$1 Million PGT Championship Freeroll Set to Get Underway
The fifth edition of the PokerGO Tour (PGT) Championship is set to get underway at the PokerGO Studio inside ARIA Resort & Casino on January 12, serving as the culmination of the 2025 PGT season. The event features a $1,000,000 freeroll prize pool, with $500,000 set aside for the eventual champion.
There is no buy-in for the tournament, as entry is reserved exclusively for the 40 players who earned their seats through year-long performance on the PGT leaderboard, as well as the 14 players who qualified via Dream Seat promotions held throughout the season.
Leaderboard Advantage
Starting stacks range from 100,000 to 350,000 chips, determined by where players finished on the 2025 PGT Leaderboard or how they secured their Dream Seat. Those who enjoyed the strongest seasons will begin play with a significant advantage.
Leading the way is Alex Foxen, who starts with the maximum 350,000-chip stack after locking up the top spot on the leaderboard. Foxen clinched first place thanks to his 12th career PGT victory, which came just a few days ago during the PGT Last Chance Series.
Close behind him are Sam Soverel (340,000) and Chino Rheem (330,000), rounding out the top tier of starting stacks.
PGT Championship Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Foxen | United States | 350,000 |
| 2 | Sam Soverel | United States | 340,000 |
| 3 | Chino Rheem | United States | 330,000 |
| 4 | Michael Mizrachi | United States | 320,000 |
| 5 | Joao Simao | Brazil | 310,000 |
| 6 | Nick Schulman | United States | 300,000 |
| 7 | Jesse Lonis | United States | 295,000 |
| 8 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | 290,000 |
| 9 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | 285,000 |
| 10 | Kristen Foxen | Canada | 280,000 |
The field is stacked with some of the best players in the world, including several of the game’s most accomplished tournament professionals. Among the notable leaderboard qualifiers are World Series of Poker Main Event champion Michael Mizrachi (320,000), Daniel Negreanu (275,000), Patrick Leonard (200,000), Jason Koon (150,000), and defending PGT Champion Jeremy Ausmus, who begins with 135,000 chips.
Dream Seat Qualifiers
In addition to the top finishers on the PGT leaderboard, several players earned their way into the Championship through Dream Seat opportunities, which were awarded via partner events, promotional giveaways, and the PGT Last Chance Series leaderboard.
A total of 14 players earned a dream Seat, qualifiers with the largest starting stacks are those who qualified through the Last Chance Series, and the players who will start with 125,000 chips include Jeremy Becker, Neil Warren, Clemen Deng, Chi-Jen Chu, and David “ODB” Baker, who topped the Last Chance leaderboard and enters the Championship with momentum on his side.
Play begins on Monday, January 12, at 1 p.m. PT, with blinds starting at 500/1,000 (1,000 big blind ante). The tournament will play down to the final six players on Day 1, all of whom will be guaranteed a share of the prize pool. The eventual winner will walk away with $500,000, split between cash and a PGT Passport.
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates and full coverage throughout the 2025 PGT Championship until a champion is crowned.