Lichtenberger starts 2025 strong with PGT Kickoff win

Seidel's raise off of just over 15 big blinds saw the action fold around to Schulman in the small blind who moved all-in over the top with . McEwan fled the scene from the big blind and Seidel wasted no time in throwing a chip across the betting line for a call. The runout left Seidel drawing dead on the flop and his run came to an abrupt end in seventh place.

Patrick Leonard's PGT debut ended in a sixth-place finish.

Leonard's PokerGO Studio debut ended shortly after as he committed the last of his roughly ten big blinds with . The Brit found action from Lichtenberger who raised over the top of Leonard's all in with to clear the players behind him. The flop added flush outs to Lichtenberger's over cards and the turn locked up the pot for the chip leader and sent Leonard to the payout desk in sixth place. 

The very next hand, Beres moved all-in off of a short stack with and Schulman made a quick call from the big blind with . The flop added chop outs to Beres' hopes, but the turn and river weren't the cards he needed to see and his run ended with a fifth-place finish. 

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Schulman downs Riordan, McEwan rallies

With only four players remaining, the chip distribution saw Lichtenberger and Schulman well out in front of Riordan and McEwan. As the blinds increased, the short stacks found themselves with their backs to the wall. Thus, when Schulman raised first-to-act, Riordan took his shot and moved all in from the big blind with . Unfortunately for Riordan, Schulman had and, after some consideration, made the call to put his opponent at risk. The runout offered no saving grace for Riordan, and his run came to an end with a fourth-place finish. 

John Riordan couldn't find an ace to keep his run going.

Despite starting three-handed play as the clear short stack, McEwan fought hard to pick up a couple of pots and give himself some breathing room. Then, he secured a full double-up courtesy of Schulman after picking up . Schulman, in the face of an open from McEwan, moved all-in over the top from the big blind with . McEwan snap-called and the runout provided a slight sweat but ultimately kept it clean. 

Shortly after, McEwan collided with Lichtenberger in an all-in, blind-versus-blind confrontation that would typically see the two players chop up the pot. This time, however, McEwan's smashed the flop to leave Lichtenberger's drawing dead. Two hands later, a well-timed four-bet saw McEwan surge into the chip lead. 

Lichtenberger resumes control, McEwan out

It didn't take long for Lichtenberger to seize upon an opportunity to retake the chip lead he started the day with. With on the button, Lichtenberger came in for a min-raise. Schulman got out of the way from the small blind, but McEwan moved all-in over the top with [] and Lichtenberger quickly called. The flop provided McEwan with another chance at making a flush to Lichtenberger's detriment and the turn added even more outs to his arsenal. The river proved the old 'too many outs' adage true – this time – and Lichtenberger surged back into the chip lead. 

Matthew McEwan made a late-stage rally, but couldn't keep it going.

With a little less than fifteen big blinds, McEwan moved all-in from the button with and found unwanted action from Schulman in the big blind. McEwan's hand was dominated – up against Schulman's – and the left a slim path to victory. On the turn, McEwan's hand drew dead and the meaningless completed the board to send him to the payout desk to collect his third-place winnings. 

Lichtenberger vs. Schulman 

The heads-up battle between Lichtenberger and Schulman saw the former start with a slight chip lead over his opponent. Over the course of the opening half hour, Lichtenberger extended his chip lead as he won pot after pot with well-timed aggression and favorable card distribution. 

As the blinds increased further, Schulman found himself with a little more than ten big blinds. With the need for a double mounting, Schulman moved all-in with and Lichtenberger called it off with . The had Schulman drawing dead on the turn and Lichtenberger finished the final table just as strongly as he started it. 

Nick Schulman's runner-up finish marks a strong start to 2025 despite missing out on the title.

PGT Kickoff Event #1 final table results

^{Images Courtesy of Antonio Abrego/PokerGO Tour}