2022 PGT Stairway to Millions: Michael Wang Goes Back-to-Back to Win Second PGT Title in Event #6: $1,640 NLHE ($22,458)

Michael Wang (cover-image) couldn’t have asked for a better start at the 2022 Stairway To Millions hosted at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. Wang struck gold twice in consecutive days, winning Event #6: $1,640 NLHE for $22,458!

Fresh off winning Event #5: $1,640 NLHE yesterday, Wang championed Event #6: $1,640 NLHE, besting Freddy Heller (2nd for $14,044) heads-up. Both players booked seats to Event #8 worth $5,350.

Wang is in top form this year as he has posted nine FT finishes, including four titles. Wang achieved his career-best score two months back when he championed the 2022 WSOP $5,000 NLHE event for a career-second WSOP bracelet and $541,604 up top! PokerGuru Ambassador Kartik Ved finished fourth in the event for $172,103 (~₹1.37 Crores) – his third-best finish at the WSOP.

A Stairway to Millions hotshot, Wang entered the final table with the lowest stack. Nevertheless, he persisted and squared off against Heller in the heads-up battle. Here too, he faced a 5:1 chip deficit, but as the ongoing theme of the run good has been, Wang once again fought back, eventually claiming the title.

Wang is now in league with Chance Kornuth and Nick Petrangelo, the only two players who had also won back-to-back PGT Stairway to Millions titles. This victory makes him the first player to win three Stairway To Millions titles and boosts his lifetime tournament (live) earnings to a whopping $4.49 Million.

The series perk allowed players who bust out after the money bubble, including Jesse Lonis, Philip Shing, Qing Liu, Daniel Sepiol, Landon Tice, and Gus Kalathakis, to lock up a $2,740 seat to Event #7.

The $1,640 buy-in tourney saw 75 runners pooling in $112,500 in prizes. The top 12 finishers managed to board the money bus for a min-cash worth $1,698.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Freddy Heller – 1,940,000
2. Kenny Huynh – 1,535,000
3. Fred Tada – 1,230,000
4. Stephen Song – 1,150,000
5. Brett Kennedy – 1,085,000
6. Michael Wang – 545,000

Final Table Recap

Brett Kennedy was the first final table casualty. Kennedy’s proved to be helpless against Stephen Song’s , and he had to walk towards the rail in sixth place.

Fred Tada left next, in fifth place. Tada made a pair of Kings on the flop with his and Wang’s pocket rockets had him dominated, sending him to the rail.

Finishing in fourth place was Stephen Song. Song moved all in with , and Wang made the call from the big blind with his . The board bricked, and Wang took down the pot.

Wang soon eliminated Kenny Huynh in the third place when his was cracked by Wang’s .

After a hard-fought battle, the final hand played out in Wang’s favor.

He had shoved all-in for 5,425,000 from the button, and Freddy Heller called all-in for 1,950,000 from the big blind.

Michael Wang

Freddy Heller

The community cards opened and Wang’s flush relegated Heller to a runner-up finish.

Final Table Results

1. Michael Wang – $22,458
2. Freddy Heller – $14,044
3. Kenny Huynh – $9,149
4. Stephen Song – $6,220
5. Fred Tada – $4,422
6. Brett Kennedy – $3,293

Content & Images Courtesy: PokerGO Tour