2018 Poker Masters

One year after the series was brought to life, Poker Masters returned in September 2018, running September 8-15. This time, the PokerGO Studio had been built and that's where the series was played.

There were a few key changes made for the 2018 Poker Masters, which was the second edition of the series. The series changed its slate of events, going with seven tournaments ranging in buy-ins from $10,000 to $100,000. Instead of going all no-limit hold'em, the 2018 Poker Masters included one pot-limit Omaha event and one short deck hold'em event. The series also moved to award the Purple Jacket based on a points leaderboard, instead of awarding it based on money won. There was also a slight change of scenery for the 2018 Poker Masters. The PokerGO Studio had been completed and that's where this series played out.

Finishing atop the series leaderboard and winning the 2018 Poker Masters Purple Jacket was Ali Imsirovic, and it was a much closer race than the 2017 Poker Masters. Imsirovic had three cashes during the seven events, with two of those three becoming victories. Imsirovic won Event #5: $25,000 NL Hold'em for $462,000 and Event #6: $50,000 NL Hold'em for $799,000. David Peters also won two events, but it was Imsirovic's third cash that allowed him to edge Peters on the series leaderboard.

2018 Poker Masters Leaderboard Top 10

Rank	Player	Wins	Cashes	Points
1	Ali Imsirovic	2	3	660
2	David Peters	2	2	650
3	Brandon Adams	1	3	510
4	Isaac Haxton	1	3	480
5	Jake Schindler	0	3	390
6	Koray Aldemir	0	2	385
7	Ben Yu	0	2	360
8	Dan Smith	0	2	305
9	Keith Lehr	1	1	300
10	Jonathan Depa	0	2	270

2018 Poker Masters Tournament Winners

Event	Entries	Prize Pool	Winner	First Prize
#1: $10,000 NL Hold'em	69	$690,000	David Peters	$193,200
#2: $25,000 NL Hold'em	50	$1,250,000	Brandon Adams	$400,000
#3: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha	37	$925,000	Keith Lehr	$333,000
#4: $10,000 Short Deck	55	$550,000	Isaac Haxton	$176,000
#5: $25,000 NL Hold'em	66	$1,650,000	Ali Imsirovic	$462,000
#6: $50,000 NL Hold'em	47	$2,350,000	Ali Imsirovic	$799,000
#7: $100,000 NL Hold'em	25	$2,500,000	David Peters	$1,150,000

The first of seven events at the 2018 Poker Masters was a $10,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em event and it drew a field of 69 entries to create a prize pool of $690,000. The top 10 spots reached the money and included names such as Brandon Adams, Cary Katz, and Isaac Haxton. None of those players could get it done, though, and it was David Peters who won the opening event for $193,200.

The buy-in jumped to $25,000 for the second event and 50 entries were tallied to create a $1,250,000 prize pool. Brandon Adams became the first player to win a Poker Masters event in consecutive years when he took this one down for a $400,000 score.

The buy-in stayed the same for Event #3, but the game switched from no-limit hold'em to pot-limit Omaha. A field of 37 entries pushed the prize pool to $925,000. High-stakes PLO player Keith Lehr grabbed the title and $333,000 after he topped Jonathan Depa in heads-up play. Adams, who won Event #2, reached the top five for the third time in as many events at the 2018 Poker Masters.

In Event #4: $10,000 Short Deck, a field of 55 entries generated a prize pool of $550,000. It all came down to Haxton versus Maurice Hawkins for the title, and it was Haxton who won it for $176,000.

Back to no-limit hold'em for Event #5: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em and a field of 66 entries went to battle for the $1,650,000 prize pool. After only producing one cash in the first four events, Ali Imsirovic found his way to the winner's circle to win the $462,000 first-place prize.

Event #6: $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em had 47 entries. That led to a $2,350,000 prize pool being on offer and a $799,000 top prize up for grabs. After winning the previous event, Imsirovic made his way back to the final table and back into the winner's circle, scoring first place in consecutive events.

The $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em finale had 25 entries to create a $2,500,000 prize pool. The top four spots reached the money, and it came down to Peters, Dan Smith, Koray Aldemir, and Bryn Kenney. In the money, Kenney was the first to bust. Then Aldemir hit the rail in third place. Heads-up play between Peters and Smith saw Peters get the best of it to win the $1,150,000 prize.