Cary Katz Wins 2021 PokerGO Cup Finale for $1,058,000
On Wednesday, Cary Katz became the final event winner of the 2021 PokerGO Cup series, topping the 23-entry field for a winning score of $1.058 million. The payday became the eighth seven-figure score of Katz’s career.
“It means over a million dollars,” Katz said of what the win means to him. “I’m pretty excited about that score. I think it’s the first $100K of the year. I feel very fortunate because I came in second to last in chips. I doubled up the first hand and it was smooth sailing from there.”
Katz topped Sam Soverel in heads-up play and denied Soverel the opportunity to finish atop the overall series leaderboard. Thanks to Katz beating Soverel in the end, Daniel Negreanu was crowned the 2021 PokerGO Cup series champion. For winning the overall series title, Negreanu picked up an additional $50,000 in prize money.
Check out the replay of the final table on PokerGO.com.
Dan Smith was the first player to bust. With the blinds at 20,000-40,000 with a 40,000 big blind ante, Katz raised to 80,000 from the cutoff seat with king-queen and Smith reraised all in from the button for 590,000. Smith had pocket tens. Soverel found pocket jacks in the small blind and made the call of Smith’s shove. Katz folded. The jacks held up for Soverel and Smith was eliminated on the money bubble.
Negreanu busted next, and it came in a rather unlucky fashion after he got his money in with pocket aces against Soverel’s pocket eights. An eight hit the turn, prompting Negreanu to fall out of his chair, and that ended the run of “Kid Poker.”
Negreanu picked up $230,000 for the fourth-place finish and stuck around the PokerGO Studio to see if Soverel would go on to win the event or not.
A short-stacked Sean Winter busted next, also falling at the hands of Soverel. Winter picked up a $368,000 payday and cleared the table to allow for Soverel and Katz to compete in heads-up play.
When heads-up play began, Soverel had 3.3 million in chips to Katz’s 1.3 million. Katz battled to get things to even and eventually took a lead that he would stretch out. Along the way, Katz showed a couple of bluffs to Soverel on hands that Soverel folded.
Soverel’s stack slipped down to just a handful of big blinds and then money went in with him holding ten-nine to Katz’s queen-four. Katz flopped a pair of fours and held from there, securing the victory for $1.058 million. Soverel picked up $644,000 for his second-place finish.
The final table payouts are as follows.
| 2021 PokerGO Cup Event #8: $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em | ||||
| Place | Name | Country | Payout | PokerGO Tour Points |
| 1 | Cary Katz | USA | $1,058,000 | 400 |
| 2 | Sam Soverel | USA | $644,000 | 193 |
| 3 | Sean Winter | USA | $368,000 | 110 |
| 4 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $230,000 | 69 |
With Soverel finishing second, Negreanu won the overall PokerGO Cup title, finishing atop the leaderboard with 537 points. He picked up an additional $50,000 in prize money.
The final standings from the 2021 PokerGO Cup leaderboard are below.
| 2021 PokerGO Cup Top 10 | ||||
| Rank | Name | Country | Earnings | Points |
| 1 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $996,200 | 537 |
| 2 | Ali Imsirovic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | $545,500 | 497 |
| 3 | Cary Katz | USA | $1,161,800 | 475 |
| 4 | David Coleman | USA | $710,000 | 470 |
| 5 | Alex Foxen | USA | $533,200 | 421 |
| 6 | Sam Soverel | USA | $812,200 | 361 |
| 7 | Jason Koon | USA | $446,000 | 316 |
| 8 | Dylan Linde | USA | $255,000 | 255 |
| 9 | Sergi Reixach | Spain | $320,700 | 244 |
| 10 | Jake Schindler | USA | $324,000 | 194 |
Ali Imsirovic remains the leader atop the 2021 PokerGO Tour standings, sitting with 2,394 points. He has a decent lead over Sean Perry, who has 1,553 points in second place.
Moving into third place in the PokerGO Tour standings was Winter, who took third place in the final event of the PokerGO Cup. Winter now has 1,303 points.
With his runner-up finish in Event #8:$100,000 No-Limit Hold’em at the PokerGO Cup, Soverel jumped up to fourth place in the PokerGO Tour rankings. He now has 1,213 points and is fewer than 100 points out of third place.
Katz improved into the top 10, now sitting in eighth with 1,086 points. Outside the top 10, Negreanu now finds himself in 13th with 743 points.
| Updated PokerGO Tour Top 10 | ||||
| Rank | Name | Country | Total Earnings | PokerGO Tour Points |
| 1 | Ali Imsirovic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | $3,004,960 | 2,394 |
| 2 | Sean Perry | USA | $2,206,378 | 1,553 |
| 3 | Sean Winter | USA | $2,163,790 | 1,303 |
| 4 | Sam Soverel | USA | $1,980,896 | 1,213 |
| 5 | Andrew Moreno | USA | $1,460,105 | 1,200 |
| 6 | Clayton Maquire | USA | $1,443,757 | 1,200 |
| 7 | Toby Lewis | UK | $1,235,204 | 1,200 |
| 8 | Cary Katz | USA | $1,876,240 | 1,086 |
| 9 | Alex Foxen | USA | $1,207,786 | 1,023 |
| 10 | Chris Brewer | USA | $1,194,850 | 843 |
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Watch the Event #8 Final Table on PokerGO.com at 4 p.m. ET
The final table of Event #8: $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em of the 2021 PokerGO Cup is set and will be airing on PokerGO.com at 4 p.m. ET.
Watch the Event #8 final table on PokerGO.com here!
Sam Soverel is the chip leader with 2,225,000 in chips ahead of Daniel Negreanu, Dan Smith, Cary Katz, and Sean Winter. Only four players will finish in-the-money as the $1,058,000 first-place prize awaits the eventual winner.
Soverel and Negreanu both have a chance to win the PokerGO Cup and $50,000 in added prize money. Soverel needs to win Event #8 with Negreanu finishing no better than fourth place. If Negreanu finishes in third-place or better, he will win the PokerGO Cup. If Negreanu finishes in fourth place he needs Soverel to not win. For any other result, Ali Imsirovic will be crowned the inaugural PokerGO Cup winner to go along with his 2018 Poker Masters Purple Jacket.
| Event #8 Final Table | |||
| Seat | Name | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Sean Winter | United States | 385,000 |
| 2 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | 735,000 |
| 3 | Cary Katz | United States | 565,000 |
| 4 | Dan Smith | United States | 690,000 |
| 5 | Sam Soverel | United States | 2,225,000 |
When play resumes the players will begin level 15 and the button is in seat 5
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Sam Soverel Leads the Final Table of Event: #8 $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em: Soverel and Daniel Negreanu Still in Contention for the PokerGO Cup
Sam Soverel eliminated Stephen Chidwick on the second to last hand of the evening to secure a massive chip lead over the other four players as Event: #8 $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em is down to the final table of five. Joining Soverel at the final table are Daniel Negreanu, Cary Katz, Dan Smith, and Sean Winter.
Ali Imsirovic currently leads the PokerGO Cup leaderboard with 497 points through seven events, and only Negreanu and Soverel can catch the Poker Masters Champion. Soverel will need to win the event to pass Imsirovic, while Negreanu only needs to cash to move into the points lead. If Negreanu finishes third or higher, he will win the Cup outright regardless of Soverel’s placing.
Soverel vaulted into the chip lead after eliminating David Peters in eighth place for close to a one million chip pot near the end of level 12. Peters opened from the button, and Soverel called in the small blind. The flop fell [Ah9h7c], and Soverel check-called a 30,000 chip continuation bet from Peters. The turn [Qd] checked through, and when the river [3s] completed the board, Soverel moved all-in and had Peters covered. Peters used three time extension before making the call. Soverel tabled pocket aces for top set, and Peters was eliminated.
Chris Brewer, who was chip leading for the majority of the day, would fall in seventh place after having his pocket aces cracked twice in the span of an hour. Negreanu would get the first crack when he flopped trip jacks in a blind vs. blind pot. About 30 minutes later, Brewer would find himself facing a Chidwick river jam and mucked the aces face up, leaving himself with just over 100,000 in chips.
Brewer would eventually head to the rail when he got his last 85,000 into the middle, holding ten-nine against the queen-three of Chidwick. Chidwick flopped a queen to eliminate Brewer, moved into second in chips, and set up the fateful hand with Soverel.
Chidwick opened to 70,000 in the cutoff, and Soverel called in the big blind. The flop fell [9h5h9d], and action checked through. The turn [Jc] hit the felt, and Soverel bet 90,000, and Chidwick called. The river [Tc] completed the board, and Soverel moved all-in, having Chidwick covered. Chidwick used a time extension before calling and tabling [QdJd] for two pair jacks and nines. Soverel tabled king-queen for the rivered straight to end the night with 48 percent of the chips in play.
| Event #8 Final Table | |||
| Seat | Name | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Sean Winter | United States | 385,000 |
| 2 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | 735,000 |
| 3 | Cary Katz | United States | 565,000 |
| 4 | Dan Smith | United States | 690,000 |
| 5 | Sam Soverel | United States | 2,225,000 |
When play resumes the players will begin level 15 and the button is in seat 5
The final five players will return to the PokerGO Studio on Wednesday, July 14, at 12 p.m. PT with the final table airing on PokerGO.com at 1 p.m. PT.
Connect with PokerGO.com on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Use code “CUP2021” for $20 off an annual PokerGO subscription now!
End of Day Chip Counts
The play has been suspended for the evening, and the final five players will return to the PokerGO Studio, July 14 at 12 p.m. PT with the final table stream airing on PokerGO.com at 1 p.m. PT.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Soverel | 2,225,000 | - |
| Daniel Negreanu | 735,000 |
-120,000  |
| Dan Smith | 690,000 | - |
| Cary Katz | 565,000 |
-115,000 |
| Sean Winter | 385,000 | - |
Stephen Chidwick Eliminated by Sam Soverel
Stephen Chidwick opened to 70,000 from the cutoff, and Sam Soverel called in the big blind.
The flop fell [9h5h9d], and action checked through.
The dealer burned and turned the [Jc], and Soverel bet 90,000. Chidwick called.
The river [Tc] completed the board, and Soverel moved all-in, having Chidwick covered.
Chidwick used a time extension and called tabling [QdJd].
Soverel tabled [KxQx] for the straight, and Chidwick was eliminated in sixth place.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Soverel | 2,225,000 |
985,000  |
| Stephen Chidwick | Busted |
-720,000 |
Dan Smith Doubles Through Sean Winter
Sean Winter opened to 70,000 from the cutoff, and Dan Smith moved all-in for 330,000 in the big blind. Winter snap-called.
Winter: [8c8d]
Smith: [AcQc]
The board ran out [5h4d3dQd3s], and Smith turned a queen to double.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Smith | 690,000 |
315,000 |
| Sean Winter | 385,000 |
-290,000 |
Daniel Negreanu Picks Off Dan Smith
Daniel Negreanu opened to 60,000 from the cutoff, and Dan Smith called from the big blind.
The flop fell [As9c3h], and Smith checked. Negreanu continued for 45,000, and Smith check-raised to 115,000. Negreanu called.
The dealer burned and turned the [7h], and Smith used a time extension before checking. Negreanu checked.
The river [7d] hit the felt and action checked through.
Smith tabled [QhJh] for queen high, but Negreanu tabled [9s8s] for a pair of nines to collect the pot.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Negreanu | 855,000 |
170,000 |
| Dan Smith | 375,000 |
-215,000 |
Cary Katz Bets Out Sean Winter
Sean Winter opened to 55,000 from the cutoff, and Cary Katz called in the big blind.
The flop fell [9c5s3c], and Katz checked. Winter continued for 65,000, and Katz called.
The dealer burned and turned the [Ad] and action checked through.
The [Kh] on the river completed the board, and Katz fired for 25,000. Winter used a time extension and tossed his cards into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Cary Katz | 680,000 |
-170,000 |
| Sean Winter | 675,000 |
-100,000 |
Sam Soverel vs. Daniel Negreanu
Sam Soverel opened to 55,000 on the button, and Daniel Negreanu called in the big blind.
The dealer spread the [4d3s2d], and Negreanu checked. Soverel bet 65,000 and Negreanu check-raised to 185,000.
Soverel asked for a count and then moved all-in, having Negreanu covered. Negreanu mucked, and Soverel collected the pot.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Soverel | 1,240,000 |
165,000 |
| Daniel Negreanu | 685,000 |
180,000 |
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