There was plenty of drama as the final players came to the felt for the finale to the 2025 Poker Masters, the $25,000 Main Event. Four men had a chance at taking the overall title for the festival and capturing the Purple Jacket, making the seven-handed final table critical to that outcome. In the end, Brandon Wilson rode his chip lead from the start of action to the title, while one of the combatants at the final table emerged as the Purple Jacket winner.
Wilson Dominant on Way to Championship
Wilson was the dominant player as the seven men returned on Thursday for the final table. His 3.195 million stack dwarfed everyone at the table, with second-place Dylan Linde (1.325 million) and Doug Lee (1.3 million) looking to move up to challenge. David Coleman (1.19 million), Jason Koon (1.065 million), and Nick Schulman (1.045 million) were dangerous yet, but the short stack of David Chen (330K) was going to need a LOT of help if he were to get into contention.
Chen knew he had to get something going, but the cards would not cooperate. He was able to check down a board of 5-2-8-4-3 against Wilson, only to see Wilson turn up A-4 for the Wheel to leave Chen with a singular 5000 chip. That would go into the stack of Coleman after he paired his Jack to top Chen’s flopped pair of eights, sending Chen out in seventh place.
Coleman continued his rise on the leaderboard by doubling through Jason Koon to leave Koon on the short stack; he would fall in sixth place to Lee when Lee’s pocket Jacks stood tall against Koon’s pocket sevens. Once Lee took out Schulman in fifth place after flopping a set of fives, action was down to four players…and rather quickly.
Linde never seemed to garner any momentum during the day’s play, with Wilson in particular serving as a foil. Wilson would reduce the stack of Linde to only 10K through a constant barrage of pressure. Coleman would earn those last chips, but he was still facing an uphill climb if he were to defeat both Wilson and Lee.
It was a spirited battle over a couple of hours, but Lee would eventually succumb to the two larger stacks on the table. He would move all in with a K♦ 9♦, and Wilson chose to look him up from the small blind with an A-7. A King on the flop was a welcome sight for Lee, but the Queen on the turn opened some doors to Wilson for the Broadway straight. That very card would hit the river, a J♦, that completed Wilson’s straight potential and ended Lee’s excellent run at the 2025 Poker Masters in third place.
With a 2:1 lead, Wilson and Coleman quickly came to a deal, ensuring Wilson the lion’s share of the remaining prize pool ($395,000) and Coleman booking a minimum $355,000. The duo left the Main Event trophy and $69,000 for the eventual champion to take home.
With the particulars worked out, it took Wilson about thirty minutes to bring the tournament to a close. On the last hand, Wilson limped in and Coleman checked to see a Q-10-4 flop. Coleman check-called a bet from Wilson, and a King on the turn saw both men slow down with checks. On the river eight, Coleman surprisingly came out firing for 350,000. Wilson wasn’t daunted, however, moving all in. Coleman made the call, and Wilson showed a Q-10 for a flopped two pair, defeating Coleman’s turned pair of Kings and a missed flush draw, to capture the Main Event championship for the 2025 Poker Masters.
1. Brandon Wilson, $464,000 (302 Poker Masters points)
2. David Coleman, $355,000 (189)
3. Doug Lee, $220,500 (132)
4. Dylan Linde, $157,500 (95)
5. Nick Schulman, $118,100 (71)
6. Jason Koon, $86,600 (52)
7. David Chen, $63,000 (38)
Purple Looks Good on David Coleman
When the $25,000 Main Event final table began on Thursday, four men had a chance at taking home the coveted Purple Jacket, signifying the overall champion of the series. Leading at the start was Alex Foxen, who failed to add to his 429 points by finishing short of the money. Three players at the final table, David Chen, Doug Lee, and David Coleman, all had a chance to pass Foxen, but Chen needed to win, Lee needed to finish second, and Coleman had to last at least until third to snatch the Purple Jacket.
Chen’s departure in seventh place ended his chance at the overall title, and Lee’s outstanding work during the 2025 Poker Masters (four cashes from the ten tournaments for over $462K in winnings) also would come up short with his third-place run. Coleman, however, was able to meet the challenge of Foxen and passed him with his runner-up finish in the Main Event, securing the overall title and the Purple Jacket for 2025.
1. David Coleman, 492 points ($657,700 in earnings)*
2. Alex Foxen, 429 points ($468,000)*
3. Doug Lee, 374 points ($462,500)
4. David ‘Chino’ Rheem, 342 points ($367,300)*
5. Mitchell Halverson, 330 points ($329,800)
6. Cary Katz, 313 points ($329,450)*
7. Stephen Song, 302 points ($301,250)
(tie) Brandon Wilson, 302 points ($464,000)*
9. Darren Elias, 280 points ($280,000)*
10. Andrew Moreno, 265 points ($265,000)*
(* – indicates 2025 Poker Masters tournament winner)
(Photo courtesy of PokerGO)