Jesse Lonis Catches Alex Foxen for PGT PLO Series Title in Las Vegas

A thrilling battle between Alex Foxen and Jesse Lonis went right to the wire as the PGT PLO Series concluded in drama at ARIA in Las Vegas. The PokerGO Studio was the place to be for 11 events of Pot Limit Omaha action, as others such as Chino Rheem, Bryce Yockey and Daniel Negreanu all went close to glory.

Lonis Crowned PLO King as Foxen Falls One Place Short

With one event to go, everything was on the line. Along with a $10,000 PGT Passport, the PGT Gold Cup and the respect of his or her peers, everyone wanted to be champion, but in the end, Jesse Lonis clutched the moment. After one event win and four other cashes, Lonis amassed 662 points by the conclusion of Event #10. The final event went against him, but as long as his closest rival Alex Foxen didn’t win the event, Lonis would be the winner.

The problem was, Foxen was in the money places in Event #11. The former Global Poker Index world number one battled to the final table and made it to the final heads-up duel. Foxen was behind in chips, holding just 2.48 million chips to Zach Schwartz’s stack of 6.64 million.

When Foxen flopped top two pair, all the chips went in on the turn. Sadly for him, he was behind Schwartz’s set of threes. That bottom set held and Foxen finished as runner-up, both in the final event and on the leaderboard as Lonis crawled over the line. He was gleeful on social media platform X moments after victory.

“What a beautiful game – 🦍 went back in the lab and got the 🦊 this time!” he wrote.

After a thrilling series finale and a terrific Main Event, Jesse Lonis was a very worthy winner.

Lonis Rises into Top 100 Globally

Jesse Lonis may have gotten off to a slow start in his quest for glory, finishing third in Event #3 but bricking Events #1, #2 and #4, but Event #5 saw him bag a small ninth-place score of $27,840 and it seemed to kickstart him series. In the back nine, Lonis came second in Event #7 for $204,750, then won Event #9 for $308,850. Finishing third in Event #10 for $210,000, Lonis racked up almost $800,000 in winnings as he raced to the top of the leaderboard.

Lonis’ incredible run of form in Vegas puts him over $15 million in live tournament earnings on The Hendon Mob, putting him into 88^th place on the All-Time Money List after his spectacular PGT PLO Series. Following in the footsteps of Lautaro Guerra (2023), Daniel Geeng (2023), Samuli Sipila (2024), and Matthew Wantman (2024), Lonis’ victory as the latest PGT PLO Series champion is awe-inspiring for his fans.

Lonis is bound to be pushing hard for bracelet gold in Las Vegas in just over a month’s time as the 2025 World Series of Poker returns to Sin City. At both Horseshoe and Paris casinos in Las Vegas, the 56^th annual WSOP is sure to be a thrill ride not just for Lonis but his fans too, with a final table inside the Thunderdome at Horseshoe Las Vegas a strong possibility – Lonis came second in the $50,000 NLHE High Roller bracelet event in last year’s WSOP for a score of $1.35 million, losing heads-up to Jared Bleznick.

Jim Collopy Wins PGT PLO Championship Main Event

While Lonis topped the overall leaderboard, it was American Jim Collopy who won the $25,000-entry PLO Championship ‘Main Event’ for over $450,000. The penultimate event of the 2025 PGT PLO Series was the biggest of the series, with some of the best Pot Limit Omaha players in the world sitting down to play. A total of 60 entries built a prizepool of $1.5 million and the bubble burst in ninth place but ten cashed, as Tyler Brown and Firas Kashat won $22,500 to split the $45,000 payout originally on offer.

Artem Maksimov (8^th for $60,000) lost to the eventual winner Collopy as queens lost to kings before Jeremy Ausmus cashed for the same amount, busting in seventh when two tens turned into a set on 4^th street. Dylan Weisman’s A-A-J-8 made a Broadway straight however, reducing the field to six players and moving into a commanding lead.

The final day began with a quick exit for Chris Frank for $82,500 as Collopy flopped two pair and turned a full house. Next, Collopy took out Kamel Mohammad in fifth for $112,500, the Ukrainian’s top pair and flush draw rivered by Collopy’s two pair to turn five into four.

It was a bust-out in fourth for Spanish PLO specialist Lautaro Guerra. Dylan Weisman’s pocket aces took care of Guerra and Jesse Lonis busted in third place for what turned out to be a leaderboard sealing $210,000 flopping 11 outs only to hit one on the turn then still lose to another two pair on the river for Collopy.

Heads-up, Collopy had 7.55 million to Weisman’s 4.44m and had kings, but Weisman held pocket aces with a king, all the chip going into the middle pre-flop. Amazingly, Collopy pinged the last remaining king in the deck on the flop to overtake Weisman and take the Main Event crown, along with a top prize of $450,367.

Here’s how the dramatic final hand played out in Las Vegas on PokerGO.

Photography courtesy of PokerGO, the exclusive home of the 2025 World Series of Poker.