Darren Elias is a well-known champion, with an impressive record of four titles on the World Poker Tour, establishing himself as the greatest of all time in that arena. His latest triumph came on a Saturday, as the 36-year-old secured yet another victory, this time within the confines of the PokerGO studio at Aria.
In event number 2 of the Poker Masters, Elias outshone a field of 97 participants, claiming a substantial prize of $223,100 from the total purse of $970,000.
This marked his second PokerGO title of the year, following his victory in a $15,000 event at the U.S. Poker Open back in March. Hailing from New Jersey, Elias has now amassed a career tournament earnings total exceeding $12.8 million.
The competition rewarded its top 14 players with payouts, each taking home a minimum of $19,400. Notably, Chris Brewer was eliminated on the bubble on the first day, and the tournament continued until the final table of seven players was reached.
Among the prominent figures who cashed in the event were former Poker Masters champion Sam Soverel (13th place), as well as Ryan Riess (10th), Dan Shak (9th), Michael Rocco (8th), Alex Foxen (7th), and Erik Seidel (5th).
Lithuanian professional Vladas Tamasauskas secured the sixth position, marking his second consecutive final table appearance after winning event number 1. With these two finishes, he currently leads the overall series leaderboard.
Bin Weng, the current frontrunner for Card Player Player of the Year, achieved his second cash prize in two attempts, following his 16th-place finish in event number 1. This time, the Chinese pro claimed the third spot, earning $116,400 and adding 360 more POY points to his tally.
Weng is experiencing a breakout year on the tournament circuit, boasting two WPT titles, a WSOP Circuit ring, victory in The Return championship at Borgata, and a total earnings figure exceeding $5.1 million. With 9,198 points accumulated so far this season, he enjoys a comfortable lead of over 1,200 points ahead of his closest competitor, Jose ‘Nacho’ Barbero.
Former POY winner and two-time WSOP bracelet recipient Eric Baldwin secured the runner-up position, taking home $155,200. This achievement brings his career tournament earnings to $8.2 million.
The Poker Masters consists of a total of 10 events and runs until September 26, featuring buy-ins ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. The player with the best performance throughout the series will be awarded the prestigious Purple Jacket.
This high-stakes festival was inaugurated in 2017 and has seen past champions such as Steffen Sontheimer (2017), Ali Imsirovic (2018), Sam Soverel (2019), Michael Addamo (2021), and Sean Winter (2022).
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY | PGT |
| 1 | Darren Elias | $223,100 | 540 | 223 |
| 2 | Eric Baldwin | $155,200 | 450 | 155 |
| 3 | Bin Weng | $116,400 | 360 | 116 |
| 4 | Antonio De La Cruz | $97,000 | 270 | 97 |
| 5 | Erik Seidel | $77,600 | 225 | 80 |
