Ben Tollerene Wins Poker Masters Event #8: $25,200 No-Limit Hold'em For $510,000

Victoria Livschitz was the first elimination of the streamed final table. Livschitz started the day as the shortest stack and got it in slightly ahead of Aram Zobian in a prior pot that ended in a chop. However, she was unable to fade the ace-queen suited of von Kriegenbergh in the big blind after moving in with king-queen offsuit from late position. Both players paired their queen, but the superior kicker of von Kriegenbergh would play to eliminate Livschitz in seventh place. This was Livschitz's second final table and third cash of the series.  

Next to fall was Filipp Khavin. Khavin was not far behind Livschitz to start the day in chips and would continue to watch his stack dwindle until he found a hand good enough to move all in with. Khavin shipped in pocket fours from the big blind over the preflop raise of Sam Soverel, who called with king-queen suited. Soverel found a queen on the flop and was able to hold from there to elimnate Khavin in sixth. This was Khavin's second final table and third cash of the series and he took home more than $93,000 for the showing. 

Zobian was the fifth-place finisher after two very rough all-in-hands against von Kriegenbergh. In the first hand, the 2024 US Poker Open Champ three-bet all in with pocket tens from the big blind against von Kriegenbergh's late position open, with von Kriegenbergh making the call with two nines. A nine fell on the flop and Zobian was unable to catch back up, leaving him short-stacked. About a half hour later, Zobian moved all in with aces to get called again by von Kriegenbergh, this time with kings. Von Kriegenbergh was able to summon some type of black magic to crack the overpair of Zobian once more on a king-high run out and send him to the rail. This was also Zobian's second final table of the series and he collected his third cash for more than $127,000.

Soverel made his second final table of the series, matching his prior result in event number four. Soverel started the day as the third shortest stack, right behind Khavin, but was never quite able to remain above the million chip mark. Soverel got his short stack in with ten-eight suited against the ace-jack offsuit of Andrew Lichtenberger, but a brick run out sent him home in fourth place.   

Lichtenberger started the day as chip leader and at one point carried around a two-to-one lead over his next closest competitor. But, momentum would shift in a hand with Tollerene, where Tollerene turned the nut-flush against Lichtenberger’s top pair. Lichtenberger called a big river bet from Tollerene and the two swapped chip positions. Lichtenberger, Tollerene, and von Kriegenbergh would volley for a bit until a tough hand between Lichtenberger and Tollerene came up that would end Lichtenberger’s day. Lichtenberger raised the button with pocket aces and then called a three-bet from Tollerene in the big blind with pocket queens. Lichtenberger raised all in over Tollerene’s continuation bet on a king-ten-nine two-heart board and Tollerene called, holding the queen of hearts. Tollerene was able to spike a queen on the turn and hold to eliminate Lichtenberger in third. This was Lichtenberger's second cash of the series, and he collected nearly $230,000 for the podium finish.  

Tollerene took a roughly two-to-one chip lead into heads-up play but von Kriegenbergh would slowly chip away to close the gap. Then, in one hand, von Kriegenbergh picked off a big river overbet bluff from Tollerene with ace-high to make it two-to-one the other way. The two would get it all in shortly after when Tollerene shoved pocket sevens into the ace-king offsuit of von Kriegenbergh. Tollerene held to take around a three-to-one chip lead and then the two got it in a few hands later to end the tournament. Von Kriegenbergh raised the button with the king of diamonds and jack of hearts and Tollerene moved all in with ace-six of spades, getting the call from von Kriegenbergh. Von Kriegenbergh would flop huge on a queen-eight-three all-diamond board, but the turn and river both bricked to give Tollerene the title.