2023 Poker Masters Underway – Chidwick And Schulman Win Titles
The 2023 Poker Masters is underway in Las Vegas, and several big names have already taken down titles. Thus far, Stephen Chidwick, Nick Schulman, Andrew Lichtenberger, and Chine Rheem have all won titles.
However, the player making the biggest splash at this year’s Poker Masters is Vladas Tamasauskas. The newcomer to high-stakes poker events has won two events and is atop the Poker Masters Leaderboard.
Elias, Rheem, and Lichtenberger Among Early Winners
As expected in a series like this, several big names took down titles early in the series. Darren Elias took down Event #2, winning $223,100. This was his second Poker Go Tour title of his career.
Chino Rheem continues to show why he is one of the more underrated high-stakes tournament players, winning Event #4. He defeated Jonathan Little heads-up for the title and $218.400
Andrew Lichtenberger turned 36 on 20 September, and he celebrated it by winning Event #5 of the Poker Masters. He celebrated his birthday with a $204,000 prize.
Nick Schulman and Stephen Chidwick Win $25k NL Events
Any tournament with a $25k buy-in or higher tends to draw an elite field. Unsurprisingly, Events #7 and #8 had top stars as the victor. Event #7 saw Nick Schulman defeat Nick Petrangelo for the title and $374,000. Schulman is best known as a poker broadcaster, but he is an established professional poker player with many high-profile victories.
Stephen Chidwick won Event #8 of the Poker Masters in dominating fashion. He had 60% of the chips in play with six players remaining. Despite facing a stacked field that included Sam Soverel, Alex Foxen, Darren Elias, and Chino Rheem, Chidwick never faltered.
Ultimately, Chidwick went into heads-up play against Soverel with an 8 to 1 chip lead. He sealed the deal to win the title and $400,000. This was possibly one of the most dominant final table performances in PGT history.
Vladas Tamasauskas Wins Two Events
The biggest surprise thus far at the Poker Masters has been the rise of newcomer Vladas Tamasauskas. The Lithuanian pro has primarily played in mid-stakes tournaments before this event. However, he came out to Las Vegas for the Poker Masters and has put on an impressive performance.
It started with Tamasauskas winning the $10k opening event for $239,400. He then finished 6th in Event #2 and won Event #3 for $208,800. His three cashes have him atop the Poker Masters Leaderboard with $506,400 in earnings and 506 total points.
Tamasauskas told PokerNews that he could not have asked for a better start and hoped to finish strong in the series. He explained that he “mostly focused on Main Event kind of tournaments, not smaller field high rollers ones. I would play more bigger fields and smaller buy-ins. But this year I wanted to play higher. And I had a decent score in Barcelona, and after that it was easier to come here and play in these ones as well.”
Tamasauskas hasn’t cashed again since event #3, and several players are in striking distance of dethroning him for the overall lead. Chino Rheem, Ren Lin, and Darren Elias are all within 200 points of catching him.
Two Events Remain
Two events remain in the Poker Masters: a $25k NL Hold’em and the $50k NL Hold’em Championship. Players are competing for points towards the Poker Masters Purple Jacket and a $50,000 Championship bonus.
The PokerGO Tour is a series of high-stakes poker tournaments that include elite events such as the PokerGO Cup, U.S. Poker Open, and Poker Masters. It also includes other high roller events from the Super High Roller Series and the Super High Roller Bowl.
