Maksim Pisarenko Captures First Career PGT Title in Event #1: $5,100 H.O.R.S.E.

Maksim Pisarenko was dropped to just six big bets during five-handed play but weathered the early storm to defeat Benny Glaser heads-up to capture his first career PGT title and the $117,450 first-place prize in Event #1: $5,100 H.O.R.S.E. 

Start of day short stack Mike Gorodinsky had an up and down first two levels of the day but was eventually crippled just forty minutes into play when in Limit Hold'em, his pocket aces were undone by Dennis Mashcke's pocket sevens when he rivered straight, to leave the mixed game pro with just three big bets. 

Gorodinsky would fall in sixth place for $21,750 moments in Omaha Hi-Lo later when his turned two pair of eights and deuces saw Daniel Negreanu river a better two pair with kings and queens. 

From there, it was a slugfest that saw Glaser put on a show as he appeared to be running away, picking up pot after pot, growing his chip lead, and eventually solidifying it when he eliminated Negreanu in fifth place for $30,450. Playing Razz, all the chips got into the middle, with Glaser holding a made queen against Negreanu's made king. Glaser improved to a jack by seventh, and when Negreanu paired on both sixth and seventh, Glaser collected nearly 60% of the chips in play four-handed. 

Andrew Kelsall was the next to hit the rail when he got his extremely short stack of less than one big bet in the middle with a straight draw against Pisarenko's pair of jacks playing Stud. Pisarenko made kings-up by sixth, and Kelsall couldn't improve as the long-time pro headed to the payout desk to collect his $39,150 fourth-place prize. 

Dennis Maschke would find a triple-up playing Stud with the limits at 300,000/600,000, but the moment would be short-lived as he would hit the rail in brutal fashion moments later as the game changed to Stud Hi-Lo. 

Pisarenko was the bring-in, Glaser raised, Maschke made it two bets, and both players called. Maschke bet and was called by both players on fourth street. Glaser took the betting lead on fifth as Maschke called all in, while Pisarenko came along for the ride. 

Pisarenko took the betting lead on sixth and saw Glaser call. Pisarenko again bet on seventh, and Glaser tossed in the call after a pair of time extensions. 

With showing for Glaser, he tabled for kings up only for Pisarenko to table , and with showing he made a lo and a nine-high straight to collect the side pot.

Maschke was showing , but when he tabled , his buried trips were no good as he headed to the payout desk in third place for $54,375 and Pisarenko scooped to take the chip lead into heads up play. 

Glaser would fall to just five big bets during the first round of heads-up play when Pisarenko's rivered straight picked off his ten-high bluff. Glaser would hang around scoring two doubles, but the deck continued to fall in Pisarenko's favor when it mattered most. 

With the limits reaching the 500,000/1,000,000 level and just 13 big bets on the table, Pisarenko finally put the nail in Glaser's coffin when he rivered a king-high straight in Stud to best Glaser's rivered six-high straight as the mixed game crusher settled for the second place $76,125 prize. 

The win marks Pisarenko's first trophy on the PGT, his second career six-figure score after winning the EPT Sochi Main Event in 2019 for $183,533, and he now sits atop the PGT Mixed Game Leaderboard as he looks to take home the added prize money for player of the series. 

Event #1 saw 87 entrants walk through the doors of the PokerGO Studio to create a prize pool of $435,000 as the second iteration of PGT Mixed Games got underway. 

PLO specialist Dylan Weisman was the unfortunate Event #1 bubble when he ran into Eli Elezra's jack-high flush on sixth street playing Stud. Weisman had outs to a better flush but could not improve on seventh and was denied his fourth cash of the 2024 PGT season. 

PGT Mixed Games continues with Event #2: $5,100 8-Game, and the PGT live reporting team has you covered as they play down to a final table of six before returning on March 1st to crown a champion. You can follow all of the day one action here.

Event #1: $5,100 H.O.R.S.E. Payouts