Stephen Chidwick Wins Poker Masters Purple Jacket

Jonathan Jaffe and Justin Bonomo Take Final Two Events of Poker Masters

The final two events of the 2023 Poker Masters played out last week drew the most demanding fields of the series. Event #9 was a $25k NL Hold’em Event, and heading into the final table, Justin Bonomo held the chip lead over Chino Rheem, Stephen Chidwick, Daniel Rezeai, Andrew Lichtenberger and Orpen Kisacikoglu.

Justin Bonomo started the final table with almost half the chips in play and made his way into heads-up play with a 4 to 1 chip lead over Daniel Rezeai. However, it was not smooth sailing as Rezeai managed to come back and took his own 4 to 1 lead. Bonomo then picked off a massive bluff to regain the chip lead and never looked back. He took down the title and the $333,000 top prize.

Heading into the final $50,000 NL Hold’em Event, Stephen Chidwick and Chino Rheem sought to vault into the top sport for the Poker Masters Leaderboard. Both made the final table, along with Nick Petrangelo, Jonathan Jaffe, and Alex Foxen.

Rheem’s run for the purple jacket fell short with a fifth-place finish, but Stephen Chidwick managed to make it heads-up against Jonathan Jaffee. Jaffee started heads-up play with a 5 to 1 advantage, but Chidwick made a bit of a comeback. However, that comeback was short-lived.

On the final hand, Chidwick was all-in and ahead with A-9 against A-3 for Jaffee. The flop and turn missed both players, but a river 3 gave Jaffee a pair and the win. He earned $756,000 for his first Poker Masters title.

Stephen Chidwick Wins Purple Jacket

With Chidwick’s second-place finish, he earned enough points to take down the 2023 Poker Masters Purple Jacket. Chidwick had four cashes during the series and one victory for a total of $1.1 million in earnings.

After winning the Purple Jacket, Chidwick told PGT reporters, “I love playing these events. I like playing with the small player pools. I think I do a pretty good job of bringing a high level of play for an extended stretch of time, and that’s what helps me do well in these longer series.”

Chidwick’s Purple Jacket win shows the power of consistency. Vladas Tamasauskas won two out of the first three events but failed to cash a single time afterwards. This left him vulnerable, and Chidwick performed well at the right times to take the series title and the $50,000 champion’s prize.

Isaac Haxton Wins Super High Roller Bowl VIII

Directly after the conclusion of the Poker Masters, Super High Roller Bowl VIII kicked off. The series drew 20 players and created a top prize of $2.76 million. This time around, only four players managed to receive a payday. Stephen Chidwick continued his hot streak, making the final four. Jason Koon, Isaac Haxton, and Andrew Lichtenberger also made the final four.

Jason Koon was first out, earning $600,000 for fourth place. Stephen Chidwick added $960k to his bankroll, bringing him over the $2 million mark in recent earnings. Heads-up play was between Isaac Haxton and Andrew Lichtenberger. The pair traded the chip lead multiple times during heads-up play, but ultimately, Haxton came out on top. Lichtenberger earned $1.6 million for second.

Isaac Haxton won his second Super High Roller Bowl title and $2.76 million. He previously won Super High Roller Bowl V, earning over $3.67 million for that title. So far, in 2023, Haxton has won $12.9 million in poker tournaments. He now has career earnings of over $42.7 million.