We are a third of the way through the 2026 PGT Last Chance Series, and it is beginning to get a bit interesting. Dominating all the way through the tournament, Patrick Leonard stormed to the title in Event #2 of the schedule, and it was a much-needed boost for the Brit. With the victory, Leonard moved from outside the Top 40 on the PGT Leaderboard into a relatively safe spot, which will determine the players for the upcoming PGT Championship Invitational.
Hard-Fought Victory
Leonard was on fire throughout the two-day tournament that began on Tuesday. At the seven-handed final table, he held 5.105 million chips, a plurality that put him into the top slot on the leaderboard. It was a table chock-full of potent players, including PGT Championship Invitational contenders Nick Schulman, Joao Simao, and David Coleman, alongside potential contenders such as Jeremy Ausmus and Brock Wilson.
The players jousted for about thirty minutes before the action significantly ramped up. After Coleman opened a pot and Schulman moved all in for 2.11 million from the small blind, Coleman made the call and saw that his instincts were correct:
Schulman (small blind): pocket eights
Coleman (middle position): pocket Jacks
The poker gods (or goddesses) sometimes have a funny sense of humor. An eight came on the flop, pushing Schulman to the lead in the hand, and the case eight came on the turn, locking the hand for Schulman. As he scraped in the chips, he quipped to Coleman, “The turn really sealed that one,” as he moved into the overall chip lead.
Simao was the first to go in seventh place, at the hands of Jared Jaffee, after his pocket Kings were cruelly run down by Jaffee’s Q-J that scored two pair on the river. Jeremy Ausmus would leave in sixth place after his K-10 failed to catch against Leonard’s pocket tens. Meanwhile, Coleman rebuilt his decimated stack by doubling through first Ausmus and then Leonard to become a contender once again. He would sweeten that run by eliminating Brock Wilson in fifth place and, heading to four-handed play, led the way with seven million chips.
It was the start of this four-handed action where Leonard began his charge back to the top. He would double through Coleman twice to retake the lead. Even then, Leonard was thwarted, however, as Schulman doubled through Leonard to seize the advantage momentarily. Undaunted, Leonard struck back by eliminating Schulman a few hands later after he had reestablished his edge, and he would go to heads-up against Coleman with nearly a 6:1 lead.
Although Coleman would get one double on the first hand, it would end on the second. Leonard made a min-raise, and Coleman moved all-in for around four million chips. Leonard didn’t hesitate in making the call, showing an A-Q to go to battle against Coleman’s K-2 off suit. A Queen on the flop solidified Leonard’s lead, and the Queen on the turn put that lead in concrete as Patrick Leonard claimed the title of Event #2 of the PGT Last Chance Series.
1. Patrick Leonard, $315,000 (315 PGT points)
2. David Coleman, $195,300 (195)
3. Nick Schulman, $138,600 (139)
4. Jared Jaffee, $107,100 (107)
5. Brock Wilson, $75,600 (76)
6. Jeremy Ausmus, $63,000 (63)
7. Joao Simao, $50,400 (50)
Movement in PGT Leaderboard
Leonard’s win in Event #2 was a big one, not only for him but also for others. Simao and Schulman both improved their standing on the PGT Leaderboard, adding points to their fifth and sixth place (respectively) resumes. Leonard, however, went from outside the Top 40 – the players who will automatically qualify for the PGT Championship Invitational – to #27 on the board with 1258 total points. This SHOULD put Leonard into the mix for the Invitational.
Another beneficiary from Event #2 was Coleman. With his runner-up finish, he has now moved into the Top 40 with 1160 points. He might want to have a couple more good finishes in the PGT Last Chance Series to firm up his positioning in the standings, however.
This is the current standings around the cutoff line for the Top 40 in the PGT Leaderboard:
35. Sergio Aido, 1197 points
36. Mike Zulker, 1187
37. Ben Lamb, 1180
38. Joey Weissman, 1163
39. David Coleman, 1160
40. Eric Blair, 1157 (cutoff line)
41. Luka Bojovic, 1150
42. Masato Yokosawa, 1136
43. Leo Margets, 1125
44. Jason Koon, 1108
45. Daehyung Lee, 1100
(tie) Jarod Minghini, 1100
Those on the “outside looking in” of the Top 40 will be alternates if players cannot play or choose not to play the PGT Championship Invitational, so they are looking to hold onto those spots. Additionally, there are also five seats in the PGT Championship Invitational reserved for the five top finishers in the PGT Last Chance Series leaderboard (if they aren’t already qualified). These are the current Top 5 on the Last Chance leaderboard:
1. Patrick Leonard, 315 points
2. Clemen Deng, 278
3. David Coleman, 195
4. David ‘ODB’ Baker, 174
5. Jared Jaffee, 140
Do not etch these names in stone yet. With four more tournaments on the horizon for the PGT Last Chance Series, there is going to be much more movement among these players as they joust for position over the course of this week. When the smoke clears on Sunday, we will have a better idea of who is qualified to play for the PGT World Championship next week.
(Photo provided by PokerGO)
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