Craig Mason won his first live title at the PGT Venetian Las Vegas Classic

Craig Mason scored his first offline poker victory by winning the PGT Venetian Las Vegas Classic 2025 high roller tournament and the top prize of $85,750.

Craig Mason claimed his first live tournament victory by winning the final high roller event of the PGT Venetian Las Vegas Classic 2025 with a $5,100 buy-in. Despite an impressive career total of over $2.7 million in winnings, this title marks Mason’s debut win in live poker. In the final, he pulled off an impressive comeback in heads-up play against the experienced Andrew Lichtenberger, taking home the top prize of $85,750 and 86 PGT points. PGT Venetian Las Vegas Classic: Tournament and Participants The final high roller event of the PGT Venetian Las Vegas Classic 2025 took place in Las Vegas and attracted 49 entrants, each paying a $5,100 buy-in. The total prize pool reached $245,000. The tournament featured both well-known professionals and regular high-stakes players, ensuring a high level of competition at the final table. According to HendonMob, Craig Mason already had over $2.7 million in live poker winnings before this event, but had never managed to win a live tournament. The victory at the PGT Venetian became his long-awaited first title. Final Table Payouts $5,100 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller 1st place: Craig Mason — $85,750 (86 PGT points) 2nd place: Andrew Lichtenberger — $56,350 3rd place: Joao Simao — $39,200 4th place: Landon Tice — $29,400 5th place: Bob Buckenmayer — $22,050 6th place: Shannon Shorr — $17,150 7th place: Jim Collopy — $14,100 Bubble: Viktoria Livshits Busts in Eighth Place Only the top seven players made the money, and Viktoria Livshits found herself on the bubble. Left with a short stack of 235,000, she went all-in from the button with J♦9♦ . Andrew Lichtenberger called from the small blind with pocket sixes 6♠6♥ . The flop created a classic “coinflip” situation, but the board 7♥4♦10♠K♣K♠ didn’t improve Livshits’ hand, making her the last player to leave the tournament empty-handed. Road to Heads-Up: Key Final Table Hands After the bubble burst, the battle for the payouts became especially intense. The eventual finalists—Craig Mason and Andrew Lichtenberger—took the lead in eliminating their opponents. 7th place — Jim Collopy: Collopy was all-in with pocket tens against Mason’s A♣Q♦ , and the board favored Mason. 6th place — Shannon Shorr: Shorr made a correct call on the 8♦2♥3♠ flop with A♣8♠ against Lichtenberger’s three-bet holding A♥Q♠ . The turn 5♥ changed nothing, but the river Q♠ gave Lichtenberger top pair and eliminated Shorr. 5th place — Bob Buckenmayer: Mason’s pocket kings K♠K♥ held up against Buckenmayer’s sevens 7♥7♠ . 4th place — Landon Tice: In this hand, Mason’s A♣J♦ dominated Tice’s J♥9♥ for another knockout. 3rd place — Joao Simao: Key moment: on a 9♠5♥9♣10♣2♦ board, Lichtenberger bet 80,000 from the small blind, Simao raised to 315,000 from the big blind. Lichtenberger quickly shoved all-in, Simao tanked and called off his remaining 555,000. Lichtenberger showed 9♥5♠ (flopped full house), and Simao mucked—finishing in third place. Heads-Up: Craig Mason’s Incredible Comeback Entering heads-up, Andrew Lichtenberger had the chip lead, which he quickly extended. In one of the first big pots, Mason called Lichtenberger’s river raise on a J♥4♠4♥3♥9♠ board after a limped preflop. Lichtenberger revealed A♦9♣ and took the pot, widening the gap even further. Next, Mason was on the brink of elimination: he called an all-in with 9♦6♣ against Lichtenberger’s Q♠6♦ . On the 4♦A♦5♣8♠7♦ board, Mason hit a straight on the river, keeping his hopes alive. After that, Mason doubled up twice in a row, then held with pocket sixes against Lichtenberger’s A-K to take the chip lead. In the decisive hand, both players went all-in: Mason had pocket sevens, Lichtenberger had sixes. The sevens held, and Craig Mason became the champion, earning $85,750 and 86 PGT points. This is Mason’s first live tournament win. Tournament Table and Payouts Place Player Prize PGT Points 1 Craig Mason $85,750 86 2 Andrew Lichtenberger $56,350 - 3 Joao Simao $39,200 - 4 Landon Tice $29,400 - 5 Bob Buckenmayer $22,050 - 6 Shannon Shorr $17,150 - 7 Jim Collopy $14,100 - Brief Overview of Key Terms and Tournament Format No-Limit Hold'em: The most popular form of poker, where players can bet any amount of chips at any point in the hand. High Roller: A tournament with a high buy-in, designed for professionals and players willing to risk large sums. Bubble: The stage of the tournament when only one elimination remains before the money—whoever busts next leaves with no payout. Heads-up: The final stage of the tournament, when only two players remain to play for the top prize. Double-up: A situation where a player wins an all-in and doubles their stack. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, this news is a great example of how even experienced players with large winnings may have a long journey to their first live title. It highlights the importance of perseverance and constant improvement: even if you’ve already succeeded in online tournaments or cash games, live poker requires special skills and mental resilience. The key final table hands clearly show how crucial good decisions are on the bubble and in heads-up play. Knowing when to go all-in, staying focused, and making the most of even slim chances to double up—all of this can lead to victory, even against tough opponents. By analyzing such tournaments, PPPoker players can adopt pro strategies and use them in club games. Additionally, taking part in regular club tournaments on the PPPoker platform helps you gain experience making decisions under pressure, which is vital for success in live series. Stay tuned for updates, study hands from top players, and keep improving your game with PPPoker clubs!