The 2023 Poker Masters noticed 60 distinctive gamers make the cash throughout its 10-event schedule of high-roller tournaments. Half of those that cashed throughout the collection did so a number of instances. Jonathan Jaffe was amongst those that recorded a single money throughout the competition, however his lone rating noticed him safe the most important payday provided throughout the high-stakes 12-day affair. The 36-year-old poker professional earned $756,000 because the champion of the $50,000 buy-in no-limit maintain’em occasion that introduced the collection to its conclusion.
This was the third-largest rating but for Jaffe, trailing solely the $1.5 million he earned because the winner of the $111,111 buy-in World Poker Tour Alpha8 for One Drop this summer season and the $766,890 he was awarded for a third-place end in a $30,000 buy-in on the Triton Poker competition in Vietnam this spring.
Jaffe now has practically $9.8 million in recorded event earnings to his title, with greater than $3.5 million of that coming from 9 cashes he’s recorded this yr. He has recorded 4 final-table finishes in occasions that qualify for Card Player Player of the Year factors, accruing 2,020 and two titles throughout these scores. As a end result, he now sits in 154th place within the 2023 POY standings offered by Global Poker.
This win additionally conveyed 454 PokerGO Tour factors to Jaffe, sufficient to catapult him inside the highest 5 within the last Poker Masters factors race standings. His heads-up opponent on this occasion, Stephen Chidwick, in the end captured the Poker Masters Purple Jacket and the $50,000 championship bonus because the participant of the collection. Chidwick cashed for a complete of $1,109,000 throughout the competition, with one title received and 4 complete top-six finishes.
The last day of the $50,000 buy-in occasion started with eight gamers remaining from the 42-entry turnout. Only the highest six would earn a share of the $2,100,000 prize pool. Jaffe was second in chips to begin, with Chino Rheem only a handful of blinds forward of him on the leaderboard. Ren Lin fell in eighth place to arrange a $105,000 cash bubble.
Nearly three hours after playing cards obtained within the air, the bubble lastly burst when PokerGO founder Cary Katz’s pocket tens misplaced a preflop race towards the A-J suited of bracelet winner Alex Foxen.
The first knockout inside the cash noticed Chidwick’s pocket sixes outrun the A-10 suited of two-time bracelet winner Nick Petrangelo. Petrangelo earned the aforementioned six-figure payout, rising his profession complete to $32.2 million.
Rheem’s run on this occasion got here to an finish when he obtained all-in preflop with A-J trailing the pocket aces of Jaffe. Rheem picked up a jack on the flop to present him a glimmer of hope, however blanks on the flip and river noticed him despatched packing with $168,000 for his fifth-place exhibiting. This was his fifth money of the collection, together with a win in occasion no. 4. All instructed, he cashed for $602,650 throughout the competition and completed third within the factors race.
A traditional preflop coin flip arrange the following elimination. Bracelet winner Brian Kim obtained all-in with A-Ok dealing with the pocket tens of Chidwick. Neither participant improved by the river and Kim was knocked out in fourth place ($231,000). This was his twelfth final-table end of the yr. With 4,231 complete POY factors and practically $2.9 million in to-date POY earnings, he has moved into twentieth place within the 2023 standings.
It would take one other two hours for a champion to be determined. Jaffe pulled away from the pack within the early going due to a giant pot received with a set of deuces towards the highest pair of aces held by Chidwick.
Foxen was floor all the way down to an especially quick stack throughout three-handed play. He picked up A-2 suited when he was pressured in from the massive blind however was unable to carry up towards the 10-9 suited of Jaffe. Foxen flopped an ace to take a giant lead, however working playing cards gave Jaffe a queen-high straight and the knockout. Foxen secured $336,000 because the third-place finisher. He now has greater than $30.8 million in profession earnings. This was his twentieth final-table end of the yr, with three titles received. The upshot of all that’s that he now occupies the seventh-place spot on the POY leaderboard heading into the ultimate quarter of the yr.
Heads-up play started with Jaffe holding 6,995,000 to Chidwick’s 1,395,000. That hole was narrowed a bit within the early going, however Jaffe remained effectively out in entrance when the ultimate hand was dealt. Jaffe limped in from the button with A3 for 60,000 complete and Chidwick raised to 270,000 out of the the massive blind holding A9. Jaffe moved all in and Chidwick known as for 1,960,000
complete.
The Ok1078 flop and switch meant that Chidwick would earn not less than half the pot so long as a 3 didn’t seem on the river. The 3 did roll off on the top, although, giving Jaffe a pair of threes and the pot. Chidwick earned $504,000 because the runner-up, together with 425 POY factors and the Poker Masters Purple Jacket. He has made 21 last tables this yr, capturing 5 titles and cashing for greater than $7.1 million in POY earnings alongside the best way. As a end result, he has climbed into second place within the POY rankings. With 8,019 factors, he now trails present chief Bin Weng (9,198) by simply 1,179 factors.
Here is a take a look at the payouts and rankings factors awarded on the last desk:
Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points | PGT Points |
1 | Jonathan Jaffe | $756,000 | 510 | 454 |
2 | Stephen Chidwick | $504,000 | 425 | 302 |
3 | Alex Foxen | $336,000 | 340 | 202 |
4 | Brian Kim | $231,000 | 255 | 139 |
5 | Chino Rheem | $168,000 | 213 | 101 |
6 | Nick Petrangelo | $105,000 | 170 | 63 |
A take a look at the highest ten within the last Poker Masters factors race standings:
Rank | Player | Points | Wins | Cashes | Winnings |
1 | Stephen Chidwick | 688 | 1 | 4 | $1,109,000 |
2 | Vladas Tamasauskas | 506 | 2 | 3 | $506,400 |
3 | Chino Rheem | 487 | 1 | 5 | $602,650 |
4 | Alex Foxen | 460 | 0 | 5 | $663,500 |
5 | Jonathan Jaffe | 454 | 1 | 1 | $756,000 |
6 | Andrew Lichtenberger | 327 | 1 | 4 | $367,450 |
7 | Ren Lin | 325 | 0 | 4 | $342,800 |
8 | Darren Elias | 319 | 1 | 3 | $359,500 |
9 | Justin Bonomo | 314 | 1 | 2 | $447,000 |
10 | Brian Kim | 284 | 0 | 2 | $375,500 |
Photo credit: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.