Chino Rheem’s done it again — and this time, he’s crossed a major milestone in the process. The high-stakes grinder took down Event No. 4 of the 2025 PokerGO Tour Pot-Limit Omaha Series, a $10,000 buy-in tournament that pulled in 118 entries, netting him a cool $295,000 and pushing his lifetime live earnings over $16 million.
It’s a familiar sight by now: Rheem, calm and composed, scooping up big pots on the final day under the bright lights of PokerGO Studio. But make no mistake — this one mattered.
Rheem Adds Another Trophy to an Already Stacked Résumé
Rheem isn’t new to the winner’s circle. This marked his fifth PokerGO Tour title and second victory of the year, continuing a 2025 run that’s gaining serious traction. He’s also been a WPT Main Event champ three times, won the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in 2019, and final-tabled just about everything else.
Yet, there’s one glaring gap in his trophy case — a World Series of Poker bracelet.
He came close, painfully close, way back in 2008. That year, he finished seventh in the WSOP Main Event and took home $1.77 million. Still no bracelet. You’d think he’d be salty, but Rheem plays it cool. “It’ll come when it comes,” he’s said before.
Now, with this PLO victory, he’s the proud owner of $16,002,538 in career earnings. That’s not just big — that’s poker royalty level.
Six Survivors, One Champion
From the jump, the tournament had firepower. With 118 entries building a hefty $1.18 million prize pool, there was plenty on the line. Only 17 players cashed. Just six made it to Day 2.
And what a six they were. Familiar names lurked all over the Day 1 leaderboard. Nick Schulman, Jeremy Ausmus, Sean Winter — all deep runs. None of them made the final six.
One by one, contenders fell. By the end of it, it was Rheem left standing. Calm, efficient, ruthless.
One sentence break here.
Poker fans watching from home saw a masterclass in controlled aggression. Not flashy. Just effective.
Leaderboard Shifts: POY and PGT Points Pile Up
The victory didn’t just pad Rheem’s bank account. It gave him a big push in this year’s race for the Card Player Player of the Year (POY) and the season-long PokerGO Tour (PGT) standings.
He bagged 600 POY points with this result. That moves him up to 40th on the 2025 leaderboard. All four of his final tables this year have come in PGT events — consistency at the highest level.
Where does that put him in the PGT standings? Fourth place overall, as of now.
That’s a serious run. Especially when you consider we’re still in Q1.
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Rheem’s 2025 Poker Highlights (So Far):
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2 Titles
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4 Final Table Appearances
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Over $500K in Cashes
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4th in PGT Standings
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40th in Global POY Leaderboard
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He’s heating up. If he keeps up this pace, there’s no telling where he’ll land by year-end.
Familiar Faces Run Deep — But Fall Short
A few big names made deep runs in Event #4, but couldn’t quite close the gap.
Alex Foxen? Out in 16th. Nick Schulman? 14th. Jeremy Ausmus? 13th. Dylan Linde, Lautaro Guerra, and Sean Winter were all in the top 10 — but none made Day 2.
That’s poker.
It’s worth noting that this wasn’t some soft field. This was a shark tank from top to bottom. The PokerGO Studio is known for that — high buy-ins, small fields, and nearly every player being a threat to win.
In that environment, winning even one event is impressive. Winning five? That’s legacy-level stuff.
Here’s a quick look at how the final payouts stacked up:
| Place | Player | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Chino Rheem | $295,000 |
| 2nd | (Not disclosed) | TBD |
| 3rd | (Not disclosed) | TBD |
| 4th-6th | — | — |
The full list hasn’t been published yet, but Rheem’s name at the top is all you need to know.
One More Step Toward a Career Peak?
It’s easy to forget sometimes just how long Rheem has been around. He’s not a young gun anymore. But he’s not slowing down, either.
The way he’s been playing in 2025 — steady, smart, surgical — it feels like he’s building toward something bigger. Maybe a WSOP bracelet this summer? Maybe a Player of the Year run?
Or maybe… just more wins.
One sentence here too.
Whatever the case, Rheem’s on fire. And the poker world’s paying attention.
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