Poker Masters Reaches Halfway Stage with Four Different Winners

Four events of the eight to play are in the bag and with over $900,000 claimed by the four winners so far in the 2024 Poker Masters, local qualifier and accountant Spencer Champlin won Event #1 for over $160,000. The night after, Jeremy ‘JBex’ Becker’ won $255,000 as he outlasted a table of poker legends and victories also followed for Justin Zaki and Jonathan Little.

Spencer Champlin Wins Event #1 for $160,000  

With poker professionals such as Dan Shak and Dylan Linde falling just short at a thrilling final table, there were 131 entrants in the opening event as the $5,000 buy-in tournament saw a prizepool of $655,000 shared between the top 19 players who finished in the money.

Fifth-place finisher in this year’s EPT Barcelona Main Event for over $440,000, David Coleman came 17^th for $9,825 before Isaac Haxton left in 8^th place for $26,200 to set up the final table of seven players. Matthew Wantman left ford for the same amount in seventh as his ace-six lost to the overnight chip leader Jessica Vierling’s pocket queens and Vierling was the aggressor for much of the latter stages.

Nicholas Seward, the only player to cash three times in the opening four events of the series, was knocked out next for $32,750 before Zachary Grech busted for $39,300. Experienced high roller Dan Shak left in fourth place for $52,400 when his pocket tens lost to Vierling’s pocket nines after a nine was revealed on the turn.

Vierling had the lead and all the momentum but Champlin doubled through her and then knocked out Dylan Linde in third place for $72,050. Heads-up, the German player Vierling still had the lead but Champlin, down nine to one at a stage, fought back. A low straight for Vierling lost to a high straight for Champlin and once in the lead, the winner’s ace-queen beat the German player’s ace-jack and Champlin was champion, with Vierling collecting $98,250 as runner-up and Champlin totting up a $160,475 top prize.

Jeremy Becker Wins Event #2 for $255,000

The second event of the 2024 Poker Masters saw Jeremy ‘JBex’ Becker beat Michael Moncek heads-up to take $255,000 at the PokerGO Studio on the Las Vegas strip as a $1m prizepool saw 100 entrants battle down to 15 in-the-money places. Jesse Lonis was the unfortunate player who missed out on profit as he busted with ace-jack to Moncek’s nine-eight which flopped the nut straight.

Lithuania’s Vladas Tamasauskas min-cashed for $20,000 in 15^th before players such as Dan Smith (10^th for $30,000) and Event #1 winner Spencer Champlin (9^th for $30,000) also departed. Nick Schulman lost out when his ace-eight was taken down by Becker’s ace-king, and Dylan Linde lost out in seventh for $40,000.

Jeff Platt and Brent Hanks were back on comms for the final table of the second event and Becker led at the start and won at the close for his first trophy on the PokerGO Tour. The first player to leave was Chinese player Ren Lin, who lost with ace-seven to Daniel Sepiol’s pocket kings. That saw the American take the chip lead with five players remaining but it didn’t last, Moncek doubling through Sepiol when pocket queens beat ace-four and the leader took a hit. Nick Seward lost with ace-eight to Moncek’s ace-nine to bust for $65,000 in fifth place.

One place later, Sepiol earned $90,000 in fourth, a victim of Moncek, before the same player eliminated Sean Winter in third for $115,000. Winter was particularly unlucky, his pocket kings losing to king-nine when a Q-J-T flop handed Moncek what turned out to be an unassailable straight.

Michael Moncek had a 5:1 chip lead heads-up, but Jeremy Becker was not to be denied. Becker’s pocket kings won through to earn an important double-up before ace-king did the same. Holding the lead, Becker called a bluff to move into a 3:1 chip lead and called a shove when Moncek moved all-in with ace-seven. Becker revealed queen-ten and hit a ten on the turn to win the title and $255,000, with Moncek forced to settle for a $165,000 consolation prize.

Justin Zaki Wins Event #3 for $244,000

The 2024 Poker Masters Event #3 saw American professional Justin Zaki lead the final table virtually from start to finish as he bagged a top prize of $244,400. A massive 94 players put up the buy-in of $10,000 leaving a near million-dollar prizepool divided between 14 players after legendary poker character Bill Klein bubbled the event when his ace-jack lost to Michael Brinkenhoff’s ace-king.

Nguyen Le, Nick Seward, David Coleman and Kristen Foxen all cashed but failed to make the final table before Zaki led the final seven into action, with Aram Zobian, Daniel Negreanu and Lucas Foster all coming close to the final table too. Ren Lin busted to Jeremy Ausmus busted for $37,600 after losing a coinflip and it wasn’t long before Jim Collopy was the next to bust – for $47,000 – when his jack-ten lost to Brinkenhoff’s ace-king. Cary Katz soon joined him on the rail, claiming $65,800 when his ace-ten lost to the eventual winner Zaki’s ace-three.

Victoria Livschitz exited in fourth place for $84,600 losing with a flush under a better flush, her chips also went to Zaki and his stack got even bigger when he won a flip to take out Brinkenhoff in third for $112,800. Jeremy Ausmus was a short-stacked heads-up opponent for Zaki, and while he doubled up twice having previously dipped, Ausmus was still all-in and at risk when he called off his stack with ace-queen. Zaki had shoved with pocket fours and hit another on the flop to almost seal the deal. After a blank turn and river, it was all over and while Ausmus was the runner-up for $155,100, Zaki took home $244,400 as the winner.

Jonathan Little Wins Event #4 for $226,000

The fourth Poker Masters event saw world-famous poker coach and author claim the title and $226,800 at a final table including Sam Soverel, Isaac Haxton and Little’s heads-up opponent Harvey Castro. There were 81 entrants and just 12 of them made profit, with Lucas Foster the bubble boy as Clemen Deng’s pocket kings took him out.

Cashes for players such as Matthew McEwan (12^th for $20,250), Alex Foxen (11^th for $24,300), John Riordan (10^th for $24,300) and Brock Wilson (9^th for $24,300) before the final table saw Jim Collopy (2.5m) led from Isaac Haxton (2m) and the eventual winner Jonathan Little (1.85m).

Out in seventh for $32,400, Clemen Deng saw his ace-jack beaten by Little’s ace-king, before Isaac Haxton crashed out for $40,500. Losing with ace-ten to Little’s ace-jack, Haxton hitting the rail came just before Wayne Nowak’s exit. All-in with ace-deuce, he lost to Jonathan Little’s ace-queen and claimed $56,000 as he busted.

Up to over 6.3 million in chips, Little had a huge lead four-handed and after Sam Soverel lost with jack-ten to Little’s ace-king for $76,950, the writing looked to be on the wall. Jim Collopy busted in third for $105,300 when his pocket deuces lost a flip as Little’s king-three hit both a king and a three on the flop and that gave Little a big 5:1 chip lead going into heads-up.

Harvey Castro doubled up once but after Little shoved and Castro made a gutsy call with ten-nine, a blank board came to reward Little with the title and $226,800 while Castro had to settle for $145,800 in second place. With four events of the eight gone, the race to win the infamous Poker Masters purple jacket, a $25,000 PGT Passport and a $10,000 NAPT Gold Pass courtesy of PokerStars is well and truly on.

Who will follow in the footsteps of previous winners Steffen Sontheimer (2017), Sam Soverel (2019), Michael Addamo (2021), Sean Winter (2022) and last year’s winner Stephen Chidwick? The next four days in Las Vegas will decide it.