Stephen Chidwick completely dominated the ultimate day of the newest $25,000 buy-in occasion on the 2023 Poker Masters. The 34-year-old British poker professional got here into the ultimate day with 60 % of the chips in play and leveraged that benefit to nice impact. It took him simply over an hour and a half to transform his start-of-day lead into the title, scoring 4 of 5 knockouts down the stretch to safe the trophy and the highest prize of $400,000.
This was Chidwick’s forty first recorded event title. He has now earned greater than $52.4 million throughout 395 lifetime cashes, the third-highest whole of any poker participant on the planet. Only Bryn Kenny ($65,284,256) and Justin Bonomo ($64,106,800) sit forward of Chidwick on poker’s all-time cash record.
Chidwick has gained the Card Player Player of the Year award twice, in 2019 and 2022. He is among the many prime contenders but once more this 12 months, with 19 last tables and 5 titles gained to this point in 2023. The 420 POY factors he earned on this occasion elevated his whole to 7,370 on the 12 months, good for sixth place on the 2023 POY leaderboard introduced by Global Poker.
This victory additionally moved Chidwick inside the highest 25 within the 2023 PokerGO Tour points race. With 297 PGT factors earned on this sequence, he has joined the highest 5 within the race for the Poker Masters Purple Jacket.
Day 1 of this occasion noticed the sector of fifty entries that turned out to the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas narrowed down to simply six contenders. Chidwick had roughly 4.8 instances as many chips because the next-largest stack, which belonged to two-time bracelet winner Sam Soverel.
Chidwick quickly busted occasion no. 4 winner Chino Rheem (sixth – $75,000) and occasion no. 2 champion Darren Elias (fifth – $100,000) to additional increase his chip benefit.
Two-time bracelet winner Chris Brewer was the following to fall. Brewer was the one participant knocked out by any person apart from Chidwick on day 2. His Ok-Q suited was unable to come back from behind in opposition to the A-J of the identical swimsuit that had been dealt to bracelet winner Alex Foxen. Brewer cashed for $125,000 because the fourth-place finisher. This was his twenty second final-table displaying of the 12 months, with 5 titles gained and practically $11.2 million in POY earnings accrued alongside the way in which. He now sits in third place within the POY race.
Chidwick misplaced two all-ins throughout three-handed play, however picked up pocket aces in opposition to the A-Ok suited of Foxen and held to arrange the heads-up showdown for the title. Foxen was awarded $175,000 and 280 POY factors for his 19 last desk of the 12 months. He moved into seventh place on the POY leaderboard after this consequence, with three titles and practically $2.7 million in POY earnings to this point in 2023.
Soverel had 825,000 to Chidwick’s 6,675,000 when heads-up motion received underway. The last hand noticed the entire chips go in on a Q993 board with Chidwick holding 62 for a flush and Soverel having QJ for queens and nines. Soverel wanted a queen or 9 on the river to double up, however the Ok appeared on the river as a substitute to lock up the pot and the title for Chidwick.
Soverel cashed for $262,500, rising his lifetime earnings to just about $22.4 million. He now sits in twenty second place within the POY standings with 13 last tables and two titles gained this 12 months.
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 | Stephen Chidwick | $400,000 | 420 | 240 |
2 | Sam Soverel | $262,500 | 350 | 158 |
3 | Alex Foxen | $175,000 | 280 | 105 |
4 | Chris Brewer | $125,000 | 210 | 75 |
5 | Darren Elias | $100,000 | 175 | 60 |
6 | Chino Rheem | $75,000 | 140 | 45 |
7 | Isaac Haxton | $62,500 | 105 | 38 |
8 | Jason Koon | $50,000 | 70 | 30 |
Photo credit: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.