Kahle Burns and Michael Addamo Win Poker Masters Online Events
The Poker Masters was one of the numerous live poker events impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, unlike many events, the series wasn’t canceled but instead moved online to partypoker. Now known as Poker Masters Online, the series is now 30 events and open to players from around the world without the need to travel to Las Vegas.
The series kicked off last week with over a dozen events playing to a conclusion by the weekend. On Friday, two of Australia’s biggest poker stars managed to take down events. Recent Australian Poker Hall of Fame inductee Kahle Burns won Event #10 while Michael Addamo took down Event #11.
Kahle Burns Wins Poker Masters Online Event #10
The first of two Poker Masters Online Events to conclude Friday was Event #10, the $10k NL Hold’em 8-Max. This event drew the largest field to date in the event with 119 players taking a shot at the title. This created a prize pool of over $1.19 million.
Kahle Burns continued his high roller heater by taking down a Poker Masters Online title for over $291K.https://t.co/IG04umz3yW
— PocketFives (@PocketFives) April 19, 2020
This was one of the few final tables of the series that was exclusively top-ranked poker pros. Fellow Aussie Edwin Villalobo managed a seventh-place finish for $47,600. The two big names at the final table were Kahle Burns and Joao Vieira. Vieira managed a fifth-place finish, earning $77,350.
Ultimately, the event came down to Luuk Gieles and Burns. Being an online event, we don’t have all the details of the heads-up encounter, but eventually, the two-time WSOP bracelet winner managed to walk away the winner. Burns earned $291,550 and his first Poker Masters title.
Michael Addamo Wins Event #11
The second event to conclude Friday was another $10k event, this time an NL Hold’em Six-Max. A field of 94 players took to the tables to create a prize pool of $940,000. This final table was much more competitive. Aussie pro Michael Addamo made the final table along with top pros Chris Hunichen, Jorryt Van Hoof, Justin Bonomo, and Lukas Mathias.
Poker Masters Online: Kahle Burns and Michael Addamo claim victories. https://t.co/xYeQ9e0xIh
— Poker Central (@PokerCentral) April 17, 2020
Bonomo is playing a lot less poker than when he claimed the top spot on Poker’s All-Time Money List but is still competitive. This time around, he finished fifth, earning $58,750. Jorryt Van Hoof managed a third-place run in this tournament, earning $112,800.
Heads-up in this event was between Addamo and Hunichen. Hunichen is an accomplished online pro but Addamo managed to take down this confrontation. Hunichen settled for second-place, earning $183,300. Addamo won the title along with $294,037.
Addamo in Contention for Poker Masters Purple Jacket
Just like the live version of Poker Masters, this event will award the Poker Masters Purple Jacket to the best overall player in the series. Each time a player cashes in an event, they earn points towards the Poker Masters Championship.
Andras Nemeth is presently the overall leader with 511 points. He has cashed in four events, including a win in Event #5. Right on his heels is Michael Addamo. Addamo has three cashes in this series, including his win on Friday. He has 406 points.
Covering @partypoker Poker Masters Online tonight alongside my guy @jeffplatt!
Head over to @PokerGO Facebook page for Events 14-15 around 9pm ET. @BandikaBirs is leading the pack for coveted purple jacket 🕺 with more than $530K in PMO earnings! 🍻 pic.twitter.com/uFy8JXqnhC
— Hanks. (@BuffaloHanks) April 18, 2020
Paul Ayrias, Elias Talvitie, and Alex Foxen round out the top 5. Less than 170 points separate the top 8 players in the standings, so a deep run by any player can allow them to make up some serious ground. The ultimate winner will not only win the Poker Masters Purple Jacket but also a $50,000 cash prize.
Through Sunday, 18 events have played to a conclusion at Poker Masters Online. The remaining events will play out this week starting on Tuesday and running through Sunday. On Sunday, the $51,000 Main Event will kick off. It has a $2 million guarantee. Based on previous events in this series, the event should have no problem meeting the guarantee.
If you want to watch the action unfold, PokerGo is live streaming the final tables. You can also watch via the partypoker software provided you are in a location where online poker is legal.