Hands of the Week: Negreanu Says "This is Part of What Makes Me a Good Poker Player!"
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Earlier this week, the 2025 PokerGO Tour (PGT) $1,000,000 Championship Freeroll took place at PokerGO Studio. The freeroll event field included the top 40 players on the PGT leaderboard and 14 Dream Seat qualifiers.
PokerNews was on-site to offer live updates, and during the course of the tournament, our reporters captured some interesting and game-changing hands. Here's a look at five of them as a part of our "Hands of the Week" series.
For more on the 2025 PGT Championship, watch the full replay below:
Sternheimer Scores a Double Knockout
On Day 1 in Level 7 (2,500/5,000/5,000), reporter Connor Richards captured a three-way all-in collision between Timothy Tuveson, Jason Koon, and Philip Sternheimer, who had both opponents covered.
Timothy Tuveson: 7♥7♣
Jason Koon: K♦K♠
Philip Sternheimer: A♦Q♠
Sternheimer took a big lead on the flop of A♠2♣3♠ and not,hing changed on the runout of 5♥Q♦ as Koon and Dream Seat winner Tuveson were sent to the rail.
Negreanu Makes Full House to Bust Deng
In the next level with the blinds at 3,000/6,000/6,000, it was a limped pot between the blinds and Clemen Deng led out for 6,000 on a flop of 7♣6♣2♠, which Daniel Negreanu raised to 24,000.
Deng three-bet to 54,000, and Negreanu came over the top by four-bet jamming. Deng went in the tank and then called with his remaining stack of around 120,000.
Clemen Deng: A♥7♠
Daniel Negreanu: 7♥6♦
Negreanu was far in front with two pair, and the 7♦ turn improved him to a full house before the 9♦ river bricked off to mark Deng's elimination.
Reigning Champ Mizrachi Will Make His Flight
In the same level, Michael Mizrachi was all in with a short stack against Andrew Lichtenberger to his right.
Michael Mizrachi: A♠7♠
Andrew Lichtenberger: A♦J♠
Mizrachi was dominated and couldn't pull ahead as the board ran out 10♦9♠3♥J♦5♠ to mark the reigning champion's elimination.
The only silver lining was that Mizrachi made his flight, which was booked for later tonight.
"If I was playing a freeroll, I maybe wouldn't book my flight for that night!" Chino Rheem teased earlier in the tournament.
Sternheimer Death Spiral Reaches Fatal Conclusion with Chewy
In Level 9 (4,000/8,000/8,000), Philip Sternheimer quickly amassed the biggest stack of the tournament, but he lost it just as quickly.
The fatal blow occurred when he got his in stack of around 515,000, which a short time earlier had been at over a million, in a heads-up pot against new chip leader Andrew Lichtenberger.
Philip Sternheimer: Q♦Q♠
Andrew Lichtenberger: A♣K♦
The flop of 7♣4♣8♣ increased Lichtenberger's outs, and the A♠ turn all but sealed it as the 5♠ river marked Sternheimer's elimination.
Negreanu Just Calls With Fourth Nuts
In Level 10 (5,000/10,000/10,000), Daniel Negreanu made an impressive play that got the whole table talking in a three-way pot against Chad Eveslage in the small blind and Michael Wang in middle position.
Action checked to Negreanu in the cutoff on the flop of 4♥2♠K♣ and he bet 25,000. Eveslage folded and Wang called. Both players then checked on the 3♦ turn.
The 8♦ river completed the board and Wang put out an overbet of 115,000. Negreanu gave it some thought and announced "call."
Wang showed K♦K♠ for top set, and Negreanu giggled before tabling 8♠8♣ after just calling with a set of eights for the fourth nuts.
"This is part of what makes me a good poker player!" Negreanu cheered as others at the table sat in disbelief.
Negreanu later told PokerNews about his thought process during the hand. "There's like, no theory that says you're not raising there. I chose not to. I just called him. He had three kings. I'd be out of here."
He added: "There's a real deeper reason though, exploitatively, why I have to do stuff like that. But that will be like a whole we'll write at some point."
2025 PGT Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad Eveslage | United States | $500,000 |
| 2 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | $200,000 |
| 3 | Michael Wang | United States | $120,000 |
| 4 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $80,000 |
| 5 | Aaron Kupin | United States | $60,000 |
| 6 | John Riordan | United States | $40,000 |
*Images courtesy of PokerGO.
