Sean Winter has taken the lead in the 2025 PGT PLO Series II points race after securing the title in event no. 5, the $10,000 pot-limit Omaha progressive knockout. This was his third final-table finish and fourth cash of the series. While it was his first outright win, Winter did also place third in event no. 3. This latest triumph saw the high-stakes regular earn $122,300 from the main prize pool, along with $155,000 in bounties to bring his total haul to $277,300.
Winter has now cashed for $440,100 during this four-card festival, which still has five events left to play. Winter’s career tournament earnings now sit at $36.8 million after this latest triumph, which was his 19th on the circuit.
This victory also helped propel Winter inside the top 50 in the Card Player Player of the Year race. This was his second qualified title and eighth final table of the year. With 3,700 points, he currently occupies the 49th-place spot on the leaderboard, which is presented by CoinPoker.
Lonis’ Hot 2025 Continues With 25th Final-Table Showing
The top 16 finishers earned a share of the $1,060,000 prize pool in this PKO event, with only five moving on to day 2 with Winter in the lead.
Current POY race leader Jesse Lonis got off to a slow start, losing a few big pots early to slide down the chip counts. He was soon all-in and at risk against two opponents, with his K♥K♦9♣6♣ facing the A♣10♣7♠3♣ of two-time bracelet winner Sam Soverel and the A♠K♠J♥ of recent bracelet winner Nicholas Palma. The board ran out 10♠9♠5♦2♠6♦ and Palma, who Soverel covered, made the nut flush in spades to win the pot, ending Lonis’ run in fifth place. Lonis earned $41,700 from the main prize pool and another $33,000 in bounty payouts.
This was Lonis’ 25th POY-qualified final table of the year, with eighth titles and more than $10.9 million in POY earnings accrued along the way. He now has an 1,136-point lead over second-ranked Alex Foxen in the overall standings. This was also his third cash and second final-table finish of the series, having won the kickoff event for $175,000. He is currently sitting in third in the series points race.
Winter Scores Final Three Knockouts To Close Out The Win
Winter’s first knockout of the day saw his flush draw and wrap straight draw get the better of the three pair of Taylor Wilson (4th – $73,200). Winter rivered spades to win the pot and narrow the field to three.
Just minutes later, Winter was soon involved in another all-in confrontation. Palma shoved on the river with a board of J♠J♦3♥J♣8♥ and Winter quickly called with [invalid notations] for quads. Palma could only produce the A♥K♥8♦6♠ before heading to the payout desk to collect $73,100 from the main prize pool and another $19,000 in bounties.
Winter had better than a 2:1 chip lead over Soverel when heads-up play began. That gap was narrowed a bit in the early going, but Winter was able to expand his advantage again ahead of the final hand. Soverel raised with J♦10♠8♥7♠ and Winter three-bet holding A♠A♦Q♦9♦ in the big blind. Soverel called and the flop came down 10♦6♦2♥. Winter bet the pot for 1,140,000 and Soverel called. The 5♦ turn gave Winter the nut flush and he bet 810,000. Soverel called and the 9♥ appeared on the end, giving him a ten-high straight. Winter bet the pot again and after some thought, Soverel called off his remaining stack of more than 2 million. Winter showed the goods and dragged the pot.
Soverel took home $141,300 as the runner-up, with $122,300 from the prize pool and $19,000 in bounties. He now has nearly $27.3 million in lifetime earnings.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Sean Winter | $277,300 | 600 | 253 |
| 2 | Sam Soverel | $141,300 | 500 | 153 |
| 3 | Nicholas Palma | $92,100 | 400 | 121 |
| 4 | Taylor Wilson | $73,200 | 300 | 95 |
| 5 | Jesse Lonis | $74,700 | 250 | 69 |
| 6 | Kamel Mokhammad | $33,800 | 200 | 53 |
| 7 | Stephen Hubbard | $29,300 | 150 | 42 |
Series Points Race Standings (Top Ten)
| Rank | Player | Points | Wins | Final Tables | Winnings |
| 1 | Sean Winter | 416 | 1 | 3 | $285,100 |
| 2 | Ben Lamb | 293 | 1 | 1 | $292,500 |
| 3 | Jesse Lonis | 264 | 1 | 2 | $228,700 |
| 4 | Fernando Habegger | 181 | 0 | 1 | $181,400 |
| 5 | Sam Soverel | 175 | 0 | 1 | $143,800 |
| 6 | Erik Seidel | 172 | 1 | 1 | $171,500 |
| 7 | Alex Foxen | 162 | 1 | 1 | $105,250 |
| 8 | John Riordan | 158 | 0 | 1 | $142,300 |
| 9 | Michael Wang | 155 | 0 | 1 | $105,200 |
| 10 | Chino Rheem | 149 | 0 | 1 | $135,700 |
Photo credit: PokerGO Tour / Antonio Abrego.
