Despite failing to cash in any of the first four events of the series, Yuri Dzivielevski became the champion of the PGT Mixed Games series. Dzivielevski recorded a top-two finish in each of the final three events to come away with a sensational last-second victory.
The five-time WSOP bracelet winner won the $15,000 Big Bet Mix and finished on the podium in the $15,000 Dealers Choice and the $25,000 10-Game Championship event.
Despite skipping the PGT Kickoff series, Dzivielevski is now atop the 2026 PGT Leaderboard, holding a very slim lead over the likes of Andrew “Lucky Chewy” Lichtenberger, Michael Berk, and Andrew Moreno.
If that weren’t enough, he’s also chip leading the $100K Super High Roller Bowl – Mixed Games after the first day of play. 33 players entered on Day 1, with 23 advancing to Day 2; registration remains open.
A nearly impossible run
After bricking the first four events, Dzivielevski faced an almost impossible path to the PGT Mixed Games Player of the Series trophy. However, the Brazilian, arguably one of the best mixed games players in the world, showcased his brilliance by putting up magical displays in the final three and most expensive events of the series.
Dzivielevski started with a victory in the PGT $15K Big Bet Mix, defeating Patrick Leonard, Talal Shakerchi, and Sam Soverel on the final table.
He hopped right into the PGT $15K Dealer’s Choice, falling to Qinghai Pan in heads-up play. Pan took a 131-point lead on the Mixed Games leaderboard heading into the final day of play.
With Pan failing to cash in the $25K 10-Game Championship, Dzivielevski needed to finish second or better to secure the title, as a third-place finish would leave him a single point short. Brian Rast eliminated Philip Sternheimer in third place to give the Brazilian the most unlikely of titles.
After making a total of $745,350 over the three events, Dzivielevski became the first Brazilian to accumulate over $10 million in cashes on The Hendon Mob. However, Joao Simao is undoubtedly Brazil’s largest earner, with Card Player reporting over $17.3 million in career live tournament earnings.
| Event | Place | PGT Points | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| PGT Mixed Games #5: $15,200 Big Bet Mix | 1st | 210 | $262,350 |
| PGT Mixed Games #6: $15,200 Dealer’s Choice | 2nd | 137 | $171,000 |
| PGT Mixed Games #7: $25,300 10-Game Championship | 2nd | 187 | $312,000 |
A lifetime of mixed games greatness
While Dzivielevski is an extremely accomplished NLH player and founder of RegLife, the biggest poker school in Brazil, all five of his World Series of Poker bracelets have come in mixed games.
Unbelievably, Dzivielevski won his five bracelets over a six-year span. He nearly added another in 2022, finishing second in the 2022 Poker Players’ Championship, one of the most prestigious bracelet events.
In the online world, Dzivielevski is one of the most successful players of all time. In 2022, when PocketFives was still around, he had the seventh-most online earnings, with well over $18 million. Dzivielevski has 14 COOP titles, with 13 of them coming since 2020 alone.
At just 34 years old, the Curitiba native has plenty of time to rise the ranks and be labeled one of the greatest poker players of all time.
| Year | Tournament | Players | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better | 401 | $213,750 |
| 2020 Online | $400 Plossus | 4,356 | $221,557 |
| 2023 | $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. | 836 | $207,688 |
| 2023 Online | $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship | 153 | $368,343 |
| 2024 | $3,000 Nine Game Mix | 379 | $215,982 |
2026 PGT Mixed Games Event #7: $25,300 10-Game Championship
| Place | Player | Country | Prize | PGT Points |
| 1st | Brian Rast | United States | $480,000 | 288 |
| 2nd | Yuri Dzivielevski | Brazil | $312,000 | 187 |
| 3rd | Philip Sternheimer | United Kingdom | $216,000 | 130 |
| 4th | Ryan Miller | United States | $160,000 | 96 |
| 5th | Justin Liberto | United States | $120,000 | 72 |
| 6th | Ariel Mantel | Argentina | $88,000 | 53 |
| 7th | Matthew Wantman | United States | $64,000 | 38 |
| 8th | Eric Wasserson | United States | $64,000 | 38 |
| 9th | Gus Hansen | Denmark | $48,000 | 29 |
| 10th | Hal Rotholz | United States | $48,000 | 29 |
PGT Mixed Games leaderboard
| Rank | Player | Points | Wins | Final Tables | Cashes | Winnings |
| 1 | Yuri Dzivielevski | 534 | 1 | 3 | 3 | $745,350 |
| 2 | Qinghai Pan | 478 | 1 | 3 | 3 | $532,700 |
| 3 | Brian Rast | 340 | 1 | 2 | 3 | $514,750 |
| 4 | Philip Sternheimer | 279 | 0 | 2 | 2 | $365,400 |
| 5 | Ryan Hoenig | 269 | 1 | 2 | 2 | $256,900 |
| 6 | Justin Liberto | 263 | 1 | 2 | 2 | $247,400 |
| 7 | Chino Rheem | 238 | 1 | 2 | 3 | $158,550 |
| 8 | Nick Schulman | 235 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $235,200 |
| 9 | Chad Eveslage | 169 | 0 | 2 | 4 | $177,350 |
| 10 | Johannes Becker | 164 | 0 | 2 | 3 | $154,725 |
