Daniel Maor Wins PGT True Classic Rags to Riches for $110,000

Eighteen months ago, Daniel Maor was an up-and-coming grinder looking to make his mark on the poker scene. Now, after taking down the 161-entrant field in the inaugural PGT True Classic Rags to Riches, he has secured a third major title to go along with his 2024 BetMGM Classic Title and a 2024 WSOP gold bracelet. 

Maor, who came into the final table of the $3,300 No-Limit Hold 'em Event fourth in chips after bagging the chip lead in Flight B and outlasting 17 other players on Day 2, trailed Jared Jaffee, Calvin Anderson, and Terry Fleischer by over two million chips to start the day, sat back and watched as short stacks Anthony Hu and Jack Hardcastle canibalze each ther during the first level of play, with Hardcastle being the first to hit the rail when his queen-nine found itself outkicked by Hu's king-queen as the United Kingdom native hit the rail in seventh place for $15,000 plus 15 PGT points. 

Hu used his newfound chips to score a ladder when Michael Wang ran pocket sixes into Fleischer's pocket eights to hit the rail in sixth place for $20,000 plus 20 PGT points, but he could improve his position no further as Anderson's ace-ten dominated Hu's king-ten in a blind vs. blind battle, sending him home in fifth place for $25,000 plus 25 PGT points. 

With the short stacks gone, the battle quickly intensified as chips started to fly around the table, albeit without much more action than the occasional three-bet preflop until Maor found himself all-in and at risk for his last three million with ace-ten from the big blind, only to see he was drawing to three outs when Anderson tabled ace-queen from the small blind. 

However, as fate would have it, a ten on the flop secured a double into second place for the California native, giving him new life when it appeared his day was through. Maor would stay active after the double; it was Fleischer who started building a pile of chips, but both players took a back seat as Jaffee and Anderson collided. 

Jaffee, who was the chip leader to start four-handed play, could get nothing going during the battle and eventually got his last million chips into the middle with jack-nine from the small blind against the ace-six of Anderson from the big blind. A jack on the flop looked like things were turning around for Jaffee, but an ace from space on the river gave Anderson the higher pair and "Big Tuna" hit the rail in fourth place for $35,000. 

Even with the elimination of Jaffee, Anderson was the clear short stack to start three-handed play, and what followed next can only be described as a roller coaster with chips flying around the table. 

Anderson was the first to find a high note after four betting all-in for 4.3 million from under the gun, and Maor folded from the small blind after investing 1.3 million in the form of a three-bet. Fleischer, who had cold-called the Maor three bet and was sitting on over half the chips in play, eventually called it off with pocket fives. 

This was great news for Anderson, who held pocket kings, and when the runout failed to produce a five, he moved into the chip lead. However, that would mark the high point for Anderson, as on the next hand, he rivered a full house only to see Maor had flopped a bigger boat, relinquishing the chip lead just as quickly as it appeared. 

Anderson wasn't done with the action and tried to take the chip lead right back as he bluffed the river with a missed straight draw, after the front door flush came in, but Maor sniffed it out with second pair, extending his chip lead in the process. 

Before the dust could settle on rounds one and two, Maor and Anderson would find themselves in another skirmish as Anderson four-bet jammed for just over five million with ace-ten of spades from the button, but unfortunately for Anderson, Maor found pocket kings in the small blind. 

Anderson would flop a broadway draw and turn a flush draw, but the river bricked out, and three hands after doubling into the chip lead, he was out the door in third place for $50,000 plus 50 PGT points, and Maor held over 70% of the chips in play. 

The heads-up match between Maor and Fleischer was also short-lived as on the second hand Fleischer moved all in for just over 6.5 million with ace-king from the big blind only for Maor to wake up with pocket nines on the button. The board ran out queen-high, Fleischer failed to find a pair, hitting the road in second place for $74,000, and Maor went from short stack to tournament champion in five hands. 

PGT True Classic Rags to Riches Final Table Payouts

Sam Laskowitz Moves Into Final Spot for 2025 PGT Championship

While the inaugural PGT True Classic Rags to Riches - $3,300 No-Limit Hold'em didn't shake up the top half of the top 40 of the 2025 PGT season, there are currently eight players in that top 40 who are ineligible to compete in the season-ending championship event, as they have failed to secure the minimum of three cashes, which has opened the door for those just outside the top 40 to make a late season push. 

One of those players, Samuel Laskowitz, scored a 21st-place finish during Rags to Riches and picked up six PGT points, which isn't a lot, but what it was lacking in size made up for in significance as those six points moved him out of a tie with Dennis Weiss and into sole possession of the 48th spot, which if the season ended today would mean he would be in the top 40. 

Elsewhere on the leaderboard, Wang picked up 20 points and jumped ahead of Dylan Linde for 17th place with 1,283 points as he looks to jockey for a better starting stack in the championship event. 

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