Dan Zack Clinches Victory in Event #4 of the 2024 PokerGO Tour Mixed Games

Dan Zack’s remarkable comeback on Day 4 of the 2024 PokerGO Tour Mixed Games festival ended in a triumphant victory in Event #4: $10,200 8-Game, where he clinched the $195,200 first-place prize. Zack, the player of the series at the inaugural event in 2023, demonstrated amazing resilience, as he was down to less than three big bets. Zack secured all the chips in play within 40 minutes in a stunning turnaround.

The final table had notable moments that led to Zack’s victory. He initiated his winning spree by eliminating Dylan Weisman, the start-of-day chip leader, in third place. Zack’s flopped top set of aces was too strong for Weisman, who, despite picking up straight outs on the turn, was eliminated when the driver failed to deliver, earning him $85,400.

Heads-up play began with Jim Collopy holding a nearly two-to-one chip lead over Zack. However, the match quickly turned in Zack’s favor, highlighted by a pivotal hand where Zack executed a stone-cold bluff. With a significant bet of 2,000,000 into a similarly sized pot, Zack forced Collopy to fold a better hand, revealing his bluff and seizing the chip lead.

Collopy’s fortunes continued to decline from there. In the decisive hand of their match, Collopy’s pocket sixes were overcome by Zack’s ace-nine, courtesy of a nine on the river, relegating Collopy to a second-place finish and a $122,000 prize.

The road to the showdown was paved with significant eliminations. Event #2 champion John Hennigan was the first to exit the final table, followed by Chris Vitch in sixth place, who couldn’t improve against Zack’s king-ten. Mike Gorodinsky, despite scoring an early elimination, was ousted in fifth place when his stud hi-lo hand failed to connect against Collopy’s two pairs.

Newcomer Joshua Rhodes, enjoying the largest cash of his tournament career, finished fourth place for $61,000. Rhodes, who had earlier doubled up twice, was eventually bested by Weisman during a 2-7 triple draw hand.

The tournament reached its ending during a limit hold’em hand, where the final battle of chips occurred preflop. Jim Collopy and Dan Zack were pitted in a quintessential showdown, with Collopy holding 6♦6♣ and Zack with A♣9♥. The community cards unfolded as K♣8♦7♥7♦9♦, with Zack hitting a pair of nines on the river to clinch the pot and the championship. As the second-place finisher, Collopy added $122,000 to his career winnings, now exceeding $6.8 million.

This remarkable win propelled Zack’s career tournament earnings to just under $3.9 million, marking another significant milestone in his poker career.

PGT Mixed Games #4 – $10,200 8-Game Final Results

Mori Eskandani continues to lead the Player of the Series leaderboard, holding a slim lead over Dan Zack, who sits in second place after claiming victory in Event #4. This win, Zack’s first cash of the series, brings him within seven points of Eskandani. Collopy, with his runner-up finish, recorded his second series cash, positioning him in sixth place, just behind John Hennigan, who also notched his second cash with a seventh-place finish in this event. Dylan Weisman’s third-place finish puts him into the top ten, sitting just ahead of Adam Friedman.

Andrew Kelsall, despite cashing for the third time in the series, finds himself just outside the top ten, highlighting the competitive nature of the leaderboard. With five events remaining and the format shifting to Triple Stud for Event #5, the race for the Player of the Series and the $10,000 PGT Passport remains wide open.