Chad Eveslage Outlasts Negreanu for $500K PGT Title
The mixed game specialist proved he can hang with the best no-limit players, beating Andrew Lichtenberger heads-up to capture the PGT Championship's half-million prize.
By Card Shark McGee
Chad Eveslage walked into the PGT Championship as a mixed game specialist playing against some of the best no-limit hold'em players on the planet. He walked out with $500,000 and the most prestigious title on the PokerGO Tour.
The Quick Hit
- What happened: Eveslage won the PGT $1,000,000 Championship freeroll, taking down $500K
- The damage: Beat Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger heads-up after starting the final day with the second-smallest stack
- Why you should care: Four-time WSOP bracelet winner just proved he's a force in any format
- The field: 54 entries including Negreanu, who finished fourth for $80K
From Short Stack to Champion
Eveslage started the final day looking like cannon fodder. Second-smallest stack at a table full of killers: Alex Foxen (who'd just won Player of the Year), Daniel Negreanu, Michael Wang, Andrew Lichtenberger. The kind of lineup that makes recreational players physically ill.
But the guy who won the $100,000 Super High Roller Bowl Mixed Games last March clearly wasn't intimidated. Mixed game wizards have a reputation for being exploitable in straight hold'em. Eveslage spent the final table proving that theory is bullshit.
"I don't feel super confident in my no-limit game," Eveslage told PokerNews after the win. "And battling against all these guys and winning, it feels great."
The false modesty is adorable. Dude just ran through a murderer's row of high-stakes pros.
Negreanu's Final Table Run Falls Short
Daniel Negreanu made his second PGT Championship final table (he won it in 2022) but couldn't find the magic this time, busting in fourth for $80,000. For those keeping track at home, that's another solid but not quite result for poker's most famous player.
The full final table payout structure tells the story of how top-heavy this event was:
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Chad Eveslage | $500,000 |
| 2nd | Andrew Lichtenberger | $200,000 |
| 3rd | Michael Wang | $120,000 |
| 4th | Daniel Negreanu | $80,000 |
| 5th | Aaron Kupin | $60,000 |
| 6th | John Riordan | $40,000 |
Foxen's Player of the Year Coronation
While Eveslage was grinding out the win, Alex Foxen officially locked up 2025 PGT Player of the Year. The high-stakes legend finished with 3,134 PGT points, five titles, 27 cashes, and $6.27 million in PGT earnings.
Foxen became the first player to reach 100 career PGT cashes and 10,000 lifetime points during the 2025 season. The man is operating on a different level than virtually everyone else on tour.
Starting the championship freeroll with the largest stack as POY, Foxen couldn't convert. But collecting a $50,000 PGT Passport for the POY title probably softens that blow.
The PGT Season Ahead
With 2025 officially wrapped, the PokerGO Tour turns to 2026 and its sixth season. Action kicks off January 26 at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas with the PGT Kickoff series.
Eveslage now joins Rok Gostisa, Jason Koon, Daniel Smiljkovic, and Jeremy Ausmus as PGT Championship winners. For a guy who made his name in mixed games, that's pretty elite company.
The Bottom Line
Chad Eveslage just demonstrated that high-level poker skills translate across formats. The mixed game community has been saying this for years, and now they've got another data point to throw at the hold'em purists. Next time someone tells you Omaha and Stud players can't hang in no-limit, point them to this final table. The man started short, ran good when he needed to, and executed against world-class competition. That's a champion's run.