The 2021 PokerGO Cup has come to an end, after the conclusion of Event #8, with Cary Katz earning the first-place prize. Now that the event is over, the series leaderboard points have been tallied and it was Daniel Negreanu who earned the first-place finish. Negreanu was able to pull ahead and earn the win after finishing first in Event #7 and landing a fourth-place spot in Event #8.

Topping the Leaderboard

During the series, it was Ali Imsirovic who held the leaderboard top position for most of the series. Imsirovic won Event #2 and #4, which secured him enough points to stay at the top. However, Negreanu won Event #7, earning $700,000 in prize money and enough leaderboard points to put him in contention to take Imsirovic’s top spot.

The event win not only gave Negreanu more leaderboard points and of course bragging rights, but it was his first win since 2013. Over the years, Negreanu has cashed out numerous times, but a new title win seemed to have eluded him until now.

Tight Leaderboard Race

Going into Event #8, Negreanu was able to reach the final table again. The tournament was a No-Limit Hold’em event with $100,000 in total prize money on offer. Imsirovic and David Coleman, both top point earners, were eliminated early in the event, which gave Negreanu two outs when it came to winning the leaderboard competition.

Negreanu would bust in fourth, earning $230,000 for the finish. He was outed by Sam Soverel who held pocket 8s. An 8 on the river set the trips and push Negreanu out the door. However, his chances to win the leaderboard were still up in the air. The finish had given him enough to sit first on the leaderboard.

However, Soverel could not win the poker event, or Negreanu would lose his first-place position. In Event #8, Sean Winter would be eliminated in third, leaving Soverel and Cary Katz in heads-up play. Katz would end up taking the lead and winning the event, with Soverel finishing in second. This was the ideal scenario for Negreanu as he was then able to claim the first-place leaderboard finish.

Negreanu was given a $50,000 bonus and this brought his total earnings for the PokerGO Cup Series to just under $1 million. Not bad for a few day’s work!

Final Standings of PokerGO Cup Top 10 Leaderboard

Daniel Negreanu                              537 points

Ali Imsirovic                                     497 points

Cary Katz                                           475 points

David Coleman                                 470 points

Alex Foxen                                         421 points

Sam Soverel                                       361 points

Jason Koon                                        316 points

Dylan Linde                                       255 points

Sergi Reixach                                     244 points

Jake Schindler                                   194 points