Clemen Deng Wins PGT Last Chance Event #1: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em

At a final table full of superstars, it was Clemen Deng who shined the brightest. He outlasted some of poker’s biggest names on the way to the title, with a list that included recent MSPT Venetian winner Matthew Wantman, mixed game legend David “ODB” Baker, high-stakes crushers Jesse Lonis and Cary Katz, and perhaps the biggest name in poker, Phil Hellmuth.

The win also came at the perfect time for Deng, who had not yet found a way into the season-ending PGT $1,000,000 Championship. With the victory, Deng claimed the top spot on the PGT Last Chance Leaderboard, which will award PGT Dream Seats to the top five point earners of the series. These Dream Seats grant direct entry into the PGT $1,000,000 Championship with a 125-big-blind starting stack.

Starting the day, Deng was the shortest stack of the final six players, but that did not last long. He quickly doubled through start-of-the-day chip leader Jesse Lonis when his ace-queen held up against ace-jack. Deng earned another double shortly after, this time through Cary Katz.

Every card soon began falling Deng’s way when his ace-king outraced Katz’s pocket kings, going runner-runner to make the nut straight and double him into contention.

Matthew Wantman was eliminated first when his ace-seven fell short of Phil Hellmuth’s pocket eights. Next to go was Cary Katz. Katz was left short after doubling Deng, and his own pocket eights failed to outrun Jesse Lonis’s jack-ten suited.

From there, the final four exchanged blow after blow, creating an evenly balanced playing field. Baker first got lucky to double through Hellmuth, while Deng took down multiple pots to assume the chip lead.

Deng then sent Hellmuth on his path to elimination, winning several more pots from him. Hellmuth’s frustration was apparent as he began talking to himself after losing repeated hands to Deng. In his final hand, Hellmuth shoved all in on a ten-high flop against David “ODB” Baker. Baker quickly called with an overpair, and Hellmuth failed to improve his bottom pair, sending him to the rail in fourth place.

Deng maintained the lead in three-handed play and, after a wild series of events, found himself heads-up with a commanding 27–1 chip advantage. In the pivotal hand, Baker opened to 1,300,000, leaving himself just 500,000 behind. Jesse Lonis then moved all in with a covering stack, and Deng called.

Both players began to table their hands before realizing that Baker still had a decision. After some thought, Baker folded, preserving a chance to ladder. Lonis’s pocket nines were no match for Deng’s ace-king, leaving Deng heads-up with an overwhelming lead.

The match ended just a few hands later when Baker’s straight draw failed to materialize against Deng’s bottom pair. Deng captured the first title of the 2025 PGT Last Chance Series, along with $277,940 and 278 PGT points.

PGT Last Chance Event #1: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em Results

Clemen Deng and David 'ODB' Baker Assume the Lead in the PGT Last Chance Dream Seat Race

With their first and second place finish of PGT Last Chance Event #1: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em Clemen Deng and David 'ODB' Baker take the top two spots on the series leaderboard, putting them in prime position to chase the five awarded Dream Seats. 

Matthew Wantman improved on his current position, moving into 33rd place on the 2025 PGT Leaderboard which will earn him a few more chips in the PGT $1,000,000 Championship. Jesse Lonis also increased his point total, but still remains in 7th place overall, where he'll have to earn a few more cashes to surpass Nick Schulman who sits in 6th place. 

Still on the outside looking in are Phil Hellmuth and Cary Katz. Hellmuth will likely have to qualify via the PGT Last Chance Leaderboard to sneak his way into the PGT $1,000,000 Championship while Katz can squeak his way into the top 40 qualifying players with a few more cashes this series. Katz currently sits in 60th with 938 points and he'll need to hit at least 1,131 to qualify via the 2025 PGT Leaderboard. 

PGT Last Chance 2025 Leaderboard

2025 PGT Leaderboard Top 10 

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