Time to Kick It Up at the 2018 Poker Masters with Event #2: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Welcome to the ARIA Resort & Casino, and the 2018 Poker Masters for Event 2: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em.
Friday saw the kick-off of the 2018 Poker Masters live from the PokerGO Studio as 69 players took part in Event #1 to create a prize pool of $690,000 that awarded payouts to the top ten players. A monster hand on the bubble saw a short stacked Tom Marchese eliminated in 11th, while Matthias Eibinger's queens would be outdrawn by Brandon Adams' tens when the majority of the money entered the turn on a final board of 
. As Eibinger exited in 10th for $20,700, Adams was catapulted into the overwhelming chip lead.
Cary Katz (9th), Ali Imsirovic (8th), and David Eldridge (7th) all were sent to the rail before play finished for the night with just six players remaining in Event #1. Adams continued to hold onto the chip lead although Germany's Rainer Kempe would close the gap to trail by just five big blinds. David Peters and Cord Garcia with around average in chips, while Brian Green and Isaac Haxton round out the bottom two chip counts. Day 2 final table action will be live streamed on PokerGO, while updates will be provided right here on PokerNews once play begins at 12 p.m. (PDT).
Unlike the inaugural running of the Poker Masters where the Purple Jacket was decided using total earnings, the 2018 Poker Masters will use the High Roller of the Year scoring system to award the coveted Poker Masters Purple Jacket. Here is the breakdown of the points:
| Position | Preliminaries | Main Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 300 | 350 |
| 2nd | 210 | 245 |
| 3rd | 150 | 175 |
| 4th | 120 | 140 |
| 5th | 90 | 105 |
| 6th + | 60 | 70 |
Each event on the 2018 Poker Masters schedule will feature a 30-second shot clock, and each player will have five 30-second time extension chips. There are no entry fees on the first entry for any player registering before 2 p.m. (PDT) on the day of the event.
Event #2: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em is a two-day event that will play down to a final table of six players on Day 1 and will begin at 2 p.m. (PDT). Players will begin with 125,000 in chips and levels will last 30 minutes with a 10-minute break every three levels. Registration is open through the first nine levels (approximately 6:50 p.m.), and players have the option to re-enter twice.
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be providing continuous live updates from the PokerGO Studio of all the Event #2: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em action, along with every event from the 2018 Poker Masters. So stay tuned right here to PokerNews.com to see who claim the 2018 Poker Masters Purple Jacket!