Sean Winter Wins Poker Masters Finale for $620,000
Sean Winter won the final event of the 2026 Poker Masters on October 23, taking the $51,000 no-limit hold'em tournament for $620,000. The finale drew 31 entries and created a $1.55 million prize pool, according to the PokerGO Tour's official result.
The result closed the 10-event series at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. Adrian Mateos finished the festival with 451 points to secure the Purple Jacket and a $25,000 PGT Passport bonus.
Winter closes the series with its largest title
Event #10 paid five places. Sam Laskowitz earned $387,500 as runner-up, the largest live tournament cash of his career according to PokerGO Tour's report.
Winter began heads-up play with close to a 3-to-1 chip lead, but Laskowitz repeatedly narrowed the gap. On the final hand, Winter flopped two pair with queen-six against Laskowitz's queen-two. The chips went in after the turn, and an eight on the river left Winter's hand in front.
The win was Winter's second PokerGO Tour title of the 2026 season. PGT credited him with 17 season cashes, $4,391,694 in qualifying earnings and 2,223 points after the finale, keeping him first on the season-long leaderboard.
Mateos holds on for the Purple Jacket
Mateos entered the final event with the series lead after three cashes. He finished second in Event #2 for $151,200, won Event #5 for $229,500 and placed fourth in Event #7 for $87,000.
Jeremy Ausmus was the only player who could still pass Mateos on the final day. Ausmus needed to finish first or second, but Winter eliminated him in fourth place. That result locked the overall title for Mateos before the finale reached three-handed play.
Mateos ended Poker Masters with $467,700 in prize money and 451 points. His Event #5 victory provided 230 of those points and ultimately supplied the margin he needed to finish ahead of the rest of the field.
Why the finale mattered
The closing tournament settled two separate races. Winter earned the largest single payout of the series and extended his lead in the 2026 PGT standings, while Mateos converted a week of consistent results into the Poker Masters championship.
The 2026 PokerGO Tour season is scheduled to culminate with the $500,000 PGT Championship freeroll on January 11-12, 2027. Eligibility depends on the published leaderboard and participation requirements, so the points added in the Poker Masters finale carry value beyond this series.
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