Andrew Lichtenberger’s first dwell match rating was recorded again in November of 2007. Within the 17 years since then, he has accrued greater than $22 million in earnings throughout 311 in-the-money finishes. On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the 37-year-old poker professional notched his seventeenth match title by taking down the primary occasion of the 2025 PokerGO Tour Kickoff collection. Lichtenberger navigated via an 84-entry area within the $5,100 buy-in match, incomes $117,600 and the title after defeating six-time bracelet winner Nick Schulman heads-up.
This was Lichtenberger’s forty second match money for six figures or extra. He has 4 scores for over one million, together with his career-high payday of $2,798,700 that was secured for a third-place exhibiting within the 2023 World Poker Tour World Championship.
Lichtenberger was awarded 384 Card Participant Participant of the Yr factors for the win. The bracelet winner now sits inside the highest 100 within the 2025 POY race standings offered by World Poker.
The second and closing day of play on this occasion noticed seven gamers return to the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & On line casino Las Vegas. The cash bubble had burst late on day 1, with 5 gamers hitting the rail inside the cash earlier than motion halted for the night time.
Lichtenberger held the chip lead when play resumed. Ten-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel (seventh – $16,800) was the primary to be eradicated, along with his pocket queens dropping a preflop showdown with the A-Q suited of Schulman. He was quickly joined by fellow bracelet winner Patrick Leonard (sixth – $21,000), who misplaced a flip with pocket tens in opposition to Lichtenberger’s Okay-Q suited.
Dennis Beres (fifth – $29,400) then ran A-8 into the A-Q of Schulman to complete fifth. Schulman continued his surge up the leaderboard by successful the subsequent key all-in. His 5
5
held up in opposition to the A5
of two-time bracelet winner John Riordan (4th – $39,900) to slender the sector to 3.
Matthew McEwan overtook the chip lead at one level throughout short-handed motion, however Lichtenberger gained an enormous all-in with pocket queens in opposition to his Okay-10 suited to maneuver again in entrance. McEwan then bought all-in with 98 dominated by Schulman’s A
8. The A72Q5 runout gave Schulman a successful pair of aces, ending McEwan’s run in third place ($54,600).
Heads-up play started with 5,975,000 for Lichtenberger and 4,525,000 for Schulman. That hole grew within the early going, to the purpose that Lichtenberger held almost a 4:1 when the ultimate hand arose. Schulman shoved from the button for 11 large blinds with J7 and Lichtenberger known as with Okay9. The board got here down 1043Okay9 to offer Lichtenberger two pair for the win. Schulman earned $75,600 for his third final-table end of the younger yr. He’s already gained a PGT Final Likelihood occasion for $283,050 and completed second within the PGT Championship for one more $200,000. With 920 POY factors already accrued, he has climbed to fifteenth place within the 2025 standings.
Try the payouts and rankings factors that have been handed out on the closing desk:
Place
Participant
Earnings
POY Factors
PGT Factors
1
Andrew Lichtenberger
$117,600
384
235
2
Nick Schulman
$75,600
320
151
3
Matthew Mcewan
$54,600
256
109
4
John Riordan
$39,900
192
80
5
Dennis Beres
$29,400
160
59
6
Patrick Leonard
$21,000
128
42
7
Erik Seidel
$16,800
96
34
Picture credit: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.
