The 2018 Poker Masters ended with two winners as David Peters took down the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em event to win his third seven-figure score of the year, and Ali Imsirovic won the series and Purple Jacket, beating Peters by a narrow ten-point margin.
Like a placenta lying on a chopping board, I’m not sure how to carve this up.
Let’s start with the series as a whole.
Going into the final event of the 2018 Poker Masters ($100,000 No-Limit Hold’em), Ali Imsirovic had taken the lead from Brandon Adams, after back-to-back victories in Events #5 & 6.
The 23-year old from Washington was the favourite to leave the ARIA having handed over his waist, chest and neck measurements, but four more players could spoil his weekend.
Potential Purple Jacket Winners
Ali Imsirovic (660 Pts)
Brandon Adams (510)
Isaac Haxton (480)
Jake Schindler (390)
Ben Yu (360)
Day 1: Wot No Players?
From an organisational and integrity standpoint, Day 1 was an Olympic swimming pool minus the water.
With only four and a half levels in the dock, just nine players remained. An office meeting took place, and it was decided to end Day 1 early, and only allow late registration and re-entry until the start of Day 2.
Neither Ben Yu or Jake Schindler competed in Day 1, and both Haxton and Adams hit the rail, so unless one of them were planning to spend a few bob on Day 2, Imsirovic would win the Purple Jacket.
Day 2: Imsirovic Wins The Purple Jacket
Haxton and Adams did re-enter, but Schindler and Yu were inconspicuous by their absence.
The final number was 25-entrants.
The winner would bank $1,150,000.
The first potential Poker Masters winner to hit the rail was Ike Haxton. The action folded to the partypoker man in the small blind, and he called. Bryn Kenney was seated in the big blind, and he raised to 13,000; Haxton called. The flop was Th9d8c, Haxton check-called a 16,000 Kenney bet. The Ks fell on the fourth street, and the same action ensued, this time for 47,000. The Ah hit the river, Haxton checked, Kenney moved all-in, and Haxton called. Haxton had turned two pairs, but Kenney had flopped a set of tens to bust the Poker Masters hopeful in 17th place.
Then we lost the main man.
Imsirovic limped into play from the small blind, and then jammed when Stephen Chidwick raised from the big blind; Chidwick called. The dealer asked the pair to expose their hands, Imsirovic showed pocket tens, and Chidwick Showed AT. The man from the UK needed an ace to bust the series leader, and it came on the flop. Imsirovic had to play the waiting game. Adams needed a third place plus finish to win the series.
And he nearly made it.
Aldemir opened to 13,000 with 98ss, and Adams jammed holding AJo in position. Dan Smith found AQhh on the button and made the call; nobody else wanted a piece. Smith flopped the top two pairs and filled up on the river. Adams was out, and Imsirovic was the 2018 Poker Masters Champion, winning by a mere ten points.
Imsirovic won the Poker Masters after finishing 8/69 in Event #1: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em for $27,600 and 60 leaderboard points. Next, he beat 66-entrants in Event #5: $26,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $462,000 and 300-points, and won the next event, Event #6: $52,000 No-Limit Hold’em, beating 47-entrants for $799,000.
Ismirovic banked $1,288,600 more than his combined live tournament earnings.
Who Would Win the $100k?
Ok, with that out of the way, let’s see who won the Main Event.
At the end of Day 2, four players were in with a shot of winning a million bucks.
Final Table Tale of the Tape
Seat 1: Dan Smith – 2,030,000
Seat 2: David Peters – 2,230,000
Seat 3: Bryn Kenney – 227,000
Seat 4: Koray Aldemir – 541,000
Here are the highlights:
Day 3
Bryn Kenney Eliminated in 4th Place.
Kenny moved all-in for 185,000, and Aldemir was the only person who wanted to tango.
Aldemir: QcJh
Kenney: QhTs
Board: As7s5d8d5c
Aldemir trampled all over Kenney’s toes, and the New York superstar had to settle for a $250,000 consolation prize. Aldemir moved into threeway action holding 637,000 chips, and both Peters and Smith holding more than two million each.
The German star put up one hell of a fight.
The three-handed action lasted five hours.
Here are the snippets.
Aldemir didn’t play the beaten down dog role for too long doubling three times through Smith.
Then it was Aldemir’s turn to feel the pain doubling up Peters 99<AT, before Smith joined in the doubling fun, taking a chunk from Peters after the pair got it in on 9d8d2c with Smith behind holding 87o for the second pair, and Peters leading with 94ss for the top pair. Smith quelled thoughts of a Peters v Aldemir heads-up encounter hitting a runner-runner straight to become a contender once more.
Then three became two.
Koray Aldemir Eliminated in 3rd Place.
Aldemir jammed the button; Smith called in the big blind.
Smith: JsJd
Aldemir: Ad9s
Board: Tc4d3s3h8d
The jacks were relieved to miss the ace and Smith would go on to face Peters in an evenly matched heads-up contest with levels lasting 15-minutes after agreement from the players.
Heads-Up
Smith – 2,570,000
Peters – 2,430,000
Peters dominated the early patches of heads-up to take the chip lead. Smith doubled up QQ>A9, to pull some chips back, but the deck never produced any flow from that point on for Smith. Peters edged further and further ahead until the death knell sounded when K7 hit a king on the turn to beat A7s for all the gravy in the world.
Here are the final table results.
Final Table Results
1. David Peters – $1,150,000
2. Dan Smith – $700,000
3. Koray Aldemir – $400,000
4. Bryn Kenney – $250,000
It was Peters’ third seven-figure score of the year, and he’s still a country mile away from the biggest earners of 2018.
Quite incredible.
$100k ITM Results
1. David Peters – $1,150,000
2. Dan Smith – $700,000
3. Koray Aldemir – $400,000
4. Bryn Kenney – $250,000
2018 Poker Masters Final Standings
1. Ali Imsirovic – 660 points ($1,288,600)
2. David Peters – 650 ($1,343,200)
3. Brandon Adams – 510 ($543,000)
4. Isaac Haxton – 480 ($309,900)
5. Jake Schindler – 390 ($575,000)
