Kristen Foxen won the $10,100 PokerGO Tour (PGT) Kickoff Series finale for the second consecutive year on Saturday, and it paid $197,625.
The almost certain future Poker Hall of Famer dominated a final table that included Jeremy Ausmus, Andrew Moreno, and four other high-stakes crushers.
Intense Poker Action at Final Table
Foxen ran over the final table, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. She began Saturday’s Day 2 session at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas with more than double any other stack. It took the Canadian poker star little time to spin it up even further.
Neil Warren was the first to bust at the final table in seventh place for $37,200. Nick Seward then went out in sixth place for $46,500. Foxen was in firm control of the 93-player tournament at that point, holding approximately 60-percent of all chips in play with five players remaining.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kristen Foxen | $197,625 |
| 2 | Joao Simao | $197,625 |
| 3 | Stephen Song | $111,600 |
| 4 | Jeremy Ausmus | $83,700 |
| 5 | Andrew Moreno | $65,100 |
| 6 | Nick Seward | $46,500 |
| 7 | Neil Warren | $37,200 |
But the cruise control was put on hold for a bit when she moved all in with 3♥3♣ and received calls from the much smaller-stacked Moreno and his A♣K♠ and the A♥9♥ Joao Simao held. The board would run out 7♥4♣7♦4♦9♠, giving Simao nearly a triple-up on a river bad beat. That sent Moreno home in fifth place, which paid $65,100.
Foxen remained out in front, and she’d again increase her lead when she called a three-bet against Ausmus with ace-high versus king-high. Both players checked it down to the river where Foxen hit a straight and put her opponent, who had left himself less than half a big blind, all in. Ausmus folded and was then eliminated on the following hand in fourth place for $83,700.
Foxen would lose another all in on the short side of a 60/40 to Simao, who doubled back to only trailing 2-1 in chips. Simao would then win a race to bust Song in third place ($111,600) and had managed to slightly grab the chip lead when heads-up play began. The heads-up foes agreed to evenly chop the remaining prize pool, each player collecting $197,625.
The eventual champion quickly regained a small chip advantage before the biggest hand of the tournament took place. Simao raised on the button to 700,000 with A♠10♥ and received a call from 9♣7♥. Action would pick up on the 7♥4♠3♥ flop when Simao checked, then check-raised from 550,000 to 1,700,000 with ace-high. But he was up against top pair, and couldn’t convince his opponent to fold.
The 8♣ appeared on the turn and both players checked, and that card was followed by the 8♥ on the river, which paired the board and brought brought in a potential flush. Simao, still with ace-high, moved all in for 4,025,000. But the bluff didn’t get through as Foxen made the tough but correct call to end the tournament for the second straight year. Simao had to settle for a second place finish.
Foxen, who finished 13th in the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, now has over $9 million in live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob. Vanessa Selbst, with $11.9 million in earnings, is the only woman in history to have that figure beat.
The PokerGO Tour’s opening five-event series has reached its conclusion. Five different players all captured titles, including Andrew Lichtenberger, Patrick Leonard, Masato Yokosawa, Spencer Champlin, and Foxen.
Phil Hellmuth & His Son Bust w/ Sam Hand vs. Same Player
PokerGO Tour Kickoff Series Overall Results
| Event | Winner | Prize | Entries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em | Andrew Lichtenberger | $117,600 | 84 |
| Event #2: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em | Patrick Leonard | $124,800 | 96 |
| Event #3: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em | Masato Yokosawa | $142,800 | 112 |
| Event #4: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em | Spencer Champlin | $157,500 | 126 |
| Event #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em | Kristen Foxen | $197,625 | 93 |
*Images courtesy of PokerGO.
