John Hennigan Captures PGT Mixed Games $5,100 Eight-Game Title

John Hennigan has been a mixed-games poker crusher for decades. The World Poker Tour champion and six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner has captured 13 career titles over the years, with more than $9.3 million in tournament earnings accrued across 86 total in-the-money finishes.

The 53-year-old’s latest score saw him best a field of 89 entries to emerge victorious in the 2024 PokerGO Tour Mixed Games $5,100 buy-in eight-game mix event. Hennigan took home $120,150 for the win, the 20th score of six figures or higher on his resume.

This was the second final-table finish of the year for Hennigan, who also placed eighth in a $10,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em event back in January during the PokerGO Cup. He now has 464 Card Player Player of the Year points thanks to these two deep runs, enough to place him inside the top 300 in the 2024 POY standings presented by Global Poker.

Hennigan also earned 120 PGT rankings points for this win, moving him into 26th place on that leaderboard.

The top 13 finishers made the money in this event, with the bubble bursting late on day 1. The second and final day saw just six contenders return to the PokerGO Studio inside ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas. Hennigan began with the lead. He sat with nearly half of the chips in play when cards got back in the air.

This event featured a mix of six limit games (hold’em, Omaha eight-or-better, razz, stud, stud eight-or-better, and triple-draw deuce-to-seven lowball) and two big-bet games (no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha).

The first knockout of the day came during a round of PLO. Christopher Claassen got all-in with pocket kings against the pocket aces of Max Hoffman. The larger pair held up and Claassen was eliminated in sixth place ($22,250). Despite that win, Hoffman was the next to fall. He got all-in with a low draw in Omaha eight-or-better, only to find himself up against a better low draw and top pair for bracelet winner Ken Aldridge. Hoffman was unable to come from behind and hit the rail in fifth place ($31,150).

Bracelet winner Nick Guagenti got the last of his stack in preflop in PLO with 9987. He was up against QJ1010 for five-time bracelet winner Adam Friedman. Neither player improved and Guagenti settled for $40,050.

Aldridge doubled up multiple times during three-handed play, but was ultimately still the next to be sent home. Aldridge got all-in on fifth street playing stud with (A6)436 facing the (73)72J of Hennigan. Aldridge caught the K on sixth and Q on seventh to finish with a pair of sixes. The 5 and 9 down the stretch for Hennigan meant that his pair of sevens would earn the pot. Aldridge secured $55,625 as the third-place finisher.

Hennigan took a massive lead into heads-up play with Friedman, beginning with 12,125,000 to his opponent’s 1,325,000. It didn’t take long for him to convert that advantage into the title. The final hand of the tournament saw all of the chips go in on third street in stud. The final boards looked as follows:

Hennigan: (43)4QK4(8)
Friedman: (KK)J1039(9)

Hennigan’s trip fours bested kings and nines for Friedman to bring this event to a close. Friedman earned $77,875 as the runner-up, surpassing $4.4 million in tournament earnings in the process.

Here is a look at the payouts and rankings points awarded at the final table:

Photo credits: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.

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