The sixth instalment of the Poker Masters festival saw a stunning conclusion to the tournament dominated by Turkish player Orpen Kisacikoglu. Winning the $218,500 top prize, the British-based high roller regular outlasted a final seven including Justin Bonomo and former event winner Chino Rheem.

Final $10,000-entry Poker Masters Event Fills Up

With the first six events of this year’s Poker Masters festival costing $10,000, Event #7 through #9 costing $25,000 and the final tenth event costing $50,000 to play, this was the last chance for players to take part in a tournament at the lowest buy-in. That led to a bumper field, with 95 entries meaning 14 players rather than previous days of 13 being paid.

Players such as Daniel Negreanu (12^th for $19,000), Chris Brewer (11^th for $28,500) and Dylan Linde (9^th for $38,000) all made their way into the money places without making the final table. Indeed, it was the Event #4 winner Chino Rheem who was second of the last seven as he bid to become the second player after Vladas Tamasauskas to win two events this series. If he could do so, he’d provide genuine competition to the runaway leader for that $50,000 Championship Bonus and Purple Jacket that are on offer to the leaderboard winner.

Top of the final six, Rheem had 2,775,000 chips to play with, a short way behind Kisacikoglu’s stack of 3,215,000. Behind the top two, Justin Bonomo (1,750,000) and Jack Hardcastle (1,510,000) looked like ominous chasers of the leaders, with Stephen Chidwick (1,130,000), Sam Laskowitz (1,005,000) and Ryan Riess (490,000) all playing catch-up.

Champions Fall Early

With seven starting the final table rather than six on previous days, it was all-action from the first card to the last on the second and final day. The 2013 WSOP Main Event world champion Ryan Riess was the first player to leave the party, cashing for $47,500 when he failed to improve from the short stack position. All-in with , he lost to Sam Laskowitz’ when a board of had him behind from the first card.

The next to leave was a British player, one of two at the final table. No-one from the United Kingdom has won more than Stephen Chidwick in live ranking poker tournaments. Chidwick earned another $57,000 in sixth place when his which he raised most of his stack in with pre-flop, fell to Bonomo’s after that flop of was followed by a turn and river.

Out in fifth place was Laskowitz, now short himself. Committing his stack with , he lost to Rheem’s as a disastrous board of played out. Laskowitz, the second of two Americans to bust at the final table, cashed for $76,000 as Rheem took a slim chip lead from Kisacikoglu at the top of the leaderboard. Justin Bonomo and Jack Hardcastle were languishing some way behind.

Rheem Hits the Rail

Chino Rheem was suckered for a big chunk of his stack when he ran pocket jacks into Jack Hardcastle’s pocket aces, and left in fourth place in this sixth event of the 2023 Poker Masters. All-in for his stack with , Rheem couldn’t hold against Kisacikoglu’s , as the board once again shot a ten out in the window. The flop of was followed by inconsequential eights on turn and river as Rheem bade farewell to his chances of a second victory and scored $95,000.

Justin Bonomo was the short stack and although he doubled once, he couldn’t do so twice. All-in with , he started and ended his final hand behind Kisacikoglu’s , as the flop was followed by a turn and river. Bonomo departed for a result worth $114,000, enough to put him under $3 million behind Bryn Kenney at the top of the All-Time Money List.

Heads-up, that meant Kisacikoglu had the lead with 11.1 million chips, with Jack Hardcastle the underdog in the extreme on just 775,000. Moments later, it was all over. Kisacikoglu called it off with after Hardcastle shoved with . The flop of kept the Turkish player behind, but a on the turn flipped the script, and the river confirmed his victory for $218,500, with Hardcastle scoring $152,000 in second place.