PokerGO Cup Title on the Line as Five Finalists Fight for Victory

After seven epic events, the PokerGO Cup is heading for a final table in the last event, the $50,000-entry Event #8. Just five players remain in contention for the title, and incredibly, all five men could yet win the 2022 PokerGO Cup and the $50,000 Championship Prize to go with it.

We’ve looked back at the action on Day 1 of the final event and appraise each player’s chances of locking up a leaderboard victory on the final day.

Sean Perry Builds Huge Final Day Lead

Day 1 of the final event of the 2022 PokerGO Cup was a dramatic one. With a total of 32 entries spread across 24 players, the prizepool of $1.6 million would see just five players make the money places. As it turned out, of course, those five would all be players who have not only been successful during this year’s PokerGO Cup, but who could all yet win the overall leaderboard.

Plenty of big names busted long before the final table and money bubble sweats took place, with stars such as Chris Brewer, Andrew Lichtenberger, Cary Katz, Scott Ball, Stephen Chidwick, Bill Klein and the most recent event winner and 2021 PGT champion, Ali Imsirovic, all busting before the final dozen players were at two tables.

With players such as Event #5 winner Nick Petrangelo falling victim to Sean Perry, it seemed like the chip leader could do no wrong. Indeed, such was his dominance of Day 1 that even by the time the final nine players assembled around the same table, Perry seemed destined to maintain his lead with four eliminations still needed.

Negreanu Takes Out Koon to Burst Bubble

Sean Perry will be hoping to ‘kick’ the competition into touch and become PokerGO Cup champion on Thursday night.

It was Event #6 winner Daniel Negreanu who burst the money bubble, taking out his fellow GGPoker ambassador Jason Koon as the latter lost out for nothing on the bubble in both the final two events on consecutive days. Kid Poker held ace-seven and hit an ace to skittle Koon’s pocket fours.

That hand helped Negreanu pile up a shade over a million chips as the bags came round, but that is only good for third in chips, with Brock Wilson (1.22m) and runaway leader Sean Perry (2.78m) both ahead. Nick Schulman (700,000) and Jeremy Ausmus (640,000) both have well over 20 big blinds with which to shoot for the title.

With five players remaining, Sean Perry has a superb opportunity to become the only double-event winner this series, but so too do Daniel Negreanu (Event #6 winner) and Jeremy Ausmus, who both won Event #4 and finished as runner-up in Event #3. Perry will go into play with 139 big blinds, good for 43% of the chips in play. All of the finalists have locked up a minimum cash of $112,000 but the eventual winner will take home the top prize of $640,000.

How Can Each Player Win the 2022 PokerGO Cup?

“To win the Cup I must win [Event #8].” ~ Daniel Negreanu.

In an amazing climax to the series, all five players who head into the final day can win the 2022 PokerGO Cup, but how? Let’s start with the most likely scenario, which is the current leader Jeremy Ausmus holding onto what is a strong lead. Ausmus is the only player at the table who does not require the outright win to take the championship, but tantalizingly,  starts as the short-stack when play resumes.

Brock Wilson can still win the Championship Prize of an extra $50,000 by winning the event and Ausmus finishing outside the heads-up duel to decide it. Sean Perry, who has a large chip lead must win too, but he needs Ausmus to finish no higher than fourth to do so.

Both Daniel Negreanu and Nick Schulman could yet become the 2022 PokerGO Cup champion, something which Negreanu achieved last year of course, so ‘Kid Poker’ goes for back-to back wins. For either man to achieve this, however, they must not only win the final event, but Jeremy Ausmus must be the first player to bust (in fifth place).

The 2022 PokerGO Cup comes to a conclusion from 1pm Eastern time, with PokerGO streaming the final ‘as live’ from 2pm ET on Thursday February 10^th. It’s going to be one of the most eagerly awaited final tables of the year so far. Who will become the 2022 PokerGO champion? We can’t wait to find out!