Sean Winter Wins $620,000 in PGT Poker Masters $50K

While most of the drama focused on the battle for the famous Purple Jacket, Sean Winter won the cornerstone event of the PGT Poker Masters. In the $51,000 buy-in event, Winter topped the 31-entry field to win $620,000.

With the win, Winter claimed his second PGT victory of the season and stretched his lead on the 2026 season-long PokerGO Tour leaderboard. Winter now has 17 PGT-qualifying cashes on the season totalling nearly $4.4 million.

2026 Poker Masters Event #10 Final Table Results

On Day 1, after Adrian Mateos busted, Nick Palma and Jeremy Ausmus were still in the running to pip the Spaniard for the Purple Jacket. Palma needed a cash to leapfrog Mateos while Ausmus needed a second-place finish or a win if Palma cashed. However, Palma ended up busting just three places short of the money and was the last to bust on Day 1.

With seven players remaining and five players earning at least a $124,000 min-cash, the chips started flying everywhere. Chris Brewer found aces and doubled up through Dan Smith’s ace-king. While Smith found a double through Sam Laskowitz, he three-bet bluff-jammed with ace-eight when Marius Gierse found ace-queen behind to find himself out in seventh place.

Brewer, known for having some of the worst luck in all of high-stakes poker, ran his pocket kings into the pocket aces of Sam Laskowitz. Brewer then ran into pocket aces a second time, jamming ace-jack into Jeremy Ausmus’ dominating powerhouse to stone-bubble.

Gierse, who came into the day as the chip leader, was the first one to go after the players reached the money. Gierse got all in on a T-7-6 flop with ten-nine against the pocket queens of Laskowitz. Gierse couldn’t find the card he needed on the turn, and he exited in fifth for $124,000.

With four players still in the mix, everyone was focused on whether or not Ausmus could get over the line to win the series title. Four-handed play went on for well over an hour, but Ausmus wouldn’t be able to get the job done, watching his pocket fives lose the crucial flip against Winter’s ace-king suited, with the eventual champion spiking an ace on the turn. 

With Ausmus finishing fourth and picking up $170,500, Adrian Mateos was officially the champion, claiming the Purple Jacket and the $25,000 PGT Passport after winning an event and finishing second in another, despite stone-bubbling an incredible five tournaments.

Igor Yaroshevskyy bowed out in third after flopping two pair on an A-Q-J flop with queen-jack. Unfortunately for the Ukrainian, Winter was holding king-ten for a flopped straight, and that was lights out. Yaroshevskyy took home $248,000, while Winter and Laskowitz began heads-up play with Winter having a 3-to-1 chip lead.

The two went at it for some time, with Laskowitz picking up the chip lead at one point. However, every time Laskowitz clawed back, Winter answered.

On the final hand of the tournament, the first hand of a new level, Winter had just over a 2-to-1 chip lead, and Laskowitz was down to 20 big blinds. Laskowitz limped in with queen-deuce suited, and Winter checked back with six-five offsuit. 

The flop was Q-6-5 with two hearts, giving Winter bottom two against Laskowitz’s top pair. Laskowitz c-bet for one big blind and Winter check-raised to nearly five bigs, and Laskowitz called.

The 3 of hearts put a flush draw out there, and Winter overbet jammed for nearly 1.25x pot. Laskowitz tanked and eventually called with just 27% equity. However, the 8 of clubs came on the river, ending the tournament and giving Winter the $620,000 top prize. Laskowitz earned $387,500 for his runner-up finish.

Winter is far and away in first place on the 2026 PGT season-long Leaderboard. The season will end on January 11th with the PGT Championship, a $500,000 freeroll for the top-40 eligible players, along with a handful of sweepstakes (Dream Seat) winners.

Eligible players must have at least four cashes in PGT events to be eligible, including one cash in a PGT-owned and operated event. WSOP Main Event winner Lucas Jumalon is currently in ninth place, but ineligible as his Main Event win is his only qualified cash.

There are a handful of players in the top 40 who are currently ineligible, including WSOP Main Event runner-up Lauri Saaskilahti (14th), Michael Mizrachi (17th), Main Event third-place finisher Greg Mueller (19th), Artur Martirosian (20th), and many more.

2026 PokerGO Tour Season Standings: Top 10