Darren Elias Books a Win in Opening Weekend of 2023 Poker Masters
The team at PokerGO kicked off the eighth season of their popular Poker Masters series this weekend and the first two winners have already hit the payout window.
The series, which includes 10 events, will run through September 28 — when the top player across all tournaments will win the famed purple jacket. All ten tournaments will be no-limit hold'em — with the buy-ins increasing before the $50,000 finale.
Tamasauskas is Here
Event #1 kicked off what might be the emergence of one of poker's next final bosses. Vladas Tamasauskas came from near the bottom of the leaderboard in the $10,000 event to win the top prize of $239,000.
A total of 114 entrants turned out for the opening tournament — enough for a prize pool of $1,140,000. The Lithuanian also picked up 239 PokerGO Tour points for the effort.
Poker Masters Event #1: $10,000 NLH Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize | PGT Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vladas Tamasauskas | Lithuania | $239,400 | 239 |
| 2 | Aram Zobian | United States | $171,000 | 171 |
| 3 | Ren Lin | China | $125,400 | 125 |
| 4 | Filipp Khavin | United States | $102,600 | 103 |
| 5 | Victoria Livschitz | United States | $79,800 | 80 |
| 6 | Samuel Laskowitz | United State | $68,400 | 68 |
| 7 | Scott Jacewicz-O'Kelly | United States | $57,000 | 57 |
Tamasauskas followed that up with a sixth-place finish in Event #2 before qualifying for the final table of Event #3, an event that will play to its conclusion on Monday afternoon.
Elias Wins Event #2
Bin Weng continued his banner 2023 with the top bag in Event #2 after a Day 1 that saw 97 entrants create a prize pool of $970,000. Ultimately it was a victory meant for BetMGM Ambassador Darren Elias, who defeated Eric Baldwin in heads-up play for $223,100.
Weng settled for second while Erik Seidel made a run to fourth for $77,600 and Alex Foxen showed in seventh place for $48,500. The aforementioned Tamasauskas bagged $58,200 for the sixth-place effort with more on the table in Event #3.
Poker Masters Event #2: $10,000 NLH Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize | PGT Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darren Elias | United State | $223,100 | 223 |
| 2 | Eric Baldwin | United States | $155,200 | 155 |
| 3 | Bin Weng | United States | $116,400 | 116 |
| 4 | Antonio De La Cruz | United States | $97,000 | 97 |
| 5 | Erik Seidel | United States | $77,600 | 80 |
| 6 | Vladas Tamasauskas | Lithuania | $58,200 | 58 |
| 7 | Alex Foxen | United States | $48,500 | 40 |
Action will continue in the Poker Masters series with the conclusion of Event #3 and the beginning of Event #4 on Monday, September 18. Be sure to tune into PokerGO for live coverage and check in with PokerNews for a recap of the winners throughout the series.
– Photos courtesy of PokerGO
Live Reporting Executive
Las Vegas-based PokerNews Live Reporting Executive, originally from Chicago, IL
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