Nick Palma Tops Adrian Mateos to Claim First PGT Title at Poker Masters

Nick Palma defeated Adrian Mateos heads-up to win Event #2: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the PokerGO Tour Poker Masters on 15 October 2026, taking home $235,200 and recording his first PokerGO Tour (PGT) title. Five players returned for the final table; Palma started second in chips behind Mateos and navigated a long heads-up duel lasting about two hours to close the event.

Final-table overview of Poker Masters Event #2

Five players came back to the felt for the closing stage. Spain's Adrian Mateos held the chip lead when play resumed, with Nick Palma sitting in second place. Michael Berk and David Coleman were third and fourth in chips, respectively, and Nick Seward returned as the short stack.

Action stretched out despite the short-handed table. The first elimination occurred more than 90 minutes into play, when Seward fell after losing the bulk of his stack to Mateos and then being unable to recover on the next hand.

Coleman was the next to depart after a blind-versus-blind confrontation with Berk, in which Coleman failed to connect on a flop, turn and river that resolved the hand in Berk's favour. The final three were Palma, Mateos and Berk, with Mateos the short stack as three-handed play began.

How Michael Berk finished third and the path to heads-up

Berk and Palma were nearly even when three-handed play commenced. In a pivotal hand, Palma made a rivered nut straight on an otherwise unhelpful board for Berk. Berk attempted a large raise on the river to turn his hand into a bluff; Palma responded by jamming, which left Berk crippled.

Berk's tournament ended soon after in a blind-versus-blind showdown with Mateos. Berk moved all in for roughly 17 big blinds from the small blind and was called by Mateos from the big blind. Berk flopped strong but the turn reversed momentum to Mateos, and the river failed to deliver the outs Berk needed. Berk finished in third place.

David Coleman entered the PGT Poker Masters series with prior success: in 2025 he secured the Poker Masters purple jacket and recorded $657,000 in earnings across that series. Coleman’s run in this Event #2 ended when he clashed blind versus blind with Berk and was unable to complete the needed draw on the runout.

Nick Palma vs. Adrian Mateos — the heads-up battle

Heads-up play began as a classic chip-lead confrontation. Palma was the louder, more aggressive table presence and held the chip lead at the outset of heads-up play. Mateos adopted a quieter, more analytical approach while carrying the smaller stack.

The duel ran for roughly two hours. Early on Mateos worked his way back to parity and even took the lead briefly; Palma then picked off a bluff that restored his margin. The pair exchanged large pots — at one point Palma called an overbet from Mateos on a board where Mateos showed queen-high and Palma elected to call.

A key double for Mateos brought the two to near-even stacks later in the match. Palma then shoved from the button and Mateos called; Mateos doubled through Palma in that hand to seize a short-lived chip lead. Shortly afterwards, a limp from Palma prompted Mateos to move all in, and that shove ran into Palma's covering hand; the resulting clean runout pushed Palma into the largest chip advantage of the heads-up phase.

The match closed soon after. Both players picked up ace-high holdings late in the battle; Palma had the inferior kicker but rivered a straight to clinch the title.

Winnings, title significance and next steps

Palma's victory earned him $235,200 and his first PGT title. The event official designation was Event #2: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the Poker Masters presented on the PokerGO Tour. Images from the final table were credited to Antonio Abrego/PokerGO Tour.

Players and observers will now turn attention to the remainder of the Poker Masters schedule on the PokerGO Tour; the series remains a focal point for high-stakes No-Limit Hold'em competition and PGT ranking points. For event schedules and broader coverage see the events section and recent news on the tour.

Tactical notes from the final table

• The final table demonstrated the value of river discipline: Palma turned several river decisions into chips, including a rivered straight that decided a key three-handed hand.

• Heads-up play rewarded aggression when tied to accurate reads; Mateos countered with a measured approach but was unable to convert a late-chip surge into the title.

• Short-stack survival was limited: Seward's early exit after a big hand with Mateos set the tone for a final table where the pressure on marginal stacks was decisive.

Images courtesy of Antonio Abrego/PokerGO Tour.