The latest Poker Masters final table was the eight of ten in this year’s festival in Las Vegas. With 80% of the events completed, it is still wide open in the race for this year’s Purple Jacket and $50,000 Championship Bonus that is on offer to the overall leaderboard winner. Stephen Chidwick starred in Event #8, winning it for a cool $400,000 as the British Las Vegas resident beat PokerGO live event favorite Sam Soverel heads-up.
Bumper Field Sees Negreanu and Ausmus Fall to Winner
The final six gathered with Stephen Chidwick holding 57% of the chips in play as easily the most dominant performance of this year’s Poker Masters took place. Before that domination on the final day, Chidwick had gunned down plenty of foes on Day 1, including two illustrious players in one hand.
After Daniel Negreanu moved all-in pre-flop with 
, Chidwick rejammed with 
and Jeremy Ausmus was short enough to call it off – after using two time extensions – with 
. The board of 
never got close to helping either Negreanu or Ausmus and both North Americans left before the money places.
After play was reduced to just nine players, one remained who would not cash. That turned out to be Brandon Wittmeyer, who lost after getting it in well ahead. On a flop of 
, Wittmeyer committed his stack with 
. That was some way clear of Chidwick’s 
, but in an incredible runout, the 
on the turn was followed by a 
river that gave the Brit an improbable straight.
Koon and Haxton Miss Finals Day
Down to eight players, two more would have to go before the overnight chipcounts revealed the extent of Chidwick’s domination. First to do so was Jason Koon, whose 
was no match for Chidwick’s 
, especially after a king came on the turn. Koon cashed for $50,000 in eighth and Isaac Haxton soon followed him, crashing out in seventh for $62,500.
Haxton had lost a near-coinflip to Darren Elias before moving all-in with . That was once again dominated by Chidwick’s 
and the board of 
had Haxton dead by the turn. That meant that overnight, Chidwick had 4.34 million chips, with Alex Foxen (920,000) his nearest challenger.
The final day kicked off as Day 1 of the event had ended. The prizepool of $1.25 million was starting to look effectively like it was Chidwick’s to lose the bulk of, and the first elimination did nothing to derail his hopes. Chino Rheem – already an event winner in this series – moved all-in for scraps with 
and Chidwick called with 
. Chidwick even managed to see a king in the window off, as the board of 
had Rheem behind from the flop after the United Kingdom’s most successful tournament player in history hit bottom two pair and held. Rheem was edged out in sixth place for $75,000.
American All-Stars Fall to British Bully
Five players remaining, one very dominant chip leader. Chidwick was cutting a path through all that challenged him and Darren Elias was next to feel the sword on his neck. Elias, a four-time WPT winner and already a Poker Masters event winner this series, racked up more PGT points as he celebrated a six-figure score of $100,000 for coming fifth when his couldn’t catch 
for Chidwick with all the chips in the middle pre-flop.
Next to go was Chris Brewer, whose fourth-place finish was worth $125,000 when his ran into Alex Foxen’s 
. All heart he may have been but Brewer didn’t even have the flush and the board of 
saw him off on the river. It was a couple of doubles through Chidwick later that Alex Foxen bowed out, his crushed pre-flop by Chidwick’s . No help came for Fozen and he cashed for $175,000.
Heads-up, Chidwick’s monster stack of 6,675,000 looked huge against Soverel’s 825,000 and the British player was the champion a short time later. On a board showing 
, Soverel bet, Chidwick raised all-in and Soverel called it off with . You’ve probably already guessed that Chidwick had turned a flush – with 
– and that survived the river of a to pronounce the British player the winner for a top prize of $400,000 after a thoroughly dominant performance. Soverel, who’d climbed the ladder after that cooler for Foxen, was content with $262,500.
Poker Masters $25,000 Event #8 Final Table Results: |
|||
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | $400,000 |
| 2nd | Sam Soverel | United States | $262,500 |
| 3rd | Alex Foxen | United States | $175,000 |
| 4th | Chris Brewer | United States | $125,000 |
| 5th | Darren Elias | United States | $100,000 |
| 6th | Chino Rheem | United States | $75,000 |
