Your PGT Championship Winner, Daniel Smiljkovic!
We may be early into 2023, but there has already been some entertaining live poker action. One of the earliest events to be played this year was the PokerGo Tour (PGT) Championship. As indicated by its name, the PGT itself were played in December, but the top 40 achievers during the tour were qualified to the PGT Championship.
These 40 players, alongside 14 “dream seat” winners, returned to the PokerGO Studios in Las Vegas Wednesday January 10th and would compete in the event for a slice of the $1 000 000 prize pool. Returning on Thursday were six players and when all was said and done, Daniel Smiljkovic could be crowned the well-deserved winner!
Smiljkovic Smiles
One can only assume the thrill the 54 players must have been feeling playing the freeroll tournament. Up top were a solid $500 000, surely a decent prize check for all poker players. All players entering the PGT Championship received a starting stack which’s size depended on their PGT results in 2023. There were some well-respected names in the field, such as Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth and Eric Seidel.
When Thursday came, six players returned for the final table play. At this point, German Daniel Smiljkovic held more than 40% of the chips in play. It’s safe to say he had put himself in a favorable spot. Artur Martirosyan were close to overtake the chiplead when there were five players left, but he ended up being the second one to bust after Darren Elias left in sixth place.
Reigning WSOP Main Event Champion Daniel Weinman were one of the four players remaining at this point. Eventually he ran into Smiljkovic’s trips and bid farewell in fourth. Suddenly there were only three players remaining and Leon Sturm now held the chip lead. Little did he know Hollywood star Arden Cho would display her impeccable acting skills and bluff him in some important spots. Cho kept taking chips from Sturm and eventually, Smiljkovic eliminated fellow German Sturm in third place.
It was now time for Heads Up between Smiljkovic and Cho. Cho held a considerable chiplead at this point and she must have felt she was writing the Hollywood script. At one point, she came this close securing the win being all in pre-flop with pocket nines against Smiljkovic’s ace-king, but it ended with Smiljkovic doubling up.
A rollercoaster begun with the chiplead switching back and forth. After some dramatic hands, Smiljkovic eventually acclaimed an overwhelming chiplead. Shortly after that, he saw himself all in with jack-five against Cho’s ace-nine. After a jack came on the turn and the river blanked out, Smiljkovic had done it. Daniel Smiljkovic from Germany is our 2023 PGT Championship winner!
2023 2023 PGT Championship – Results
| Position | Player | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Daniel Smiljkovic | $500 000 |
| 2. |  Arden Cho | $200 000 |
| 3. | Leon Sturm | $120 000 |
| 4. | Daniel Weinman | $80 000 |
| 5. |  Artur Martirosyan | $60 000 |
| 6. | Darren Elias | $40 000 |
Haxton Also a Winner
Smiljkovic might have won the championship, but a winner also had to be crowned as “2023 PGT Player of the Year”. When the PGT leaderboard had been analyzed, it stood clear that poker legend Isaac Haxton had claimed the most points during the PGT 2023 season. Haxton had a great year 2023 as far as poker results goes and for his 2023 PGT Player of the Year award, he could add a $50 000 to his already impressive winnings.
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