Craig Mason Wins First Live Title at PGT Venetian Las Vegas Classic
Table Of Contents
The final $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller event of the 2025 PGT Venetian Las Vegas Classic drew a competitive field of 49 entries, generating a prize pool of $245,000. Craig Mason captured his first-ever live tournament victory, despite already having over $2.7 million in career poker earnings, according to HendonMob. Mason navigated a tough field and mount an incredible come back in heads-up play, to defeat Andrew Lichtenberger and claim the $85,750 first-place prize and 86 PGT points.
Full $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize | PGT Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Craig Mason | United States | $85,750 | 86 |
| 2nd | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | $53,900 | 54 |
| 3rd | Joao Simao | Brazil | $35,525 | 36 |
| 4th | Landon Tice | United States | $25,725 | 26 |
| 5th | Bob Buckenmayer | United States | $19,600 | 20 |
| 6th | Shannon Shorr | United States | $14,700 | 15 |
| 7th | Jim Collopy | United States | $9,800 | 10 |
Livschitz Burst the Bubble
With only seven players making the money, and eight remaining, Victoria Livschitz shoved her short stack of 235,000 all-in from the button with J♦9♦, and Lichtenberger called from the small blind holding 6♠6♥. Finding herself in a flip, the board ran out 7♥4♦10♠K♣K♠, and Livschitz was eliminated, bursting the bubble.
Top Pros Fall Short
Once in the money, it was the two players who would meet heads-up, Mason and Lichtenberger, doing the heavy lifting. The eventual champion sent out high-stakes regular Jim Collopy in seventh when his pocket tens couldn’t hold against Mason’s A♣Q♦.
Lichtenberger then finished off poker pro Shannon Shorr, who correctly called off a three-bet for his stack of 460,000 with A♣8♠ on a 8♦2♥3♠ flop against Lichtenberger’s A♥Q♠. A safe 5♥ on the turn kept Shorr in front, but the Q♠ on the river gave Lichtenberger the best hand, sending Shorr to the rail in sixth.
Mason continued his run good, taking out Bob Buckenmayer in fifth when his K♠K♥ held against Buckenmayer’s 7♥7♠, and then Landon Tice in fourth after Mason’s A♣J♦ also held after dominating Tice’s J♥9♥.
Then Lichtenberger set up the heads-up match with Mason, when on the river of a 9♠5♥9♣10♣2♦ board, Lichtenberger bet 80,000 from the small blind, and Joao Simao raised to 315,000 from the big blind. Lichtenberger quickly three-bet all in, and Simao took a moment to consider before calling all in for approximately 555,000. Lichtenberger tabled 9♥5♠ for a flopped full house, and Simao’s cards went into the muck as he was eliminated in third place.
Mason Makes Incredible Comeback
The knockout of Joao Simao in third gave Lichtenberger a slight chip lead, which he extended early in heads-up play. Mason called Lichtenberger’s river raise on a J♥4♠4♥3♥9♠ board after checking to the river in a limped pot. Lichtenberger tabled A♦9♣ which was good, giving him the pot and further building his advantage.
After Lichtenberger extended his lead even further, Mason found himself nearly on the brink of elimination, calling an all-in with 9♦6♣ against Lichtenberger’s Q♠6♦, a dominating hand. However, when the board ran out 4♦A♦5♣8♠7♦, Mason hit a straight on the river, staying alive and keeping the heads-up match going.
Miraculously, Mason then quickly found two more double-ups before holding with pocket sixes against Lichtenberger’s Ace-King to take the lead. Once Mason extended his advantage even further, he and Lichtenberger found themselves all-in again, but this time it was “Chewy” at risk. Mason’s pocket sevens held up against Lichtenberger’s sixes, securing the victory and the $85,750 first-place prize, along with 86 PGT points, marking his first-ever live tournament title.
