Steve O’Dwyer and Pauli Ayras Secure Huge Poker Masters Scores

The Poker Masters Online resumed on April 21 after one-day hiatus. The rest did the players the world of good because they turned out in force for the brace of tournaments on offer.

Eighty-six players piled into the $10,300 NLHE 6-Max event to create a guarantee-busting $860,000 prize pool. Another 77-players exchanged $25,500 for the chance to win an 8-Max NLHE event, which resulted in $1,925,000 being paid out instead of the advertised $1 million!

Poker Masters #20: $500K Gtd NLHE 6-Max

The 20th Poker Masters event had a pretty ridiculous line-up and was practically impossible to select who was going to win the $269,013 top prize.

Our own Joni Jouhkimainen got his hands on a $23,562 min-cash while he was grinding his way to victory in a POWERFEST event. The Finn is some player.

Such luminaries as Adrian Mateos, Jouhkimainen’s fellow Finn Eelis Parssinen, Ali Imsirovic and Artur Martirosian all busted before the final table and secure $23,562 of $27,950.

Dario Sammartino reached yet another Poker Masters final table but had to make do with the $36,550 sixth-place money. Jorryt Van Hoof is another grinder who has been hitting final tables with alarming regularity. This one ended in a fifth-place finish worth $53,750.

Giuseppe Iadisernia fell in fourth and was the last player not to bank six-figures. Jake Schindler cashed for $103,200 when he exited in third, which left David Peters and Stephen O’Dwyer to lock horns for the lion’s share of the prize pool.

O’Dwyer brushed aside Peters to bank $269,013 resigning Peters to a $167,700 consolation prize.

Poker Masters #19: $1M Gtd NLHE 8-Max

A massive $1,925,000 was paid out to the top 10 finishers in the $25,500 NLHE 8-Max event. Van Hoof was the unfortunate soul who popped the money bubble, which was a massive $77,000 difference between busting and cashing.

Andras Nemeth and Justin Bonomo fell before the final table, with Bartlomiej Machon being the final table’s first casualty, a finish worth $81,812.

Canada’s Guillaume Nolet fell in seventh for $91,437 before George Wolff netted $105,875 for his sixth-place demise. Matthew Wantman and Luuk Gieles were the next to bust. Wantman secured a $134,750 prize while Gieles reeled in $173,250.

David Peters won $259,875 when his tournament ended abruptly in third-place. This left Sam Greenwood and Pauli Ayras to fight it out for the huge $548,625 first-place prize. There was a $173,250 difference between first and second place, yet no deal was struck.

This meant Greenwood collected $375,375 when he fell at the final hurdle. Ayras banked $548,625, which is the second-largest Poker Master Online prize of the series, only Jason Koon has won a larger prize.