Andrew Lichtenberger Wins Poker Masters Title On His Birthday
Date: 2023-09-21 Author: Dima Zakharov Categories: POKER, PEOPLE
Andrew Lichtenberger, a 36-year-old poker professional, had a birthday to remember on September 20th. Competing in the 2023 Poker Masters event, he emerged as the victor among 85 participants, securing his 16th live tournament title. Lichtenberger's outstanding performance in the $10,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em event, held at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas' ARIA Resort & Casino, earned him $204,000. This victory propelled his career tournament earnings to an impressive $15.9 million, a remarkable feat for the World Series of Poker bracelet winner.
In the year 2023, Lichtenberger reached his fifth final table, clinching his first title. His exceptional performance also granted him 204 PokerGO Tour points. This marked his third cash win in the Poker Masters series, following a seventh-place finish in event no. 3 and a 13th-place finish in event no. 4. With a total of 266 PGT points and earnings of $265,700 so far, Lichtenberger now occupies the third position in the race for the coveted Poker Masters Purple Jacket, trailing behind Vladas Tamasauskas (506 points) and Ren Lin (299 points).
In this particular event, the top 13 finishers secured a portion of the $850,000 prize pool. Only six players advanced to day 2, with Daniel Lazrus, a two-time bracelet winner, leading the way, and Lichtenberger starting in the fourth chip position.
The first player to exit the competition was 2021 WSOP main event champion Koray Aldemir, finishing in sixth place with $51,000 in winnings. Unfortunately, his K-J hand couldn't prevail in a preflop showdown against the 8-7 suited hand of Lazrus. Brock Wilson, on the other hand, made his mark with his third cash win and second final-table appearance at the festival. His journey concluded in fifth place when his A-7 suited hand fell to Lazrus' A-K and the pocket tens of bracelet winner Brian Kim. Kim's pocket pair held up, sending Wilson home with $68,000.
Lichtenberger quickly seized the lead, winning a substantial pot against Kim with a pair of tens and a higher kicker. Kim, meanwhile, delivered the next knockout blow, securing eights full of kings on the river and forcing Niko Koop into fourth place with $85,000 in winnings.
The final crucial all-in confrontation saw Lichtenberger pushing all-in from the small blind with pocket threes, while Lazrus called all-in from the big blind with pocket sixes. Lichtenberger managed to flop a set and held on to eliminate Lazrus in third place, with a $102,000 prize.
Heads-up play began with Lichtenberger holding 7,625,000 chips to Kim's 3,000,000. The showdown didn't take long, as Lichtenberger's A-6 suited triumphed over Kim's A-Q suited, earning him the title and a $144,500 runner-up prize for Kim.
This marked Kim's 11th final table appearance of the year, accumulating nearly $2.7 million in Player of the Year earnings and 3,976 points along the way. Consequently, he has climbed to 22nd place on the Player of the Year leaderboard.
Here's a breakdown of the payouts and ranking points awarded at the final table:
1. Andrew Lichtenberger - $204,000 (480 POY Points, 204 PGT Points)
2. Brian Kim - $144,500 (400 POY Points, 145 PGT Points)
3. Daniel Lazrus - $102,000 (320 POY Points, 102 PGT Points)
4. Niko Koop - $85,000 (240 POY Points, 85 PGT Points)
5. Brock Wilson - $68,000 (200 POY Points, 68 PGT Points)
6. Koray Aldemir - $51,000 (160 POY Points, 51 PGT Points)
7. Matt Bond - $42,500 (120 POY Points, 43 PGT Points)
8. Shannon Shorr - $34,000 (80 POY Points, 34 PGT Points)
In the year 2023, Lichtenberger reached his fifth final table, clinching his first title. His exceptional performance also granted him 204 PokerGO Tour points. This marked his third cash win in the Poker Masters series, following a seventh-place finish in event no. 3 and a 13th-place finish in event no. 4. With a total of 266 PGT points and earnings of $265,700 so far, Lichtenberger now occupies the third position in the race for the coveted Poker Masters Purple Jacket, trailing behind Vladas Tamasauskas (506 points) and Ren Lin (299 points).
In this particular event, the top 13 finishers secured a portion of the $850,000 prize pool. Only six players advanced to day 2, with Daniel Lazrus, a two-time bracelet winner, leading the way, and Lichtenberger starting in the fourth chip position.
The first player to exit the competition was 2021 WSOP main event champion Koray Aldemir, finishing in sixth place with $51,000 in winnings. Unfortunately, his K-J hand couldn't prevail in a preflop showdown against the 8-7 suited hand of Lazrus. Brock Wilson, on the other hand, made his mark with his third cash win and second final-table appearance at the festival. His journey concluded in fifth place when his A-7 suited hand fell to Lazrus' A-K and the pocket tens of bracelet winner Brian Kim. Kim's pocket pair held up, sending Wilson home with $68,000.
Lichtenberger quickly seized the lead, winning a substantial pot against Kim with a pair of tens and a higher kicker. Kim, meanwhile, delivered the next knockout blow, securing eights full of kings on the river and forcing Niko Koop into fourth place with $85,000 in winnings.
The final crucial all-in confrontation saw Lichtenberger pushing all-in from the small blind with pocket threes, while Lazrus called all-in from the big blind with pocket sixes. Lichtenberger managed to flop a set and held on to eliminate Lazrus in third place, with a $102,000 prize.
Heads-up play began with Lichtenberger holding 7,625,000 chips to Kim's 3,000,000. The showdown didn't take long, as Lichtenberger's A-6 suited triumphed over Kim's A-Q suited, earning him the title and a $144,500 runner-up prize for Kim.
This marked Kim's 11th final table appearance of the year, accumulating nearly $2.7 million in Player of the Year earnings and 3,976 points along the way. Consequently, he has climbed to 22nd place on the Player of the Year leaderboard.
Here's a breakdown of the payouts and ranking points awarded at the final table:
1. Andrew Lichtenberger - $204,000 (480 POY Points, 204 PGT Points)
2. Brian Kim - $144,500 (400 POY Points, 145 PGT Points)
3. Daniel Lazrus - $102,000 (320 POY Points, 102 PGT Points)
4. Niko Koop - $85,000 (240 POY Points, 85 PGT Points)
5. Brock Wilson - $68,000 (200 POY Points, 68 PGT Points)
6. Koray Aldemir - $51,000 (160 POY Points, 51 PGT Points)
7. Matt Bond - $42,500 (120 POY Points, 43 PGT Points)
8. Shannon Shorr - $34,000 (80 POY Points, 34 PGT Points)
