Shaun Deeb Wins PGT Mixed Games Event #1 for $208,800

Shaun Deeb is the winner of Event #1: $10,300 H.O.R.S.E. at the first-ever PGT Mixed Games series. Deeb topped the 87-entry field to win the $208,800 first-place prize. Deeb also picked up 209 leaderboard points and became the frontrunner for the PGT Mixed Games series leaderboard.

The performance was Deeb's first-ever cash inside the PokerGO Studio, and he turned that first cash into a victory.

"Great event, obviously," Deeb said. "Dealers and staff are awesome. I don't get to Vegas too often outside of the World Series of Poker. I was down in the Bahamas and my wife was nice enough to give me permission when I begged to also come to this series. The added money for the leaderboard, I knew some people who were doing side bets, so I said it's a good time to play some high buy-ins. I don't get to play that many cash games, and I loved mixed-game tournaments. I ran really good, and that's really important."

Coming into the final day of Event #1, Deeb was the chip leader with five players remaining. It was a swinging day for him, but Deeb ultimately reached heads-up play against David "ODB" Baker. Deeb entered heads-up play with the chip lead and never looked back. Baker did close the gap a bit, but Deeb proved too tough to overcome and finished off Baker in under an hour. Baker scooped $147,900 for the second-place finish.

PGT Mixed Games Event #1 Results

On Sunday, five players returned to play for the win in Event #1. Andrew Yeh was the first of the bunch to be eliminated, and then it was Johannes Becker busting in fourth place. Nick Guagenti spent some time as the chip leader on Sunday, but his run would come to an end in third place.David "ODB" Baker was the one who eliminated Yeh, and Shaun Deeb busted Becker and Guagenti. Deeb then closed things out by beating Baker in heads-up play. 

"It definitely didn't start the way I wanted it to," Deeb said of the final day. "I came in with almost 4,500,000, got down to 1,500,000, but these mixed-game guys play it more like cash games. They're increasing variance, three-betting a lot more, and taking more aggressive lines, so the edges are a lot smaller. It's not like an ICM pressure that people who don't know mixed games are expecting, like the chip leader can just raise every hand. It's a lot harder in these mixed events. I lost a few pots, and then when it really mattered four-handed I never made the second-best hand. It was really easy because they're not going to fold and the pots are massive - there are only so many big bets in play. It was just game over after that."

Deeb went on to say that he believed most of the players he competed against in this event are likely sharper than him in mixed games because they're able to play year-round. Deeb suggested that if he does have an edge over them, it's on the tournament side of things because many of these opponents are cash-game players.

Deeb finished by saying that he'll be in Las Vegas for the remainder of the PGT Mixed Games series so long as his wife doesn't tell him to come home.

"I'm going for that leaderboard," Deeb said. "I love leaderboards, I love free money, so you should see me in everything."

The first-ever PGT Mixed Games tournament drew 87 entries. There were 70 unique players in the field, which set a new all-time high for unique entries in an owned-and-operated PGT event. The prize pool was $870,000.

To follow the entire PGT Mixed Games series, stay tuned to the PGT.com live reporting section.

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