PGT Last Chance series sets showdown for playoff bubble, PoY race

Posted on: December 29, 2025 06:42 PST

Alex Foxen entered WSOP Paradise with a slim lead on the PokerGO Tour leaderboard, but he couldn't hold off the hard charging Sam Soverel for the top spot as the two jockey down the stretch for the Player of the Year honors. They'll now return to Las Vegas for a sprint to the PGT Championship, starting on January 5 in the PokerGO Studio.

Foxen remains within arm's reach of Soverel, who leaped to the lead with a third-place finish in the $100,000 Super High Roller Bowl. They're both trailed by Chino Rheem, but it's turning into a two-man race heading into the PGT Last Chance series next week. Six more events standing between tour players at the season-ending PGT Championship, all of them $10,000 buy-ins at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas.

Also at stake for tour players is a spot in the PGT Championship, awarded to the top-40 finishers on the season leaderboard. Several notable players are just outside the bubble, now including one of our own, and enough points will be in play to make a move next week.

Sam Soverel is now in the cat bird seat.

Omar Sader

PGT regulars lurk on championship bubble

Elsewhere near the top, Joao Simao jumped into the top five with a fourth-place finish at WSOP Paradise before his big victory in the Super High Roller Bowl. Simao is likely to be out of the PoY picture, but leaderboard position is everything with staggered starting chip counts to start the PGT Championship. Still in fourth is Michael Mizrachi, who will finish strong based on just two wins: the Poker Player's Championship and the WSOP Main Event.

The rest of the story at the PGT Last Chance series is the fight for a spot in the top 40, which guarantees a seat in the PGT Championship. Players like Jason Koon, Shaun Deeb, Nacho Barbero, Patrick Leonard, and 2024 PoY Jeremy Ausmus are currently outside the bubble, but they remain within shouting distance of the cutoff line, currently occupied by Joey Weissman with 1,131 points.

Points are based on in-the-money finishes, with .0010 points awarded per dollar cashed in the last stretch of $10,000 events. A $200,000 win would be worth 200 points.

Jeremy Ausmus needs a big finish to have another crack at the PGT Championship.

Hayley Hochstetler

The Bubble

Last five in:

Matthew Wantman - 1,170 points
Eric Blair - 1,157 points
Luka Bojovic - 1,150 points
Masato Yokosawa - 1,136 points
Joey Weissman - 1,131 points

First five out:

Leo Margets - 1,125 points
Jason Koon - 1,108 points
Daehyung Lee - 1,100 points
Jarod Minghini - 1,100 points
Richard Gryko - 1,099 points

So you're saying I have a chance?

Shaun Deeb - 1,044 points
Jim Collopy - 1,028 points
Andrew Ostapchenko - 980 points
Nacho Barbero - 974 points
David Coleman - 965 points
Jeremy Ausmus - 952 points
Patrick Leonard - 943 points
Terrance Reid - 920 points

Terrance Reid is having a better year than his St. Louis Blues.

Katerina Lukina

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Reid rides late surge

The one we will be keeping an eye on is our very own Terrance Reid, who vaulted himself into the picture with his fourth-place finish for $3,000,000 at the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event. Add those 900 points to the 20 he picked up in the WSOP Main Event and he's close enough to make the trip to Las Vegas, where he can probably claim a spot in the top 40 with a win or a combination of final table finishes. Reid can also claim one of five available Dream Seats, which will go to the top five Last Chance leaderboard finishers who don't already have a spot in the championship.

Players will convene in Las Vegas at the PokerGO Studio for the first event of the series on January 5 at 1pm, followed by five more days of $10,000 buy-ins. Day 1s generally play down to a final table with a livestream broadcast to follow the next day on PokerGO. The field will be set with a single day turbo on January 10 before the PGT Championship kicks off on January 12.

2026 PGT Last Chance Series schedule