2025 PGT Kickoff: Kristen Foxen Doubles Down! Wins Event #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em Back-to-Back ($197,625)

The 2025 PokerGO Tour (PGT) Season roared to life at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas’ ARIA Resort & Casino this past week. As the five-event PGT Kickoff Series reached its climax on Saturday, Kristen Foxen (cover image) once again stole the spotlight, conquering Event #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em for the second year running! Foxen outplayed a fierce field of 50 top-tier competitors, bagging her second PGT title and a $197,625 payday after a heads-up deal with Brazil’s Joao Simao, who also walked away with an identical prize for his runner-up performance.

Congratulations to @krissyb24poker, winner of Event #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em at PGT Kickoff.

Foxen wins her second career PGT title after topping the 93-entrant field to collect the $197,625 first-place prize.

She is now on top of the PGT leaderboard with 525 PGT points. pic.twitter.com/Il0kVWDw6u

— PokerGO Tour (@PokerGOTour) January 25, 2025

Foxen began the final day with a commanding chip lead – a mountain of chips that dwarfed her competitors, but victory was far from guaranteed. The final table was a gauntlet of seasoned pros, including the 2024 PGT POY Jeremy Ausmus, Andrew Moreno, and a host of high-stakes regulars. Yet, Foxen remained unfazed, going almost wire-to-wire to clinch a repeat victory!

This latest win is just another feather in the cap of a player who has consistently defied expectations. With five WSOP bracelets adorning her wrist, Foxen has cemented her legacy as the most decorated female player in WSOP history. The Canadian-born, Las Vegas-based pro burst onto the scene in 2006 during her freshman year of college, making a memorable debut with a 13th-place finish in a $230 NLHE event at the 4th Annual Turning Stone Poker Classic for $18,053. Since then, she has been on an unstoppable ascent, amassing over $9 Million in career earnings and solidifying her position among the game’s elite female players.

Foxen’s recent success isn’t a mere flash in the pan; it’s a continuation of her dominance. Just last October, she captured her fifth WSOP bracelet in the Online Event #19: $1,000 NLH 6-Max, further etching her name into poker history.

2024 was a year of milestones for Foxen. She kicked it off with a resounding victory in the PGT Kickoff Event #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em, where she outlasted none other than poker legend Daniel Negreanu in a thrilling heads-up battle. Her year was filled with deep runs and final table appearances, including impressive performances in the PGT Last Chance #2, PGT Kickoff Event #3, PGT PokerGO Cup Events #4 and #5, and PGT Poker Masters Event #7. But the highlight of her year was her remarkable 13th-place finish in the 2024 WSOP Main Event, which earned her a colossal $600,000.

She just missed winning the GPI Female Player of the Year title for a record fifth time, finishing second to Cherish Andrews.

Foxen’s first WSOP bracelet came in the 2013 $1,000 NLHE Ladies Championship, followed by her second in the $1,500 NLHE Bounty in 2016. She has since added three more online bracelets to her collection, conquering both international and U.S. WSOP platforms and establishing herself as a dominant force in both live and online poker.

Event #5 itself drew a massive $930,000 prize pool, with the top 14 players earning a share. Michael Jozoff narrowly missed the money, finishing in 15th place.

With this victory, Foxen earned 484 PGT points, launching her to the top of the PGT leaderboard with a total of 525 points. Event #2 champion Patrick Leonard trails closely behind in second place with 342 points, while Joao Simao sits in third with 324 points. The race for the top spot is heating up, and the competition is sure to be fierce as the tour progresses.

For those who missed the action, the final table was live-streamed (with a delay) on the PokerGO YouTube channel. You can catch the replay below to witness Foxen’s incredible performance firsthand.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Kristen Foxen – 4,915,000
2. Joao Simao – 2,220,000
3. Stephen Song – 1,990,000
4. Andrew Moreno – 1,490,000
5. Neil Warren – 1,400,000
6. Jeremy Ausmus – 975,000
7. Nicholas Seward – 965,000

Final Table Recap

The final table delivered plenty of drama. Nick Seward, entering the day as the short stack, managed to ladder up the payouts when Joao Simao’s outturned Neil Warren‘s , sending the Event #3 runner-up to the rail in seventh place.

Nick Seward then found a lifeline, doubling through Simao and sparking hopes of a deep run. However, those dreams were short-lived as his ran headfirst into Foxen’s dominant . The board painted a grim picture: . No Jack to be found, and Seward’s tournament ended in sixth place.

While Foxen seemed to glide through the competition, Simao faced a near-fatal escape in a thrilling three-way all-in showdown. Holding ace-nine, he found himself in a clash against Foxen’s pocket threes and Andrew Moreno‘s ace-king. The board double-paired on the turn, counterfeiting Foxen’s threes. Just when a chop between Simao and Moreno seemed inevitable, a nine on the river delivered a full house to Simao, doubling him up and eliminating Moreno in fifth place.

Foxen, who began the day with a colossal chip lead, delivered the final blow to Jeremy Ausmus in fourth place, but not without a touch of the bizarre. Ausmus, believing he was all-in with his three-bet from the big blind, discovered he had inadvertently left a single 25,000 chip behind. The board ran out queen-high, and while the tiny chip remained untouched, Ausmus was forced all-in from the small blind on the next hand. In a cruel twist, Foxen turned a pair of queens, ending the 2024 PGT Player of the Year’s run.

Next to fall was Stephen Song, reigning EPT Barcelona Main Event champion and bracelet winner. He moved all-in with from the big blind, only to be met with a snap call from Simao’s in the small blind. Song flopped a gutshot straight draw, clinging to hope, but the turn and river brought no help, sending him out in third place.

Heads-up play began with a deal. Kristen Foxen and Joao Simao agreed to split the remaining prize money, each locking up $197,625. But the hunger for the trophy and those valuable ranking points remained!

The final hand unfolded with Foxen limping in from the button holding , and Simao raising to 700,000 from the big blind with . Foxen called, and the flop delivered , giving her top pair. Simao checked, and Foxen bet 550,000. Simao, in a bold move, check-raised to 1.7 Million, and Foxen called. The turn brought the , and both players checked. The river, another , completed the board. Simao, sensing his moment, shoved all in for 4.025 Million. Foxen, faced with a tough decision, went deep into the tank. Finally, she made the call, and the table erupted! Foxen’s Eights and Sevens with a nine-kicker were good, securing her the title and a place in PGT history!

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Kristen Foxen – $197,625
2. Joao Simao – $197,625
3. Stephen Song – $111,600
4. Jeremy Ausmus – $83,700
5. Andrew Moreno – $65,100
6. Nick Seward – $46,500
7. Neil Warren – $37,200

Content & Images Courtesy: PokerGO