Stephen Chidwick Wins 2021 Poker Masters Event #7 for $183,600
Stephen Chidwick started the final table of Event #7 ($10,000 No Limit Hold’em) with a healthy chip lead and carried it all the way through to the end, taking down his first tournament of the 2021 Poker Masters for a $183,600 payday. It was Chidwick’s second final table in as many nights and it finished it off in a fast-paced performance of just over two hours.
“It’s always nice to win a tournament,” Chidwick said after the victory. “It was a bit of a slow start to the series for me with no cashes in the first handful of events so to make two in a row, and win one, puts myself in contention in points. That should make it a fun rest of the week.”
Twenty minutes into the final table, Chidwick clashed with the dangerous Dan Smith for the first elimination of the day. With the blinds at 25,000/50,000 (50,000 bb ante), Chidwick picked up 
from under the gun and raised it up to 100,000. Smith, next to act, looked down at the 
and after a few moments moved all-in for just over 1 million in chips. The rest of the table got out of the way and Chidwick quickly called. The 
flop kept Chidwick with a commanding lead. The 
turn eliminated any backdoor options Smith had. The 
improved Chidwick to an unnecessary set and sent Smith out in fifth place for $54,400.
Three minutes later, Lou Garza opened to 125,000 from the button holding 
. After Chidwick released his small blind, Brek Schutten three-bet shipped his final ten big blinds with 
. Garza didn’t take long before making the call and moments later the pair watched on as Garza out flopped Schutten with a 
flop. The 
hit the turn, giving Schutten some counterfeit outs in addition to hitting his king kicker. However, the completed the board, and Schutten headed for the exit in fourth place, good for a $68,000 payday.
Over the next sixty minutes, Chidwick continued to build his castle of chips as the blinds climbed to 30,000/60,000 (60,000 bb ante). When from the button, Dylan DeStefano, raised to 120,000 with the 
and Garza, in the small blind, once again looked down at . Garza, the short stack, moved all-in for his final 20 big blinds and, once Chidwick got out of the way, DeStefano snap-called. Both players paired their ace on the 
, but DeStefano was still a considerable favorite. The 
hit the turn and the river was sending Garza home holding the same hand he sent Schutten out the door with. Garza tapped the table and made his way to the cage to collect his $88,400 for third place.
Chidwick and DeStefano returned from a break with Chidwick holding a two-to-one chip lead. It took the former U.S. Open champion roughly twenty minutes of heads-up play to wrap up the event. The final hand took place with the blinds at 40,000/80,000 (80,000 bb ante) and DeStefano opened the button to 180,000 holding the 
. In the big blind, Chidwick three-bet to 550,000 with his and DeStefano made the call. The 
flop brought DeStefano top pair but kept Chidwick in the lead with his pocket kings. Chidwick led for 350,000 and DeStefano made the call. The 
turn changed nothing and Chidwick pushed out a bet of 525,000. With 1.4 million behind, DeStefano burned some time bank extensions before he made the call. The river was the 
and Chidwick went for the win, betting enough to put DeStefano all-in. DeStefano counted his stack and decided on a call and was shown the winner by Chidwick. DeStefano, out in second, collected $136,000 and Stephen Chidwick earned $183,600 for his latest victory in the PokerGO studio.
2021 Poker Masters Event #7 Final Table Results
- Stephen Chidwick – $183,600
- Dylan DeStefano – $136,000
- Lou Garza – $88,400
- Brek Schutten – $68,000
- Dan Smith – $54,400
