Sergei Kilinskii Wins Latest PGT Sprint Event in Las Vegas

The fourth PGT Sprint event heralded the halfway stage in the series, featuring eight one-day No Limit Hold’em tournaments. The series is the penultimate one on the PokerGO Tour calendar, and as such offers players the chance to put themselves in the top 40 places on the PGT leaderboard, the only way to guarantee that they make the cut for next year’s $1 million PGT Championship freeroll.

Palma Scrapes into the Money Places

With 57 entries each paying $5,300 to play, there was a cut-off of nine for the money, with Nick Palma just reaching profit. That was because Daniel Sepiol slid out of contention in 10^th place, falling when he shoved pre-flop with pocket sixes only to run into the pocket aces belonging to the cheerily named Brandon Sunshine. No help came for Sepiol on the jack-high flop and he was cast into the shadows as the bright lights descended on the final table.

Once there, Palma was the first to bust, cashing for $8,550. Moving all-in pre-flop with queen-jack, he ran into Andrew Lichtenberger’s ace-nine which held with no paint on the board. As Palma departed, ‘Chewy’ jumped up the leaderboard a little at the final table. Soon, Sam Soverel (below) was on the rail too, losing with ten-nine suited to Sunshine’s ace-queen, and another American had a cash as the PokerGO favorite left in eighth for $11,400.

Cashing for the same amount in seventh place, Mike Zulker was another American exit, as he fell to the eventual champion. Sergei Kilinskii was all-in with the bigger stack pre-flop, but had king-queen of spades, which was some way behind the ace-six of hearts held by Zulker. A flop of K-J-9 with two spades changed everything, however, and after no help for the at-risk player on turn or river, the Russian was growing in power at the table.

Chewy Gets Chewed Up

Down to six players, the American Pierce McKellar was the next to bust, cashing for $15,675. Correctly calling off his stack with pocket sevens, he still lost to Sunshine’s ace-five of clubs. An ace in the window spelled doom for McKellar, as he eventually missed every street in search of his two-outer miracle.

Next to go was the Venezuelan player Dorian Pavon. Pavon shoved for very little with queen-eight and didn’t even have two live cards, as Brandon Sunshine made the call with pocket queens. A queen and an eight arrived on the flop, but all that did was keep Sunshine ahead, and Pavon was sent to the rail in fifth place for a return of $21,375.

Andrew ‘Chewy’ Lichtenberger was the player to miss out on the podium places, falling in fourth for $28,500. All-in with the best of it holding ace-deuce, Chewy was overtaken by Joe McKeehen’s king-nine as the former WSOP Main Event winner (below) flopped a nine and Chewy never caught up.

Kilinskii is the King

With three players left, Sergei Kilinskii was the short stack by some distance but everything changed, as it so often does, in just a few hands of Texas No Limit Hold’em. McKeehen fell short instead, and the one-time world champion headed home for  $39,900. Three-bet shoving for ace-four, he ran into Sunshine’s ace-queen and never caught up, as the American grabbed 65% of the chips heading into the final duel.

Heads-up, Kilinskii got his comeback when he flopped a seven-high straight holding five-four in his hand. He couldn’t have got it at a better time, with Sunshine holding seven-six for a flopped top two pair, and after turn and river, the Russian held a 3:1 chip lead and all the momentum was with him.

Soon, after, he had all the chips. As Sunshine raised it up with king-nine, Kilinskii called with ace-ten and only had to survive the board. A flop of A-Q-9 kept him ahead and that was how it stayed through the six turn and deuce river as the Russian player won his first PGT Sprint title and his first win on the PokerGO Tour to boot. Earning a top prize of $91,200, he made sure Sunshine took home $57,000 as runner-up.