Chad Eveslage Claims $500K in 2025 PGT $1M Championship Freeroll

Summary:

• Chad Eveslage won the $1,000,000 PGT Championship Freeroll for $500,000.
• The mixed-game specialist proved himself in no-limit hold’em against an elite field.
• Daniel Negreanu finished fourth in his first tournament appearance of the year.

Chad Eveslage showed up to the 2025 PokerGO Tour $1,000,000 Championship Freeroll with quiet confidence and left with something much louder: a $500,000 win and a statement performance in no-limit hold’em.

“It Feels Great”

Known primarily as a mixed games specialist, Chad Eveslage had already made waves earlier in the year by winning the $100,000 Super High Roller Bowl Mixed Games. This time, he proved he belongs just as comfortably in hold’em, taking down one of the most competitive freerolls of the year inside the PokerGO Studio.

Eveslage told PokerNews in his winner’s interview,

It feels great. I don’t feel super confident in my no-limit game, and battling against all these guys (and winning), it feels great. Ten out of ten. It feels awesome.

The invite-only field featured the top 40 players on the PGT leaderboard along with 14 Dream Seat qualifiers. 

The final table was stacked. Daniel Negreanu finished fourth for $80,000, while Michael Wang placed third for $120,000. Dream Seat winner Aaron Kupin earned $60,000 in fifth, and John Riordan exited in sixth for $40,000. 

Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger, who controlled much of the tournament, ultimately finished runner-up for $200,000 after a short heads-up match.

Day 2 began with seven players fighting for six paid spots. The bubble burst quickly when Eric Blair lost a coin flip, his ace-queen falling to Kupin’s pocket nines.

Negreanu: “This Is Like Social Media, Except Better”

Negreanu, playing his first tournament of the year, came out lively and sharp. Early on, he flopped a full house against Wang and brought his usual energy to the broadcast, mixing poker talk with wide-ranging conversations.

Negreanu told PokerNews during a break

You learn all kinds of things here. This is like social media, except better, because we’re playing poker and doing it. This is a show ladies, and gentlemen, this is a show. An informative, educational show.

He also reflected on a Day 1 hand where he only called a river bet with a set of eights against Wang, who held a higher set.

There’s like, no theory that says you’re not raising there. I chose not to. I just called him. He had three kings. I’d be out of here.

Negreanu’s run ended in fourth when his ace-six could not crack Eveslage’s pocket jacks. Those same jacks later sealed the win for Eveslage against Lichtenberger, who had started the day with a commanding chip lead.