Alex Foxen continues to make waves in the high-stakes tournament scene. Most recently, he stole the spotlight for winning his ninth PGT title, which came for his victory in Event #7: $15,100 No-Limit Hold’em at the 2025 U.S. Poker Open. The tournament saw a star-studded field of 81 entries, but in the end, it was Foxen who took home the coveted trophy and $340,200 in prize money, claiming his ninth PGT title and taking his live earnings to $47.7 million in the process. The latest win moved him to second place in the overall 2025 PGT leaderboard standings behind Eric Blair.
When Alex Foxen began heads-up against Neil Warren in Event 7 of the 2025 PGT US Poker Open, he was down by a deficit of over 4.5-to-1. But he quickly turned the tide in his favour, scoring a double up and then winning a big pot without showdown to take the lead and finally seal the victory with J-9 vs a stronger A-10 of Warren. This memorable hand once again proved how luck remains a crucial element in tournament poker. Let us dive into how this hand unfolded and sealed the deal for Foxen.
The Setup:
Blinds: 125,000 / 250,000 (250,000 ante)
Heads-Up Chip Counts: Warren (8,350,000) & Alex Foxen (1,775,000)
The Hand:Neil Warren (Button): A♠ T♣ and Alex Foxen (BB): J♣ 9♦
Pre-Flop Action
Foxen, who trailed Warren 4.5-1 in chips at the start of the heads-up play, quickly turned things around and claimed the chip lead. The Las Vegas pro was well ahead in chips when the final hand was dealt. In the last and decisive hand of the tournament, Warren limped from the button with A♠ T♣ , Foxen moved all in from the big blind with J♣ 9♦, and Warren snap called for his remaining six big blinds.
Warren’s Limp With A♠ T♣
With just a 6 BB stack, Warren’s limp may raise eyebrows but in short-stack heads-up plays, many players use it as a trapping line. A-10 is a strong hand to call off a shove but not so strong to scare off weaker holdings. By limping instead of shoving, Warren could induce a jam from Foxen. However, it was a high-risk and high-reward move, which he took up to probably capitalize on Foxen’s aggression.
Foxen’s Shove With J♣ 9♦,
Facing a limp, Foxen wanted to apply maximum pressure. With J9 holding good equity vs Warren’s likely range, Foxen’s shove was a classic move in this spot to end it right there. With a massive chip lead and the chance to finish things off right there, Foxen correctly leveraged both equity as well as his positional advantage and it paid off handsomely in the end.
Warren Calling all-in for 6 BB
After setting the trap by limping, Warren, being ahead pre-flop with a dominating hand, quickly called. A♠ T♣ was a favorite versus J♠9♣ with a solid showdown value and this was the spot he was hoping for. But it was not to be as the board came down against Warren’s expectations.
Flop: 9♣ 5♥ 7♣
A good flop for Foxen as he found a 9, taking the lead with a pair of nines.
Turn: 8♠
Warren picked up a gutshot straight draw, now needing any 6 or Jack to keep him in contention for the title.
River: Q♠
Unfortunately for Warren, Foxen’s pair of nines held up, fading all of Warren’s outs to earn him the title for $340,200 and 9th PGT title. A little disappointed from the outcome, Warren had to settle in second place for $218,700.
Conclusion
This final hand of Event 7 of the U.S Poker Open captured the essence of the heads-up play with subtle trapping, calculated aggression, and high pressure. While Warren made a clever limp-call with a stronger hand, Foxen’s fearless execution and favorable runout sealed the win, proving that luck remains a crucial element to win it in tournament poker.
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