PokerStake has many successful players with storied tournament pasts, but no-one has as many series wins on the PokerGO Tour as Chino Rheem. Hot on the heels of his thrilling last-gasp victory in the PGT PLO Series II, we spoke to Chino to find out what winning big on the PokerGO Tour felt like and how his career has moved into a new phase.

Becoming a Three-Time PGT Series Champion

Winning a PokerGO Tour series is a slog. The PGT PLO Series II was no different, taking place across 10 gruelling events featuring some of the best ‘four card’ players in the world. Most of the crushers involved call Las Vegas home, but so does Chino Rheem and he told us that playing at the PokerGO Studio always feels like coming home.

“The PokerGO Studio is my favorite place to play by far, and it’s not even close. I love the people who work there and make everything run smoothly. I love playing with the group of players and the level of competition that comes from them.  I love the social aspect with those players too, it all combines to make the PokerGO Studio the best place for me to play.”

⁠⁠Winning this latest PGT series is a big accomplishment, especially outlasting other top pros like Bryce Yockey and Sean Winter over the week. Chino faced some super-tough opponents across the felt.

“They’re all tough. That’s why I love playing in the studio, because it’s my home court but I get to compete against the best in the world.”

Here’s how Chino caught his latest massive title, outlasting legends like Jason Mercier and Sam Soverel along the way.

The Record Breaker

“I’m proud of the fact that I can compete with the best in the world and still have good results.”

After w⁠⁠inning three PGT series, Chino has set a new record and is very proud of his ability to lock in for a whole series of tournaments, in this case 10. We spoke with Chino last year about the changes he’s made in his life since becoming a father and he’s feeling even better about his discipline away from the felt than at it.

⁠”I’m proud of my accomplishments, especially these days, but I try to stay humble and grateful for the opportunities given to me every day,” Chino says. “I’m proud of the fact that I can compete with the best in the world and still have good results. I think consistency and discipline have helped me stay successful in the game and in my life, staying sober, going to the gym and living my life with purpose.

The discipline that Chino speaks of hasn’t just helped him get his life back on track, it’s made him a force to be reckoned with at the poker felt. In the past two years, he’s become one of PokerGO’s most successful ever players and sits in second place on the PGT Leaderboard for the season.

“Life is good, and God is good,” says Chino. “I’m grateful. Discipline has shaped my mindset, life and purpose. It’s not about me anymore. It’s about staying healthy so I can be a positive influence to my son Leo and provide a good life for him.”

Winning almost $800,000 in the PGT PLO Series II alone is a great achievement. The buy-ins are reasonable, but the prize pools have been massive and it’s a reflection of Chino’s proficiency at PLO as well as others that the series has been so huge.

“I’m just grateful for every opportunity,” he says. “I’m not the most studied or skilled player by far, but I have experience and intuition combined with a natural ability to compete in poker that makes me comfortable playing with all the wizards and killers in poker!”

On the Money

“If it wasn’t for PokerGO, I wouldn’t have been able to have the opportunity to turn my life around.”

Chino now sits in 77^th place on the All-Time Money List, an amazing achievement in an age where poker has never been tougher, let alone one of the game’s elite. Chino’s focus is on his life, and that, in turn, should provide him with even more opportunities in the game.

“⁠From here, I’ll just continue to stay on the right path, stay healthy, try to improve every day to learn and get better and work on things that the homies say I need to work on –  while staying healthy and sober. That’s the plan; having full faith in God and his plan and just trying to live right.”

Chino’s poker past was as crazy as his lifestyle, he has admitted that in days goone by. But he is a more reflective person in 2025.

“I’m getting old,” he says. “I crave peace and stability more than any fun, drama or chaos that used to be a part of my lifestyle.”

PokerGO is growing with Chino in many ways, with bigger fields than ever before. Chino credits one man with this growth, the owner of PokerGO Cary Katz, who won his first bracelet in the summer.

“I asked Cary the other day what business investment he lost the most money in and he said PokerGO but in my opinion, it’s his greatest investment and gift that he’s given the poker world,” Chino tells us. “If it wasn’t for PokerGO, I wouldn’t have been able to have the opportunity to turn my life around financially and mentally so I’m grateful to Cary. One man’s loss is another man’s treasure!”

With treasures all around him, the old Chino might have slipped away from poker to indulge in other pursuits. The new man who smiles in winner’s photos more regularly than he ever did before is a path of gratitude.