Justin Vaysman rallies from short stack to win first PGT title at Poker Masters

Justin Vaysman mounted a chip‑and‑a‑chair comeback to win Event #6 of the PokerGO Tour (PGT) Poker Masters on Monday, taking the Poker Masters trophy and his first PGT title. He began heads‑up play with 19 big blinds to Sean Winter's 61 and completed the turnaround after roughly an hour of heads‑up action.

Seven‑handed start and early exits

When the final table began on Monday, Vaysman sat third in chips behind chip leader Sean Winter and Victoria Livschitz in second. Sam Laskowitz and Brandon Wilson occupied fourth and fifth, respectively, while Tony Gregg and Joey Weissman were the short stacks.

Sam Laskowitz was the first elimination, finishing in seventh after committing the majority of his remaining chips. Victoria Livschitz called from the small blind with K♣6♣ and flopped bottom set against Laskowitz; the turn and river completed the board and Laskowitz was eliminated before the runout completed. Weissman followed soon after, his hand falling to Livschitz's A♦Q♦ on the runout.

During extended five‑handed play, Vaysman clashed with Winter in a blind‑versus‑blind battle that left him with 20,000 in chips — a fraction of a big blind — and effectively short‑stacked. That hand marked the start of his comeback.

The double and triple ups that changed momentum

The sequence that rebuilt Vaysman's stack came over a handful of consecutive hands.

• On the very next deal, Vaysman was forced all‑in from the small blind with 10♦9♦ against Winter's A♣K♣; the runout turned Vaysman's 20K into 140K. Wilson folded an unsuited version of the same hand in the big blind.

• In his next big blind, Vaysman was all‑in again and doubled through Tony Gregg despite having an underdog matchup; the runout produced a second double.

• A few orbits later Vaysman was again all‑in by big blind cost and doubled for a third time when his K♣Q♠ ran down Gregg's A♠T♠ on the board.

Those doubles moved Vaysman off near‑dead status and into playable position. Tony Gregg, whose return to the PokerGO Studio ended in fifth, took a $48,000 payout when he exited after a later confrontation. Gregg had raised with Q♦Q♣ and called a jam from Winter holding A♦J♦; Winter completed a runner‑runner flush on the turn and river to score the knockout.

Vaysman continued to add chips in subsequent hands. He won a pot when his A♠Q♣ held up against Winter's A♦10♦ after a min‑click raise and check‑down on the runout. A later three‑way all‑in between Vaysman, Wilson and Winter further reshaped the stacks. Winter had produced an oversized raise from the button with A♣K♣; Vaysman jammed from the small blind with 9♠8♠ and Wilson called from the big blind with 7♦7♣. The runout gave Vaysman a straight that tripled his stack, left Wilson with effectively nothing, and trimmed Winter's lead.

Two hands later Wilson's remaining chips were taken by Winter, and the tournament moved to three‑handed play. In the second hand of that stage, Livschitz moved all‑in from the small blind with K♥K♦ and ran into Winter's A♠K♠; an A♣ on the flop made a case king and Livschitz was eliminated.

Heads‑up: the comeback completes

Heads‑up began with Vaysman holding 19 big blinds to Winter's 61. After treading water through much of the initial heads‑up period, Vaysman seized a pivotal sequence on the river.

From the button he limped with J♦10♦ and called Winter's raise. The flop did not meaningfully connect with Winter's A♠7♠, but Winter used bet‑small pressure on both the flop and turn. On the river Winter shoved for his remaining chips; Vaysman called the river shove and took the chip lead when showdown cards gave him the pot. Two hands later Vaysman closed out the win.

Vaysman's comeback included multiple all‑in doubles, a three‑way jam that produced a tripling straight, and a final river call that swung the chip lead back in his favour. The photographs accompanying the event coverage were credited to Antonio Abrego/PokerGO Tour.

Result and context

Justin Vaysman won Event #6 at the Poker Masters, earning his first PGT title after a comeback that started with 20,000 in chips and included critical doubles to 140K and a later triple-up. Tony Gregg finished fifth for $48,000. Sean Winter, Victoria Livschitz, Sam Laskowitz, Brandon Wilson and Joey Weissman were all notable participants at the seven‑handed final table.

Images courtesy of Antonio Abrego/PokerGO Tour.