Posted by Vitalijs Zavorotnijs claimed the title in Event #4: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em at the 2026 Poker Masters, overcoming a field of 80 entries at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas to bank the $224,000 first-place prize. The victory concluded with a dramatic heads-up cooler against Clemen Deng, sealing an intense two-hour final day of play that saw an $800,000 total prize pool distributed among the game’s elite.
Road to Victory and Final Table Action
The Latvian start-of-day chip leader finished the job to secure his second PokerGO Tour (PGT) title and the ninth live tournament win of his career, adding to a resume that features his 2019 WPT Barcelona Main Event victory. Reflecting on his performance, Zavorotnijs remained grounded when speaking to reporters after his triumph.
“It’s good to be at the final table at all. Even better to win,” he said. “The cards went my way. I think I played pretty good, got lucky at some point and won it. It’s usually what happens when you win the tournament.”
The final day action began at a measured pace before eliminations quickly accelerated. Andrew Lichtenberger returned as the shortest stack with just 12 big blinds, scoring an early double up through Deng. However, that momentum vanished on the very next hand when Lichtenberger three-bet shoved 27 big blinds holding , running directly into Deng’s pocket aces (). Lichtenberger was eliminated in fifth place, good for $56,000.
Approximately 20 minutes later, Jamie Dwan hit the rail in fourth place, collecting $76,000 in what marks his first cash inside the PokerGO Studio and another strong result in an impressive 2026 campaign. Dwan pushed his remaining stack with against Deng’s , but a seven on the river secured the pot for Deng.
Palma Leads Purple Jacket Race Despite Third-Place Exit
With three players remaining, Clemen Deng surged into a commanding chip lead. Nicholas Palma, hunting for his second title of the series following an earlier victory in Event #2, saw his deep run halt in third place when Zavorotnijs flopped a full house using .
Palma earned $104,000 for his third-place finish, lifting his total earnings across the two events to $339,200. Though falling short of the trophy, Palma’s consistency propelled him to the top of the Poker Masters leaderboard, cementing his status as the frontrunner in the race for the prestigious Purple Jacket. Players looking to navigate deep tournament runs can review ICM poker tournament strategy to better understand late-stage payout pressure.
A Brutal Full House Cooler Settles Heads-Up Play
Heads-up play pitted Deng, who held five career PGT titles, against Zavorotnijs and his single prior PGT crown. Neither player managed to pull away during the early exchanges until a massive collision materialized.
Both players flopped two pair on a –– board, with Zavorotnijs holding and Deng holding . The turn brought the , upgrading both competitors to full houses. All the chips flew into the middle on the river card, and Zavorotnijs held a fractional chip advantage to cover his opponent, bringing an instantaneous end to the tournament.
Deng collected $144,000 for his runner-up performance, while Zavorotnijs hoisted the trophy and captured the $224,000 top prize. US-based fans looking to grind online events from home can check out online poker real money in the US for legal action.
Latvia’s Close-Knit Poker Community
Following his victory, Zavorotnijs discussed the success of the Latvian poker scene, which has produced high-stakes regulars like Aleksejs Ponakovs. He credited a tight collective of players from Latvia and Lithuania for accelerating their collective growth.
“We have quite a big group of Latvians and Lithuanians. We’re all trying to work together. We’re friends and hang out together, especially in the summers here,” Zavorotnijs noted. “I think our group made us much better than we could have been without it.”
Before finding success on the felt, Zavorotnijs played professional volleyball for several years before injuries derailed his athletic trajectory, later taking up ice hockey at age 25. Having tried his hand at poker streaming before experiencing burnout, Zavorotnijs remains a devoted regular at the PokerGO venue.
“I love playing here. I think it’s one of the best-organized venues that I have been to,” he concluded. “I love to come here and play, to compete as well.”
Source: PokerNews Online
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