The 2023 Poker Masters series rolls on at PokerGO Studios in Las Vegas and three more winners have been crowned at Aria Casino & Resort.
The latest winner was Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger — who won Event #5 for $204,000 on his 36th birthday. Before that was Chino Rheem’s win in Event #4 for $218,400 and Vladas Tamasauskas picked up his second win of the series in Event #3 for $208,800.
Tamasauskas Closes the Deal Again
Ren Lin made another deep run after his third-place finish in Event #1, but he lost in heads-up play to the red-hot Tamasauskas and the field of 87 entries surrendered a victory to the Lithuanian for the second time in the series. The final table also included mainstay Alex Foxen and an appearance from Chance Kornuth.
Event #3 Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vladas Tamasauskas | Lithuania | $208,800 |
| 2 | Ren Lin | China | $147,900 |
| 3 | Daniel Rezaei | Austria | $104,400 |
| 4 | Alex Foxen | United States | $87,000 |
| 5 | Michael Rocco | United States | $69,600 |
| 6 | Chance Kornuth | United States | $52,200 |
Rheem Beats Little in Event #4
Daniel Negreanu made it to the televised final table in Event #4, but an ill-timed bluff against Jonathan Little ran his ship aground early and he left the studio in sixth place. Justin Saliba, Daniel Rezaei, Chris Brewer, and Brock Wilson also found their way to the endgame, but Event #4 was headlined by the final battle between Little and Rheem. Little entered heads-up play with a big deficit, but he fought back to make a game of it before Rheem prevailed with a successful straight draw for the win.
Event #4 Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chino Rheem | United States | $218,400 |
| 2 | Jonathan Little | United States | $154,700 |
| 3 | Brock Wilson | United States | $109,200 |
| 4 | Chris Brewer | United States | $91,000 |
| 5 | Justin Saliba | United States | $72,800 |
| 6 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $54,600 |
Can Short-Stacked Daniel Negreanu Push Around the Big Stack at Poker Masters Final Table?
A Happy Birthday for LuckyChewy in Event #5
Lichtenberger rang in his 36th birthday with a victory over Brian Kim in a tournament that drew 85 entries. The final table featured two Germans in Niko Coop and WSOP Main Event champion Koray Aldemir, as well as Wilson’s second Poker Masters final table in a row. It came down to Kim, Lichtenberger, and third-place finisher Daniel Lazrus in the end.
Kim and Lichtenberger outlasted Lazrus in extended three-handed play and “LuckyChewy” went into the final two with the advantage. Kim got it in with the better ace-queen, but Lichtenberger lived up to his name and pair the lower of his ace-six for the win.
Event #5 Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | $204,000 |
| 2 | Brian Kim | United States | $144,500 |
| 3 | Daniel Lazrus | United States | $102,000 |
| 4 | Niko Koop | Germany | $85,000 |
| 5 | Brock Wilson | United States | $68,000 |
| 6 | Koray Aldemir | Germany | $51,000 |
Check out the PokerNews Podcast interview with LuckyChewy
What’s Next for the 2023 Poker Masters?
The series has hit its halfway point and there is one more $10,000 event before the buy-ins increase to $25,000 on the road to the $50,000 finale on September 25. Tamasauskas has a big lead on the strength of two wins, while Lin lurks in the distance with three cashes in five events.
The leader at the end of ten events will take home a $50,000 bonus and the purple Poker Masters jacket.
2023 Poker Masters Leaderboard (through 5 events)
| Rank | Player | Wins | Cashes | Earnings | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vladas Tamasauskas | 2 | 3 | $506,400 | 506 |
| 2 | Ren Lin | 0 | 3 | $298,800 | 299 |
| 3 | Andrew Lichtenberger | 1 | 3 | $265,700 | 266 |
| 4 | Darren Elias | 1 | 2 | $259,500 | 259 |
| 5 | Chino Rheem | 1 | 1 | $218,400 | 218 |
| 6 | Brock Wilson | 0 | 3 | $194,600 | 194 |
| 7 | Aram Zobian | 0 | 1 | $171,000 | 171 |
| 8 | Eric Baldwin | 0 | 1 | $155,200 | 155 |
| 9 | Jonathan Little | 0 | 1 | $154,700 | 155 |
| 10 | Alex Foxen | 0 | 3 | $152,500 | 153 |
The Poker Masters continues with the conclusion of Event #6 on Thursday, September 21. The series will run with ten events until Sept. 26 before PokerGO kicks off the Super High Roller Bowl on Thursday, Sept. 28.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for recaps of the 2023 Poker Masters, and tune into PokerGO for live-streamed final tables throughout the rest of the series and beyond.
– Photos courtesy of PokerGO
Live Reporting Executive
Las Vegas-based PokerNews Live Reporting Executive, originally from Chicago, IL