$1,000,000 Championship Freeroll
Day 2 Completed
2025 PGT Championship
$1,000,000 Championship Freeroll
Day: 2
Event Info
2025 PGT Championship
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Prize Pool
$1,000,000
Entries
54
Level
21
Blinds
75,000 / 125,000
Ante
125,000
Entries
7
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 54
Filter
Level 21
: Blinds 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
Chad Eveslage entered the 2025 PokerGO Tour (PGT) $1,000,000 Championship Freeroll with something to prove. The four-time bracelet winner, who won the $100,000 Super High Roller Bowl Mixed Games in the PokerGO Studio in March 2025, is widely recognized as a mixed game expert and today showed he can compete at the highest levels of Texas No-Limit Hold'em by winning the million-dollar freeroll for $500,000.
"It feels great," Eveslage told PokerNews in a winner's interview. "I don't feel super confident in my No-Limit game, and battling against all these guys (and winning), it feels great. Ten out of ten. It feels awesome."
The freeroll event field included the top 40 players on the PGT leaderboard and 14 Dream Seat qualifiers. Day 2's final table featured Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu (4th - $80,000), American pros Michael Wang (3rd - $120,000) and John Riordan (6th - $40,000), Dream Seat winner Aaron Kupin (5th - $60,000) and runner-up Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger ($200,000), who dominated most of the event but fell after a brief heads-up battle.
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 |
Negreanu Final Tables His First Event of 2026
The day began with seven players and only six spots paid, but it didn't take long to burst the bubble as Eric Blair lost a flip with ace-queen against the pocket nines of Kupin.
Negreanu, who was playing his first tournament of the year, started the day strong by flopping a full house against start-of-day chip leader Wang and he had the energy to match it. He showed off his golf stroke multiple times throughout the stream and continued his Day 1 trend of leading enlightening discussions ranging from aliens to nutrition hacks.
"You learn all kinds of things here," he told PokerNews during an interview on break. "This is like social media, except better, because we're playing poker and doing it. This is a show ladies and gentlemen, this is a show. An informative, educational show."
Negreanu also gave PokerNews some insight into a classic Negreanu hand on Day 1 where he just called a river bet with a set of eights against Wang, who ended up having a set of kings.
"There's like, no theory that says you're not raising there," said Negreanu. "I chose not to. I just called him. He had three kings. I'd be out of here."
"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."
Negreanu's first tournament of the year ended in fourth place when his ace-six couldn't pull ahead of the pocket jacks of Eveslage.
Jiggities are the hand that Eveslage would win the tournament with, as he later picked them up against Lichtenberger, who had been running the show on Day 1 with a dominant chip lead before dwindling late at the final table.
"Mission one was just to make the money," said Eveslage, who started the day as the second shortest stack. "After that, it was pretty smooth sailing. I was on the right side of a few coolers. Every bluff worked, every call worked. I ran very well in (that) regard."
For the mixed game specialist, the victory felt like a return to his poker roots.
"I started playing No-Limit tournaments ... I (later) started playing mixed because we finished our cash games and then we would screw around for a couple hours playing mixed games. But I've probably played more No-Limit than mixed by a lot, so I have a love for it. It's fun."
That wraps up PokerNews' coverage of the PGT Championship as the 2025 PGT season reaches its conclusion. Be sure to check out the live reporting portal for other highlights.
*Photos courtesy of PokerGO & Antonio Abrego
Level 21
: Blinds 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
Chad Eveslage is the winner of the 2025 PGT Championship for $500,000 after defeating heads-up opponent Andrew Lichtenberger, who takes home $200,000 for his runner-up finish.
Stay tuned for a full recap and winner's interview.
2026 PGT Championship
| 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 |
Level 21
: Blinds 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
Andrew Lichtenberger moved all in on the button for his stack of 1,650,000, and Chad Eveslage in the big blind snap called.
Andrew Lichtenberger: 8♣6♣ 
Chad Eveslage: J♠J♦
Lichtenberger ran into the jacks of Eveslage and was drawing thin after the 2♦Q♦4♠ flop. Lichtenberger was then drawing dead after the J♥ on the turn, and the 3♠ on the river officially ended his run in second place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
10,750,000
2,050,000
|
2,050,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 21
: Blinds 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
Andrew Lichtenberger limped in on the button with Q♠Q♣ and Chad Eveslage checked his option with J♣5♠.
The flop came 10♦6♣K♣ and both players checked to see the 10♣ on the turn, and again after to see the 7♥ on the river.
Then after Eveslage checked, Lichtenberger bet out 375,000, which got a quick fold from Eveslage.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,700,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
2,025,000 | |
|
|
||
Level 21
: 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
Players are on a brief break before heads-up play begins.
Level 21
: Blinds 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
Michael Wang opened to 250,000 on the button, and once it folded to the big blind Chad Eveslage, he three-bet to 675,000. Wang took his time before making the call.
The flop came 9♣10♦8♠ and Eveslage bet to put Wang all in for his stack of 1,635,000, which Wang snap called.
Michael Wang: 10♥9♥
Chad Eveslage: K♥K♦
Wang out flopped the pocket kings of Eveslage and kept his lead after the 2♣ on the turn. But the 8♦ on the river counterfeited Wang's two pair, eliminating him in brutal fashion.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,700,000
2,650,000
|
2,650,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,025,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level: 21
Blinds: 75,000/125,000
Ante: 125,000
Level 20
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
Andrew Lichtenberger open-jammed all in from the small blind for 925,000, and was snap-called by Chad Eveslage in the big blind to put Lichtenberger at risk.
Andrew Lichtenberger: A♣8♣
Chad Eveslage: J♠J♦
Eveslage woke up with a premium in the big blind, but Lichtenberger was able to stay alive after the board ran out A♦4♠8♥6♦K♠ and he flopped an ace to double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,050,000
275,000
|
275,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,700,000
1,475,000
|
1,475,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,975,000
1,125,000
|
1,125,000 |
|
|
||
Level 20
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
In a limped pot between the blinds, Andrew Lichtenberger and Chad Eveslage both checked on the flop of 6♦9♦6♥.
Lichtenberger then bet 125,000 on the J♥ turn with Q♥5♥ and Eveslage called with J♦4♠.
Lichtenberger checked on the K♣ river and Eveslage bet 450,000. Lichtenberger called with just queen hight and Eveslage won the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,325,000
2,150,000
|
2,150,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
850,000
1,525,000
|
1,525,000 |
|
|
||
