They must also opt in before the season's final series begins. Otherwise, the seat passes to the next eligible player.
2026 PGT Leaderboard Top 10
The following standings were listed alongside the PGT Sprint Event #1 results.
| Rank | Player | Wins | Cashes | Prize Money | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Sean Winter | 2 | 17 | $4,391,694 | 2,223 |
| 2nd | Eelis Parssinen | 2 | 7 | $3,754,917 | 1,843 |
| 3rd | Jeremy Ausmus | 2 | 30 | $2,349,426 | 1,812 |
| 4th | Alex Foxen | 2 | 15 | $2,697,054 | 1,777 |
| 5th | Brock Wilson | 4 | 15 | $1,525,184 | 1,776 |
| 6th | Brandon Wilson | 1 | 18 | $2,901,896 | 1,761 |
| 7th | Adrian Mateos | 4 | 11 | $5,701,311 | 1,760 |
| 8th | Yuri Dzivielevski | 3 | 7 | $5,151,421 | 1,602 |
| 9th | Lucas Jumalon | 1 | 1 | $10,000,000 | 1,550 |
| 10th | Joao Simao | 2 | 17 | $3,017,533 | 1,470 |
