Japanese Vlogging Superstar Wins Latest PokerGO Tour Kickoff Event

Masato ‘World Extensive’ Yokosawa is among the most profitable poker vloggers on the planet. The Japanese skilled participant’s YouTube channel has 945,000 subscribers, with pages filled with movies concerning the 32-year-old’s life on the circuit with many sporting view counts within the thousands and thousands.

Yokosawa has discovered loads of success on the felt alongside the best way, together with successful the World Poker Tour Korea fundamental occasion title again in 2013. The Tokyo resident’s newest triumph noticed him come out on high within the third occasion of the 2025 PokerGO Tour Kickoff collection pageant. Yokosawa beat a subject of 112 entries within the $5,000 no-limit maintain’em event to earn $142,800 and his first PGT trophy.

Due to this victory, Yokosawa has surpassed $1.7 million in recorded event earnings. His largest payout but got here again in 2023, when he completed forty fifth within the World Sequence of Poker fundamental occasion for $188,400.

The 480 Card Participant Participant of the Yr factors that got here with this win had been sufficient to maneuver Yokosawa into seventieth place within the 2025 POY standings offered by World Poker. He additionally secured 286 PGT factors, sufficient to maneuver into second place within the early season-long standings.

The highest 16 finishers earned a bit of the $560,000 prize pool on this occasion, with 9 gamers busting inside the cash earlier than the tip of day 1 motion. Simply seven gamers returned to the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & On line casino Las Vegas for day 2, with Yokosawa main the best way.

Pocket aces featured prominently all through this remaining desk. Yokosawa picked up AA in opposition to the QQ of two-time bracelet winner Justin Saliba to attain the primary knockout of the day. Then, after eliminating Michael Vanier (sixth – $28,000), Neil Warren coolered Yokosawa proper again, with AA besting OkayOkay.

The Final Cooler for Masato Yokosawa! Aces vs. Kings at PGT Kickoff!

: https://t.co/34Dxw3w9PM pic.twitter.com/ZkYREgtDsr

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) January 23, 2025

Ten-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel’s run on this occasion got here to an finish when his pocket sixes had been unable to outrun the Q-7 suited of Blake Vogdes. Seidel earned $36,400 because the fifth-place finisher. The Poker Corridor of Fame member now has greater than $48.4 million in lifetime cashes below his belt.

Regardless of scoring that knockout, Vogdes was the following to fall. He misplaced a traditional preflop race with Q10 in opposition to the three3 of Warren to go house with $50,400.

Yokosawa received the following key pot with the hand of the day: pocket aces. He limped from the small blind for 250,000 complete with AA and referred to as a elevate to 700,000 from Nicholas Seward, who held Okay10. The flop got here down 1032 and Yokosawa check-called 325,000 along with his overpair. The two paired the board and Yokosawa check-called once more, this time for 825,000. The 5 on the tip noticed Yokosawa transfer all-in. Seward made the fast name with tens up and was eradicated in third place ($64,400).

Heads-up play started with 8,600,000 for Yokosawa and 5,400,000 for Warren. That hole grew forward of the ultimate hand. Warren shoved for 3,325,000 from the button with A6 and Yokosawa referred to as with A2. The board got here down 54242 and deuces filled with fours gave Yokosawa the pot and the title. Warren walked away with $89,600 because the runner-up.