Justin Vaysman had 20,000 chips left with five players remaining in Poker Masters Event #6. The blinds were 40,000/80,000, meaning his stack was worth exactly a quarter of a big blind.
Most players would already be thinking about the walk to the payout desk, but Vaysman was about to test one of poker’s oldest sayings: a chip and a chair.
The American survived, rebuilt and eventually beat Sean Winter heads-up to win $192,000 and his first PokerGO Tour title on October 19. There were lucky all-ins, a vital three-way pot and a second-pair call against a river shove. The win was not simply a succession of hands going his way.
Poker Masters Event #6: Key Details
- Tournament: 2026 Poker Masters Event #6, No-Limit Hold’em
- Buy-in: $10,500
- Dates: October 17–19, 2026
- Location: PokerGO Studio, Las Vegas
- Entries: 64
- Prize pool: $640,000
- Places paid: 10
- Champion: Justin Vaysman, $192,000 and 192 PGT points
From Third in Chips to Almost Nothing
Vaysman had already played a part in one of the stranger narratives of this Poker Masters series. With 12 players remaining and 10 paid, he knocked out Adrian Mateos and Robert Chorlian in the same hand. It was Mateos’s fourth stone-bubble finish in six events, remarkable considering his $229,500 Poker Masters victory in Event #5.
Vaysman returned for Monday’s final seven third in chips, behind Winter and Victoria Livschitz. Livschitz quickly removed Sam Laskowitz and Joey Weissman, bringing the field down to five. Then Winter very nearly finished Vaysman off.
Winter raised to 660,000 from the small blind with eight-seven, and Vaysman called holding ace-nine, leaving only 20,000 behind. Both checked the queen-ten-six-five-seven board all the way down. Winter’s rivered pair of sevens won the pot, leaving Vaysman with a stack too small even to cover the next big blind ante.
Vaysman later told PokerNews: “Kind of feels like you’re freerolling more than anything at that point.” There was no opportunity for a clever reshove with 0.25 big blinds; he needed to get chips in and hope.
Three All-Ins Change the Picture
Vaysman won three consecutive all-ins to climb back to about 400,000, or five big blinds. It was a modest stack, but at least he was back in the game. Tony Gregg then went out fifth in painful fashion after flopping a set of jacks against Winter, who made a runner-runner club flush.
Four-handed, Vaysman picked up A♣9♣ in a three-way all-in against Brandon Wilson’s A♥K♠ and Winter’s K♣3♥. Wilson had him dominated, but the 8♦-6♣-5♦-7♣-7♦ board gave Vaysman a nine-high straight. He tripled to around 2.05 million, an extraordinary turnaround from his earlier 20,000.
Wilson was soon out in fourth for $64,000, while Livschitz collected $86,400 for third after running king-jack into Winter’s pocket kings. Vaysman had made heads-up, but Winter began with approximately 60 big blinds to his 19. Surviving was one thing; beating one of the PGT’s most accomplished regulars was another.
Second Pair Beats a River Bluff
Vaysman played his way back into contention and doubled with ace-seven against queen-six suited. The critical confrontation came on an A-K-9-Q-2 board. Holding K-6, Vaysman called Winter on the flop, turn and river, including a river shove. Winter showed T-6 for ten-high, and Vaysman’s second pair was enough to seize the lead.
The last hand came on a T♦-9♦-7♣ flop. Vaysman held T♠9♥ for top two pair against Winter’s J♦3♦, which had a flush draw and gutshot. Winter check-raised the flop and shoved the K♥ turn. Vaysman called, the T♥ river made him a full house, and the comeback was complete.
Winter earned $124,800 for second and strengthened his season-long PGT points lead. Vaysman left with the trophy, $192,000 and a story that will take some beating.
Poker Masters Event #6 Final Results
| Place | Player | Prize | PGT points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Vaysman | $192,000 | 192 |
| 2 | Sean Winter | $124,800 | 125 |
| 3 | Victoria Livschitz | $86,400 | 86 |
| 4 | Brandon Wilson | $64,000 | 64 |
| 5 | Tony Gregg | $48,000 | 48 |
| 6 | Joey Weissman | $35,200 | 35 |
| 7 | Sam Laskowitz | $25,600 | 26 |
| 8 | Cherish Andrews | $25,600 | 26 |
| 9 | Andrew Lichtenberger | $19,200 | 19 |
| 10 | Michael Berk | $19,200 | 19 |
What Does “A Chip and a Chair” Mean?
The expression is closely associated with Jack “Treetop” Straus and his remarkable 1982 World Series of Poker Main Event victory. The story goes that Straus lost a huge pot, thought he had been eliminated and was ready to leave when he discovered one $500 chip that had not gone into the middle. Because he had not announced himself all-in, he was allowed to continue.
In the best-known version, the chip had been hidden under a napkin, although historical retellings differ on precisely where it was found. What is established is that Straus recovered to beat Dewey Tomko and collect the $520,000 first prize. The WSOP’s historical account credits his victory with popularizing the “a chip and a chair” saying.
There is a technical difference between the two stories. Straus had one physical chip, while Vaysman had a stack worth exactly one-quarter of a big blind. But the appeal is identical: you are not out of a tournament until you have lost your last chip.
Other Comebacks Poker Type Has Covered
Vaysman has company in the improbable-survival department. At the WSOP Circuit Austin Main Event in September, Eric Chang recovered from one big blind twice before winning $433,670 in a record 2,090-entry tournament. Chang had also returned for Day 2 almost at the bottom of the counts, making his route to the title anything but comfortable.
At Triton Jeju, João Simão went from two big blinds to $7.25 million after reaching the money in the $200,000 Invitational. It was a much larger payday, although Vaysman’s quarter-blind predicament was more severe in terms of immediate stack size. The comparisons are a reminder that stack depth, stage of tournament and the next few deals can combine to produce remarkable results.
A Purple Jacket Chance for Vaysman
Vaysman arrived sporting a BetMGM Poker cap and plenty of tournament credentials, including three WSOP bracelets and a $350,000 payday for 25th in the 2024 WSOP Main Event. This was his first PokerGO Tour title, however, and the $192,000 cash took him to fifth in the Poker Masters Purple Jacket standings on 231 points. Mateos leads with 381.
The series runs through October 23, and the overall winner receives the Purple Jacket plus a $25,000 PGT Passport. Vaysman has a reason to keep turning up, and after escaping from a quarter of a big blind he can hardly complain about the size of his stack in the next event.
Sources: PokerGO Tour’s official result and recap, PokerNews’s winner interview and the World Series of Poker’s historical archive.
