First Half of PGT Bounty Blitz Sees Titles for Becker, Aido & Tice
The PokerGO Tour Bounty Blitz is at the halfway stage, with three of the six trophies already awarded inside the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. The brand-new PGT series features $5K buy-ins with $2,000 from each entry funneled into the bounty pool, creating plenty of action as some of the game’s biggest names battle it out.
So far, it’s Jeremy Becker who has stood out. The rising star took down the opening event and has since added two more final-table runs. He’s joined in the winners’ circle by Spanish high roller Sergio Aido and his 2024 crossbook rival Landon Tice.
Second PGT Title for Becker
Daily tournament grinder turned high-stakes contender Jeremy Becker opened the series with a win in Event #1: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em. Played as a standard knockout, Becker collected five bounties along the way and secured the $45,600 top prize, good for a total payday of $55,600.
The 46-entry field was packed with talent, and Becker had to overcome a final table featuring bracelet winners Andrew Lichtenberger (4th – $30,500) and Josh Arieh (6th – $13,600), before defeating Qin Zhao heads-up to seal the victory.
It was Becker’s second career PGT title, following his breakthrough win last September that earned him $255,000, his biggest score. The triumph also pushed his live earnings past the $3.5 million mark, per The Hendon Mob.
Event #1: $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Prize | Bounty Prize | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremy Becker | $45,600 | $10,000 | $55,600 |
| 2 | Qin Zhao | $29,000 | $14,000 | $43,000 |
| 3 | John Andress | $19,300 | $6,000 | $25,300 |
| 4 | Andrew Lichtenberger | $14,500 | $16,000 | $30,500 |
| 5 | Darren Rabinowitz | $11,700 | $6,000 | $17,700 |
| 6 | Josh Arieh | $9,600 | $4,000 | $13,600 |
Aido Denies Hunichen in Event #2
Sergio Aido picked up his second PGT title of the season after defeating Chris Hunichen heads-up in the 48-entry field of Event #2: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em Escalator. The Spaniard earned $47,500 plus $21,500 in bounties, closing out one of the fastest final tables in PGT history in just over 90 minutes.
For the Escalator, bounties varied between three different price points. Bounties during open registration were worth $500, while eliminations after registration closes rose to $1,000. Once the tournament reached the full table before the bubble, the bounty value was adjusted by dividing the remaining prize pool by the number of players remaining.
Aido’s run began with a huge slice of fortune when his pocket kings spiked a set to crack Becker'’s aces, denying the Event #1 champion back-to-back wins. Chino Rheem soon found himself on the wrong end of a cooler against Sean Winter before bowing out a few hands later, while Winter’s own surge ended when Hunichen picked him off and Michael Berk finished the job.
Hunichen entered heads-up with the lead after dispatching Berk in third, but Aido clawed back, turned the match around, and sealed the victory when his top two pair held against Hunichen’s top pair.
Event #2: $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em Escalator Final Table Payouts
| Place | Name | Prize | Bounties | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergio Aido | $47,500 | $21,500 | $69,000 |
| 2 | Chris Hunichen | $30,200 | $13,600 | $43,800 |
| 3 | Michael Berk | $20,100 | $22,200 | $42,300 |
| 4 | Sean Winter | $15,100 | $7,800 | $22,900 |
| 5 | Chino Rheem | $12,300 | $8,300 | $20,600 |
| 6 | Jeremy Becker | $10,100 | $5,300 | $15,400 |
Tice Reels in Biggest Score So Far
Landon Tice fought through 50 other entries and a swingy final table to win Event #3: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em Quattro, where bounties were worth $8,000, for $47,500 plus $32,000 in bounties.
Tice, who entered the final day as a middling stack, survived several all-ins and found a string of key doubles before eliminating Sam Laskowitz in third and defeating Dan Shak heads-up. The result gave Tice his first PGT title of the season and sixth cash overall.
Event #3: $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em Quattro Final Table Payouts
| Place | Name | Prize | Bounties | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Landon Tice | $47,500 | $32,000 | $79,500 |
| 2 | Dan Shak | $32,200 | $16,000 | $48,200 |
| 3 | Sam Laskowitz | $21,400 | $0 | $21,400 |
| 4 | Andrew Ostapchenko | $15,300 | $16,000 | $31,300 |
| 5 | Cherish Andrews | $12,200 | $14,000 | $26,200 |
| 6 | John Andress | $9,200 | $16,000 | $25,200 |
Rheem Leads Event #4; Becker Makes Third FT
Event #2 finalist Rheem has put himself in pole position in Event #4: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em PKO after bagging the chip lead. The tournament drew 36 entries for a $180,000 prize pool, with $72,000 allocated to bounties in the progressive knockout format.
Rheem was among the bigger stacks for most of Day 1 and finished with more than a quarter of the chips in play. He’ll return to a final table that also includes Big Huni, Andrew Kelsall, Mike Zulker, Alex Condon, and Becker.
Becker, who made his third in-the-money finish of series, will be a prime target when play resumes thanks to the $10,000 bounty on his head. The six survivors are guaranteed $8,600, while the eventual winner will collect $28,100 plus bounties.
Play resumes Friday, September 5, at 12 p.m. PT, with the final table streaming live on PokerGO from 1 p.m. PT.
Event #4: $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em PKO Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Progressive Bounty | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chino Rheem | $4,000 | 1,165,000 | 58 |
| 2 | Chris Hunichen | $5,000 | 1,100,000 | 55 |
| 3 | Andrew Kelsall | $8,000 | 635,000 | 32 |
| 4 | Alex Condon | $4,000 | 120,000 | 6 |
| 5 | Mike Zulker | $6,000 | 970,000 | 49 |
| 6 | Jeremy Becker | $10,000 | 510,000 | 26 |
Images and reporting courtesy PokerGO
