Aram Zobian Goes Close in Latest PokerGO Tour Kick Off Event

The PokerGO Tour has begun again and with five events in January, the PGT Kick Off festival is well and truly underway. The second event saw some stellar poker players reach the final table, with PokerStake favorite David ‘Chino’ Rheem, WSOP bracelet winner Joe Cheong and British poker powerhouse Patrick Leonard all involved. In the end, Leonard beat Zobian heads-up, who nevertheless banked a big score for his investors on PokerStake.

Second Event Bumps Up Field

With 96 entries in the second event of the PGT Kick Off series, double PGT points were on offer for anyone who could make it into the money places from their $5,100 entry fee. With just 14 places paid, the battle to reach profit was a tough one, and after the elimination of the 2024 WPT Player of the Year Yunkyu Song in 15^th place, the bubble boy in the event was Michael Walsh.

Walsh was forced to move all-in in the big blind with ten-three offsuit and lost to Aram Zobian’s jack-six after Zobian’s jack played as a kicker.  That pot boosted the PokerStake player – who is selling action to more events on his personal staking page – in the chipcounts, and was vital for his ascent on the eventual final leaderboard.

Now inside the money places, Zobian was sharing the felt with plenty of other big names, including his fellow PokerStake player Stephen Song, along with Phil Hellmuth and Sam Laskowitz. The Poker Brat, who this week took on our famous 15 Bigs questions, busted in 10^th place for $14,400 when his pocket nines lost to Cheong’s ten-nine after all the chips went in on the turn with Hellmuth ahead and Cheong only holding an open-ended straight draw. A queen on the river landed to fulfil that straight and the Poker Brat was vocal in grumbling – justifiably – about his hard luck on his way out of the PokerGO Studio.

Lone Warrior Calls on Spirit

After Andrew Moreno busted in ninth place, his pocket jacks running into the of Joey Weissman, John Riordan’s coinflip exit in eighth place set the final table pieces in place. Weissman was the chip leader with 3.17 million chips, with Cheong (2.73m) and Laskowitz (2.45m) close behind. Aram Zobian was some way back on 1.23m with Chino Rheem on the same total, with Patrick Leonard (1.21m) in close attendance and Natalie Ferguson (380,000) the short stack.

Soon after the final table began, there was a monumental hand that changed everything. Chino Rheem moved all-in pre-flop with pocket tens, Sam Laskowitz reshoved with pocket kings and Patrick Leonard called both men off with pocket aces. A jack-high board with no tens meant the British player trebled up and Rheem was left on the rail, cashing for $19,200 as both other players remained in contention.

Natalie Ferguson was the next player to go, her short stack disappearing when her lost to Joey Weissman’s despite Ferguson hitting a ten on the flop. Thinking she was ahead when in fact she was behind led to the chips going in and an ace on the river was merely a little pain to go with her solid cash of $24,000 in sixth place.

Sam Laskowitz never recovered from his kings being decimated by Leonard’s aces and he left next. The American saw Zobian double through Cheong after winning a flip then attempted to replicate this double-up with a dominating hand. Sadly for him, king-queen couldn’t hold against Cheong’s king-nine, a nine coming on the flop to send Laskowitz home with $33,600.

The Ultimate Showdown

With four players left, Zobian was by no means out of the woods. Joe Cheong was dominating in terms of chips and when Patrick Leonard took out Joey Weissman in fourth for $43,200, it merely strengthened the argument that Cheong and Leonard would face off for the title.

Never giving up, however, is a vital part of poker and something that the game’s lone warrior has no problem demonstrating. Doubling through Cheong with pocket aces against Cheong’s sixes, Zobian still had just half of each of his opponent’s stacks but he battled on.

Patrick Leonard pulled clear and it was Zobian who clung tightest to his coattails. When Cheong’s lost to Leonard’s to exit in third place for $57,600, Zobian was guaranteed to be runner-up at the very least. That transpired to be the case, as on a board of , Leonard shoved with and Zobian called with . One pair short of the win he might have been, but one of PokerStake’s finest banked a superb $79,200 score for himself… and of course, his many investors.

Don’t miss out on Aram Zobian’s remaining buy-ins in the PGT Kick Off series and back him in future events by heading to his PokerStake selling page here.