Jeremy Ausmus’ incredible 2024 on the PokerGo Tour (PGT) resulted in a runaway Player of the Year win, achieving nearly 3,000 points and earning a $50,000 bonus for his achievement.
Ausmus, aided largely by top performances in the WSOP $100K High Roller (3rd) and the $300K Super High Roller Bowl (2nd), blew away the competition, topping 2nd-placed Daniel Negreanu by over 900 points. David Coleman, who won the 2024 GPI Awards Player of the Year, finished 10th.
Simply put: Ausmus knows how to play Texas Hold’em just about as good as anybody on planet Earth.
“I love the leaderboard, it really inspires me to play a lot,” Ausmus told the PGT. “It’s kind of like a video game. You just want to get to the top.”
| Rank | Player | PGT Points | Wins | Cashes | PGT Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jeremy Ausmus | 2,966 | 1 | 26 | $5,991,016 |
| 2nd | Daniel Negreanu | 2,054 | 3 | 21 | $2,399,106 |
| 3rd | Seth Davies | 1,855 | 3 | 9 | $5,794,660 |
| 4th | Jesse Lonis | 1,843 | 1 | 17 | $2,714,504 |
| 5th | Michael Rocco | 1,835 | 1 | 7 | $2,156,811 |
| 6th | Jonathan Tamayo | 1,776 | 1 | 3 | $10,226,400 |
| 7th | Jim Collopy | 1,757 | 0 | 20 | $2,216,009 |
| 8th | Nick Schulman | 1,710 | 2 | 19 | $2,606,433 |
| 9th | Aram Zobian | 1,707 | 2 | 17 | $1,627,192 |
| 10th | David Coleman | 1,637 | 4 | 21 | $1,352,503 |
By winning the PGT Player of the Year, he entered the 2024 PGT Championship, a $1 million freeroll, at the top of the chip counts. The top 40 players on the PGT Leaderboard along with 10 “Dream Seat” winners were eligible to compete. Of the 50 eligible, 44 players competed with stacks ranging from 100,000 to 350,000, based on their standing on the leaderboard.
Six places were paid and it was Dylan Weisman to lead the stacked six-man final table, with both Kristen and Alex Foxen narrowly missing out, finishing in 7th and 8th place, respectively. Joining Weisman and Ausmus were Chris “Big Huni” Hunichen, Calvin Anderson, Jim Collopy, and Nick Schulman.
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Hunichen | United States | 1,950,000 |
| 2 | Dylan Weisman | United States | 3,180,000 |
| 3 | Calvin Anderson | United States | 985,000 |
| 4 | Jim Collopy | United States | 1,170,000 |
| 5 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | 880,000 |
| 6 | Nich Schulman | United States | 895,000 |
Everyone came into the final table fairly deep, with the blinds at 40,000 everybody had at least 22 big blinds, which maximized playability at this entertaining final table. Though Ausmus would start the final table in sixth place, he would finish on top, largely in part to some good fortune at the end.
After getting down to three-handed play, Anderson had amassed a big chip lead over Ausmus and Schulman. However, the critical hand of the day would come in a blind-on-blind battle where Anderson would limp in with 10♥9♦ and Ausmus checked back his J♦9♠.
Anderson would flop the best of the 10♦9♥6♦ flop, though it would go check-check. The 9♣ turn Anderson a full house while Ausmus improved to trips.
In a beautiful display of poker strategy, Anderson checked again and Ausmus put out a small bet of 100,000 (1.25 big blinds). Anderson raised to 375,000 and Ausmus three-bet to 800,000. Anderson then came along with a four-bet to 1,350,000 and Ausmus called.
The river was, incredibly, the J♣, giving Ausmus a better full house. Anderson put out a tiny bet of 390,000 and Ausmus moved virtually all in, leaving a single 5,000 chip behind. Anderson went over the top and Ausmus flicked in his remaining chip. Ausmus moved up to nearly 5.9 million while Anderson was crushed and was left with 1.7 million.
Anderson would finish in third, setting up a classic heads-up showdown with Nick Schulman, with Ausmus coming in with an overwhelming chip lead. Schulman would end up bluffing off his chips on the river after missing a straight, with Ausmus calling down with two pair to claim the unbelievable PGT Championship-PGT Player of the Year double.
Ausmus won the $500,000 top prize, which included $150,000 in cash and a $350,000 PGT Passport, which are funds that can be used to enter any PGT event.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize | Prize Money | PGT Passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | $500,000 | $150,000 | $350,000 |
| 2nd | Nick Schulman | United States | $200,000 | $60,0000 | $140,000 |
| 3rd | Calvin Anderson | United States | $120,000 | $40,000 | $80,000 |
| 4th | Dylan Weisman | United States | $80,000 | $30,000 | $50,000 |
| 5th | Chris Hunichen | United States | $60,000 | $20,000 | $40,000 |
| 6th | Jim Collopy | United States | $40,000 | $10,000 | $30,000 |