Big Year Coming? Chino Rheem Is Already Five Final Tables Deep in 2026
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Chino Rheem capped a career-best 2025 with $3,487,508 in live tournament earnings, the highest single-year total of his career, and he has wasted no time carrying that form into 2026.
The Californian opened the new year with four straight final-table appearances during the PokerGO Tour Last Chance series, followed by three additional cashes inside the PokerGO Studio. That hot streak continued this week when Rheem captured his first title of the year by winning the $5,300 H.O.R.S.E event at the PGT Mixed Games.
Rheem topped a 101-entry field, closing out the title after defeating Dylan Linde following a heads-up deal that locked up $100,000 apiece, with an extra $12,100 left to play for.
PGT Mixed Games $5,300 H.O.R.S.E Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chino Rheem | $112,100* |
| 2 | Dylan Linde | $100,000* |
| 3 | Alex Livingston | $58,075 |
| 4 | Matt Vengrin | $45,450 |
| 5 | Brian Breck | $32,825 |
| 6 | Eli Elezra | $25,250 |
| 7 | Chad Eveslage | $20,200 |
*Denotes a heads-up deal.
Rheem Pulls Off the Comeback
Rheem was down to just two-thirds of a big bet early in the finale, but a timely triple-up, a series of well-timed steals, the elimination of Eli Elezra in sixth, and a crucial Stud pot taken from Brian Breck propelled him into the chip lead.
Momentum briefly swung Linde’s way after he straightened out Breck in Stud and quickly eliminated Matt Vengrin in Hold’em, setting up three-handed play alongside Alex Livingston. Rheem then booked the heads-up showdown by dispatching Livingston in Stud.
Stud continued to favor Rheem during heads-up play, most notably when he folded out Linde in a 7.4 million-chip pot to seize a commanding 2:1 chip lead. Stud Hi-Lo would seal the deal, with Rheem’s full house besting trips to claim every remaining chip.
Another Big Year on the Cards for Rheem?
At this point, Rheem’s résumé barely needs polishing. Three PGT Mixed Games titles and nine PokerGO Tour wins now sit alongside three WPT titles and his 2019 PCA Main Event victory. It’s a body of work that has seen cash for almost $20 million and one that most players would happily trade their entire careers for.
And yet, there’s still one obvious gap.
For all the trophies and titles Rheem has collected, a World Series of Poker bracelet continues to evade him. Not for lack of chances either. He’s finished runner-up four times, and frustratingly, those near-misses have come across different formats each time: Stud, PLO, PLO Hi-Lo and No-Limit Hold’em.
If anything, that list says more about Rheem than the missing bracelet does. Few players are genuinely dangerous across that many disciplines, and even fewer keep putting themselves in position year after year. He’s not a one-game specialist by any stretch.
A WSOP bracelet would also complete the set. Rheem already owns titles on both the World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour Main Event (PCA Main Event counts), meaning one win under the WSOP umbrella would earn him a spot in poker’s exclusive Triple Crown club, a list that still only includes ten names. Mike Watson was the last to join in 2024, and Rheem feels like the kind of player who could quietly be next without much fuss.
With the way he’s started 2026, it’s not hard to imagine this being the year it finally clicks. If the form carries into the summer, Rheem won’t just be hunting a bracelet. He could easily find himself hanging around the WSOP Player of the Year conversation too.
PGT Mixed Games & SHRB Mixed Games Schedule
With the opening event in the books, the PGT Mixed Games series rolls on toward its $25K 10-Game Championship on February 10, before handing straight over to the Super High Roller Bowl: Mixed Games from February 12–14.
The next live stream airs Saturday, February 7 at 1 p.m. local time, with coverage for the $10K 8-Game available on the PokerGO YouTube channel.
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 3 | 12 p.m. | PGT Mixed Games #1: $5,300 H.O.R.S.E. |
| Feb 4 | 12 p.m. | PGT Mixed Games #2: $5,300 8-Game |
| Feb 5 | 12 p.m. | PGT Mixed Games #3: $10,200 T.O.R.S.E. |
| Feb 6 | 12 p.m. | PGT Mixed Games #4: $10,200 8-Game |
| Feb 7 | 12 p.m. | PGT Mixed Games #5: $15,200 Big Bet Mix |
| Feb 9 | 12 p.m. | PGT Mixed Games #6: $15,200 Dealer’s Choice |
| Feb 10 | 12 p.m. | PGT Mixed Games #7: $25,300 10-Game Championship |
| Feb 12-14 | 1 p.m. | Super High Roller Bowl $100,500 Mixed Games |
| Feb 13 | 2 p.m. | SHRS Event #1: 8-Game |
