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The PGT Last Chance continued from the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Event #3: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em. The 108-entrant field was whittled down to just six players by the early hours of Thursday morning, and Spanish pro Sergio Aido leads the way with 3,675,000.
However, right on his heels is Brandon Wilson, who bagged 3,510,000 after a late-night run that saw him score a big double with aces against the top pair of Joey Weissman. The two players hold more than half the chips in the play between them.
Aido went on a certified heater near the money bubble, which kicked off with him cracking Sam Soverel's pocket queens with pocket eights. He would win a flip to double through Soverel again, before ultimately eliminating him shortly after. Aido would then go on to eliminate Chris Hunichen, Matthew Wantman, David Coleman, and Michael Berk to peak at around 4,000,000.
The six players will return with $54,000 locked up, but all eyes will be on the $275,400 first-place prize, 275 PGT points, and the PGT Gold Cup.
It was another strong turnout as the field of 108 entrants created a prize pool worth $1,080,000, with the final 16 players all earning a piece of it. Taiwan's Chi-Jen Chu was the unfortunate bubble boy when his pocket fives couldn't hold against the overcards of Justin Saliba. Soverel (16th), Nick Seward (15th), Hunichen (14th), Wantman (13th), Saliba (12th), Coleman (11th), Sam Laskowitz (9th), and Alex Foxen (8th) all fell in the money.
Rounding out the final table are Weissman, Jeremy Becker, Chino Rheem, and Phil Hellmuth, who's now made his second final table of the series.
On the final hand of the night, Rheem moved all in from the small blind with jack-nine offsuit, and Erik Seidel called in the big blind with ace-queen offsuit. Rheem flopped a nine and held on to eliminate Seidel in seventh place, while the six remaining players bagged to return for the final day.
PGT Last Chance is the concluding series of the 2025 PGT season and gives players their final opportunity to accumulate PGT points to qualify for the season-ending PGT $1,000,000 Championship, which is open to the top 40 eligible players on the PGT leaderboard. Players who have already secured a seat in the PGT $1,000,000 Championship can improve their position on the PGT leaderboard and simultaneously improve their starting stack.
PGT Last Chance will also have its own dedicated leaderboard where a Dream Seat will be awarded to the top five point earners who do not finish among the eligible Top 40 on the PGT leaderboard. This Dream Seat will give the player who earns it direct entry into the PGT $1,000,000 Championship with a 125-big-blind starting stack.
Patrick Leonard currently leads the way, but Hellmuth can overtake him with a win, while Wilson, Becker, and Weissman can all enter the top five with a podium finish.
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Joey Weissman | United States | 330,000 |
| 2 | Sergio Aido | Spain | 3,675,000 |
| 3 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | 1,785,000 |
| 4 | Brandon Wilson | United States | 3,510,000 |
| 5 | Jeremy Becker | United States | 2,025,000 |
| 6 | Chino Rheem | United States | 2,250,000 |
When play resumes, there will be 29:00 remaining in Level 20 with blinds at 40,000/80,000 and an 80,000 big blind ante, and the button will be on Chino Rheem.
Play will resume on Thursday, January 8, at 12 p.m. PT, and the PGT Live Reporting Team will provide exclusive live updates throughout the event until a winner is crowned.
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