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Event #1: $10,500 NLH
Day 1 Completed
2026 Poker Masters
Event #1: $10,500 NLH
Day: 1
Players Left 6 / 78
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Final Table
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Day 1 of Event #1: $10,500 NLH at the 2026 Poker Masters in Las Vegas wrapped up late Monday evening with just six players remaining as Michael Rossitto bagged the chip lead with a stack of 3,300,000.
The pro with $5.5 million in live earnings leads fellow young American pros Myles Mullaly and Sam Laskowitz, who both bagged two-million-plus stacks, while Justin Zaki, Daniyal Gheba and Justin Vaysman all bagged sub-million stacks.
Event #1: $10,500 NLH Day 1 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Rossitto | United States | 3,300,000 | 83 |
| 2 | Myles Mullaly | United States | 2,445,000 | 61 |
| 3 | Sam Laskowitz | United States | 2,155,000 | 54 |
| 4 | Justin Zaki | United States | 955,000 | 24 |
| 5 | Daniyal Gheba | United States | 585,000 | 15 |
| 6 | Justin Vaysman | United States | 310,000 | 8 |
Mayfair Club Vibes
There were most of the regulars in the PokerGO Studio on Monday — high-stakes pros like Sean Winter, Brock Wilson, and David Coleman — but there were also a few poker legends who gave the Studio a different vibe.
It looked a bit like the Mayfair Club today as Steve Zolotow and Erik Seidel, two poker legends who were regulars in the fabled New York City card club, played Day 1, with Zolotow faring better than his ten-time bracelet winning counter part but still falling ahead of the money.
Though Seidel had no luck on the felt today, he's ran deep in other events this month. Last week, the Poker Hall of Famer finished second in his first backgammon tournament in over 40 years.
Later, the Studio vibes shifted to sports bar as Lonis, Winter and others loudly sweated the overtime NFL match between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills.
"This is the most rigged sh** I've seen in my life!" Winter said before falling a few spots off the money.
The money bubble burst in gruesome fashion as Adrian Mateos had aces cracked by Craig Mason, who flopped a set of nines to send the Spanish crusher out in 13th place. Mateos will have to grow his lead on the 2026 GPI Money List in another event.
Mason would later be the first out at the final table as his king-queen couldn't hold up against the king-seven suited of Laskowitz, who made a flush to send Mason out in seventh place.
Day 2 will get underway at noon local time on Level 18 with blinds of 25,000/50,000/50,000, while the PokerGO stream will start at 1 p.m. PokerNews will report on a delay alongside the stream to avoid any spoilers.
Each returning player is guaranteed at least $39,000, while the trophy and top prize of $218,400 await the eventual champion.
Final Table Payouts
| Position | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $218,400 |
| 2 | $140,400 |
| 3 | $101,400 |
| 4 | $74,100 |
| 5 | $54,600 |
| 6 | $39,000 |
Stay tuned as PokerNews will be back on site tomorrow to see out Event #1 at the Poker Masters. Check out the live reporting hub in the meantime.
*Photos courtesy of PokerGO
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Day 1 has ended with six players remaining.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the day's action.
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Three more hands will be played this level before players bag for the evening.
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Short stack Craig Mason was all in for 250,000 in the small blind against Sam Laskowitz in the cutoff.
Craig Mason: K♦Q♣ 
Sam Laskowitz: K♣7♣
Mason had his opponent dominated, but the flop landed 10♣5♣A♦ to give Laskowitz a flush draw before the board finished out A♣5♥ to give him the flush and mark Mason's elimination in seventh place.
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniyal Gheba | United States | 630,000 | 16 |
| 2 | Myles Mullaly | United States | 2,070,000 | 52 |
| 3 | Justin Zaki | United States | 1,100,000 | 28 |
| 4 | Michael Rossitto | United States | 3,200,000 | 80 |
| 5 | Sam Laskowitz | United States | 1,600,000 | 40 |
| 6 | Justin Vaysman | United States | 920,000 | 23 |
| 7 | Craig Mason | United States | 400,000 | 10 |
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Myles Mullaly raised on the button and Sam Laskowitz three-bet jammed in the small blind.
Joao Simao then jammed in the big blind with less and Mullaly got out of the way.
Joao Simao: 9♦9♣
Sam Laskowitz: Q♣J♣
The flop of J♠10♠2♥ put Laskowitz in front before the board finished out 8♠A♠ to mark Simao's elimination ahead of the unofficial final table.
Level 17
: 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Michael Berk was all in for 775,000 in the small blind against Justin Zaki in the big blind.
Michael Berk: Q♠8♠
Justin Zaki: A♠8♥
Berk was dominated and couldn't improve as the board ran out 7♦10♠4♦2♥J♦ to mark his elimination in ninth place.
Level: 17
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 40,000
