Poker veteran Keith Lehr proved there’s still plenty of life in the old guard, coming from behind to win Event #8: $15,700 NLH at the 2026 Poker Masters for $277,200.
Lehr denied overnight chip leader Vitalijs Zavorotnijs his second title of the series after a fortunate river card brought a sudden end to their heads-up battle at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. Zavorotnijs had turned Broadway against Lehr’s top two pair, only for the American to river a full house and claim the trophy.
The result also kept Adrian Mateos at the top of the Poker Masters Purple Jacket standings. A win for Zavorotnijs would have moved him within five points of the Spaniard, while Justin Vaysman would have taken the outright lead with a victory. Instead, they finished second and third, respectively, leaving Mateos in control with two events remaining.
For Lehr, the victory was his second PokerGO Tour title and his first tournament win since 2024. The two-time WSOP bracelet winner, who captured gold in 2003 and 2015, has been competing at the highest levels of poker for more than two decades.
He’s also a seasoned high-stakes cash game player and sits atop Louisiana’s all-time money list. According to The Hendon Mob, his latest victory takes him past $6 million in career live tournament earnings.
Lehr has been playing poker longer than some of his opponents have been alive, but as he showed once again, he’s still more than capable of getting the better of the younger generation.
Event #8: $15,700 NLH Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keith Lehr | United States | $277,200 |
| 2 | Vitalijs Zavorotnijs | Latvia | $176,400 |
| 3 | Justin Vaysman | United States | $117,600 |
| 4 | Nicholas Seward | United States | $84,000 |
| 5 | Sam Soverel | United States | $67,200 |
| 6 | Nicholas Palma | United States | $50,400 |
| 7 | Daniyal Gheba | United States | $33,600 |
Final Table Action
Five players returned for the final day after Nicholas Palma was eliminated on the final hand of Day 1, and it was Sam Soverel who became the first casualty.
The 17-time PGT champion lost a sizeable chunk of his stack after paying off Vaysman’s Broadway. He briefly recovered with a double through Nicholas Seward, but his tournament ended when he ran king-queen into Lehr’s ace-king before the flop.
It was Soverel’s record 15th Poker Masters final table appearance, although he had to settle for fifth place and $67,200.
Seward, who had been shorter than Soverel when the latter was eliminated, managed to ladder up one spot before finding himself in trouble against Vaysman. In a blind-versus-blind confrontation, Seward called off his remaining chips with king-ten against Vaysman’s pocket aces.
The flop gave Seward top pair and a straight draw, but neither the turn nor river could save him, sending the bracelet winner out in fourth place for $84,000.
Vaysman Misses Chance to Take Purple Jacket Lead
With three players remaining, Vaysman had a golden opportunity to move ahead of Mateos in the Purple Jacket race, but it wasn’t the smoothest final day for the Event #6 champion.
Vaysman found himself on the wrong end of several decisions, paying off value bets while also folding to bluffs. His tournament eventually ended when he limp-jammed ace-six from the small blind for around 25 big blinds.
Zavorotnijs woke up with pocket tens, made the call, and held through the runout to eliminate Vaysman in third place for $117,600.
The Latvian entered heads-up play with almost a 2:1 chip advantage and looked well placed to become the first two-time winner of the 2026 Poker Masters.
A Brutal River Decides the Title
Zavorotnijs picked up a few small pots early in heads-up play, but the match quickly swung in Lehr’s favor.
The first all-in confrontation saw Lehr get his chips in with pocket kings against Zavorotnijs’ pocket fours. The kings held, giving Lehr the double-up and the chip lead.
Then in a three-bet pot, Zavorotnijs turned Broadway, putting him ahead of Lehr’s top two pair. All the chips went into the middle on the turn, leaving Lehr needing help on the river to avoid handing the lead straight back.
He got exactly that, improving to a full house on the final card to snatch the title away from Zavorotnijs.
It was a cruel ending for the Latvian, who had started the day as chip leader and came agonizingly close to another trophy. He collected $176,400 for his runner-up finish, while Lehr walked away with the $277,200 top prize from the $840,000 prize pool, generated by 56 entries.
2026 Poker Masters Purple Jacket Leaderboard
| Rank | Player | PGT Points | Cashes | Wins | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Mateos | 451 | 3 | 1 | $467,700 |
| 2 | Nicholas Palma | 407 | 4 | 1 | $424,400 |
| 3 | Vitalijs Zavorotnijs | 365 | 2 | 1 | $400,400 |
| 4 | Joey Weissman | 338 | 5 | 1 | $348,850 |
| 5 | Justin Vaysman | 325 | 3 | 1 | $348,600 |
| 6 | Jeremy Ausmus | 321 | 4 | 1 | $383,000 |
| 7 | Myles Mullaly | 295 | 4 | 1 | $300,900 |
| 8 | Keith Lehr | 265 | 2 | 1 | $319,700 |
| 9 | Daniyal Gheba | 243 | 4 | 0 | $249,850 |
| 10 | Sam Laskowitz | 193 | 4 | 0 | $192,600 |
Calum Grant
Senior Editor & Live Events Executive