PokerGo Tour (PGT) held its maiden PGT Mixed Games festival recently. Eli Elezra, a five-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet champion and Poker Hall of Famer beat 59 entrants in the $10,300 buy-in Triple Stud Mix to win the title and $155,000. The event has razz, seven-card stud eight-or-better, and seven-card stud.
Elezra's latest victory increases his poker career tournament earnings to over $5.4 million. He has won 16 tournaments including five WSOP bracelets. Four of his wins were in events with stud variants.
Even so, the poker pro garnered 360 Card Player Player of the Year (POY) points that improved his position in the 2023 POY race standings to the top 300 players. Still, he got 180 PokerGO Tour points that helped him be the fifth player in the PGT Mixed Games festival and among the top 20 players in the PGT leaderboard.
ARIA Resort & Casino's PokerGO Studio hosted the tournament for two days. Jennifer Harman's exit in seventh place ended Day 1's action. Elezra won the pot which ended Harman's run in a stud eight-or-better round that earned him the chip lead.
What the Top Seven Players Won
- Eli Elezra- $155,000; 360 POY points and 180 PGT points
- Yuval Bronshtein-$145,000;300 POY points and 120 PGT points
- Daniel Zack-$84,000; 240 POY points and 84 PGT points
- John Monnette-$60,000;180 POY points and 60 PGT points
- Philip Sternheimer-$48,000;150 POY points and 48 PGT points
- Yehuda Buchalter-$36,000;120 POY points and 36 PGT points
- Jennifer Harman-$30,000;90 POY points and 30 PGT points
What Transpired on the Final Day?
Yehuda Buchalter exited the tournament in sixth place with $36,000 after Philip Sternheimer's jacks-up beat his pair of tens in a round of stud. But, the latter followed him shortly after Yuval Bronshtein used a when on seventh street to win the pot.
The game turned to stud eight-or-better and John Monnette's (a four-time bracelet champion) run was at stake. He later decided to use the fourth street to move all-in with Bronshetin and Dan Zack (three-time bracelet champion) in the three-way pot.
Zack folded a seventh bet while Bronshtein used sizes full of queens to face Monnette's pair of aces. The latter took a brief break in Event No.2's heads-up action to qualify for this tournament and won $60,000 after finishing fourth. Still, he would later continue his match with Albert Daher.
Zack left the $10,300 Triple Stud Mix event after Bronshtein's higher two pair defeated his gutshot and two pair. The former got outs after making a sixth street all-in move but failed to improve. He left the table in third place with $84,000.
Zack's elimination set up a heads-up battle between Elezra and Bronshtein. The latter had a significant chip advantage over Elezra. But, Elezra changed the game after doubling up.
The two finalists struck a deal that assured Bronshtein of winning $145,000 and Elezra $135. The title and $20,000 were open for anyone to win.
Elezra regained the chip lead fast and extended it. He frustrated his opponent after making sixes full in the tournament's final hand. Bronshtein doubled up but finished as a runner-up with the agreed $145,000.
