Aram Zobian Climbs to 2nd on PGT Leaderboard; Joey Weissman Enters Top 10

For the first time during the 2024 PGT season, events were held outside the PokerGO Studio and Las Vegas, Nevada, as the PGT headed to Champions Club in Houston, Texas, for the inaugural Texas Poker Open.

A plethora of PGT regulars made the trip to Champions Club to play the first-ever Texas Poker Open. Those who made the trip experienced great success, as many of the Texas Poker Open belt buckle trophies were packed up and sent back to Las Vegas. The $3,300 buy-in Texas Poker Open Main Event was the lowest buy-in event in the history of the PGT that was PGT points-eligible. The Texas Poker Open Main Event had an ambitious $2,000,000 prize pool guarantee, and with 735 entrants across the multiple Day 1 flights, a prize pool of $2,205,000 was created that paid the 86 players who advanced to Day 2.

PGT players who made deep runs included Andrew Lichtenberger (33rd), Victoria Livschitz (28th), David Coleman (27th), Jeremy Becker (21st), Isaac Kempton (16th), Shaun Deeb (15th), and Jeremy Ausmus (11th) prior to the final table being set. Ryan Riess earned 52 PGT points for his eighth-place finish, while Tyler Brown picked up 66 PGT points for his seventh-place finish. The inaugural Texas Poker Open winner was Ren Lin, who was playing in his first PGT event of the season. For topping the 735-entrant field, he earned $400,000 in prize money and earned 400 PGT points. Lin picked up a cash in a high roller following his victory and left Texas with 416 PGT points to sit 20th on the PGT leaderboard. Local player and breakout star of the Texas Poker Open was David Mzareulov. Mzareulov finished 12th in the Texas Poker Open Main Event and cashed four additional times, winning the one-day $5,100 Pot-Limit Omaha for $68,400. Mzareulov earned 189 PGT points from his five cashes and four final tables.

David Coleman remains on top of the PGT leaderboard with 1,304 PGT points after cashing 27th in the Texas Poker Open. Aram Zobian climbed into second overall with 1,131 PGT points after winning the one-day $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em event for $48,600 and cashing in the Texas Poker Open Main Event and the final one-day $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em. The remainder of the top ten on the PGT leaderboard remained intact, apart from Joey Weissman, who lept up to eighth overall with 643 PGT points. Weissman won the 29-entrant $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em for $116,000 and also finished 57th in the Texas Poker Open Main Event for $7,500. Weissman now has 10 cashes and $642,950 in PGT earnings for the 2024 PGT season.

Victoria Livschitz was one of several players who cashed three times throughout the Texas Poker Open. She was joined by Brown, Lichtenberger, Zobian, Michael Wang, Daniel Holmes, and Daniel Sepiol. Livschitz is now 25th on the PGT leaderboard with 346 PGT points. For the 2024 PGT season, Livschitz has cashed 10 times and won the opening $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em event for $45,500.

PGT Leaderboard Top 10 Entering WSOP

These are the leaderboard standings as of Tuesday, May 7, 2024. The complete and current PGT leaderboard is at pgt.com/leaderboard.

PGT Championship Qualification & Player of the Year Bonus

Players who finish the 2024 PGT season ranked in the top 40 of the PGT leaderboard and have cashed in three PGT events throughout the season will earn qualification for the season-ending PGT Championship $1,000,000 freeroll. The PGT Championship winner will take home $500,000 with additional payouts for the final table paid as a combination of cash and a PGT Passport. The player who finishes the 2024 PGT season with the most leaderboard points will be named PGT Player of the Year and be awarded a $50,000 PGT Passport.

What's Next On the PGT Schedule?

Upcoming on the PGT schedule is the 2024 World Series of Poker from Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The 2024 WSOP will run from May 28 to July 17 and includes 99 WSOP bracelet events, 28 of which are PGT-qualifying events. Every $10,000 or more buy-in at the WSOP will earn players PGT points for the amount they cash for. 

Throughout the WSOP, the PokerGO Studio will host the 2024 ARIA High Roller Series from June 19 to July 8. There are 13 one-day high rollers that all start at 2 p.m. PT with registration at approximately 6:30 p.m. PT. There are discounts on every event for on-time entry, and there are unlimited reentries in each event. The ARIA High Roller Series begins with a stretch of Pot-Limit Omaha events running June 19-20, 24-25, 27-28, and July 1-2. The buy-is range from $5,100 to $15,100 in the Pot-Limit Omaha events. From July 4-8, there will be five $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em tournaments to conclude the ARIA High Roller Series. In 2023, the final few ARIA High Rollers attracted 75, 82, and 130 entrants and awarded multiple six-figure prizes among the payouts.

For full PGT schedule information, check out pgt.com/schedule.

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