Chino Rheem picked up right where he left off in 2025, claiming his first PokerGO Tour title of the year in the opening event of the 2026 PGT Mixed Games series. The two-time PGT Mixed Games series champion is now off to the best possible start in his quest for a third victory in this particular festival-long points race.
Rheem’s win in the $5,300 H.O.R.S.E. event stands as his ninth career trophy won inside the PokerGO Studio. He earned a first-place prize of $112,100, defeating Dylan Linde to seal the victory after the pair made a heads-up deal. The score grew the 2019 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure main event winner and three-time World Poker Tour champion’s lifetime haul to nearly $19.3 million.
This win also came with Rheem 480 points in the Card Player Player of the Year race, presented by CoinPoker. He also claimed 193 PGT points towards both the season-long leaderboard and the player of the series leaderboard. Rheem won an astounding five PGT titles in 2025, across a wide variety of games and formats. That performance saw him finish in third place on the 2025 season-long leaderboard, behind only Alex Foxen and Sam Soverel.
Even with all of those prior accomplishments, Rheem’s first PGT title of 2026 may well be one of his most impressive performances to date.
Fireworks Throughout Final Table
This opening event of the PGT Mixed Games series drew a field of 101 entries. A long bubble period left stacks relatively shallow across the board, particularly Rheem’s. He was down to a single big bet on the first hand of the televised final table after folding. Chip leader Brian Breck claimed that pot from Rheem, and from that moment on, their fortunes flipped. After once again folding in a tenuous spot, leaving himself with less than a full big bet, Rheem began his comeback.
Before Rheem began to rebuild, though, he folded his way into a pay jump. Recent PGT Championship winner Chad Eveslage (7th – $20,200) got his chips in with A♦5♠4♦3♠ preflop in Omaha eight-or-better, and flopped a flush draw on an A♣J♠9♠ board. He added a low draw on the turn, but couldn’t beat Linde’s flopped set of aces after the river bricked all of his draws.
Rheem eventually built up enough chips to take out Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra. In Razz, Rheem made an eight-six low, and faded a seven-six low draw from Elezra to eliminate him in sixth place ($25,250).
.@elielezra1 eliminated in 6th place from @PokerGOTour Mixed Games Event #1.
Stream the event on https://t.co/2RQh5ROjQG. pic.twitter.com/8diQWmn7A1
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) February 4, 2026
Comeback Mission Accomplished
Breck, who couldn’t get much going at the final table, had two-pair, queens and jacks, in stud eight-or-better. Linde had a seven-low to lock up half the pot, and hit a seven-high straight on seventh street to secure the scoop. With one bet left in his stack, Breck called off and saw the bad news (5th – $32,825).
Linde picked up another elimination in limit hold’em. A short-stacked Matt Vengrin pushed his last few chips all in with K♠J♥ on a 6♦5♠4♠ board, and Linde called with 9♣8♥. The turn was clean, but the 8♦ river gave Linde a winning pair, sending Vengrin to the rail with $45,450 for his fourth-place showing.
Alex Livingston got the last of his chips in the middle after the deal playing stud. Rheem was ahead with a better ace high and made a pair of kings on fourth street that held throughout the rest of the hand. The two-time bracelet winner earned $58,075 for his podium finish.
Rheem’s comeback had one final hurdle. He was slightly behind Linde when heads-up play began, but Rheem made a major move during a round of stud. As the stacks grew more even, the two hashed out a quick deal that redistributed the remaining prize money. Not too long after that, the last of the chips went in on a tough cooler for Linde. He made trip eights on fourth street playing stud eight-or-better, only to run into Rheem’s tens full of aces, which he made on sixth. Linde failed to find the case eight for quads after getting all-in on sixth, and Rheem’s comeback for the ages had officially been completed. Linde earned $100,000 as the runner-up. The World Poker Tour champion and three-time bracelet winner is approaching $15.7 million in career cashes.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Chino Rheem | $112,100* | 480 | 193 |
| 2 | Dylan Linde | $100,000* | 400 | 125 |
| 3 | Alex Livingston | $58,075 | 320 | 87 |
| 4 | Matt Vengrin | $45,450 | 240 | 68 |
| 5 | Brian Breck | $32,825 | 200 | 49 |
| 6 | Eli Elezra | $25,250 | 160 | 38 |
| 7 | Chad Eveslage | $20,200 | 120 | 30 |
Photo credit: PGT / Antonio Abrego.
