Adrian Mateos finally has some hardware to show for one of the most grueling weeks of his career. The Spanish superstar won Event #5: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em at the 2026 Poker Masters in Las Vegas, topping a seven-handed final table to collect $229,500 from an $850,000 prize pool built by 85 entries. The victory also moves him into the lead of the Purple Jacket standings with five events still left to play, giving the Winamax ambassador a legitimate shot at the series title that has eluded him in previous years.
Three Bubbles Before the Breakthrough
The win capped an emotionally draining stretch for Mateos, who had bubbled three of the first four events on the Poker Masters schedule before this result, with a lone runner-up finish in Event #2 serving as his only payday of the series until Event #5. By his own count, Mateos has been grinding 11 or 12 hours a day at the tables, repeatedly building deep stacks only to fall just short of the money.
Rather than let the frustration affect his game, Mateos said he has leaned on a mindset built over a decade and a half as a touring professional. “I try not to focus too much on the results,” he told reporters after the win. “I focus only on the process and what I can control. I cannot control when I lose or win.” He added that he believes one of his biggest strengths after 14 or 15 years in the game is his ability to stay level through both upswings and downswings, a trait that was clearly on display during a week in which variance repeatedly worked against him before finally breaking in his favor.
Event #5 Final Table Results
Mateos entered the final day as chip leader and never relinquished control. Poker Hall of Famer Nick Schulman finished as the runner-up for $148,750, while American grinder Jeremy Becker took third for $106,250. The full payouts for the final table were as follows.
- 1st: Adrian Mateos (Spain) – $229,500
- 2nd: Nick Schulman (United States) – $148,750
- 3rd: Jeremy Becker (United States) – $106,250
- 4th: Robert French (United States) – $76,500
- 5th: Martin Zamani (United States) – $59,500
- 6th: Keith Lehr (United States) – $42,500
- 7th: Matthew Wantman (United States) – $34,000
How the Final Table Played Out
The two shortest stacks fell in quick succession to open the day. Matthew Wantman shoved queen-ten into Keith Lehr’s ace-ten and could not improve, while Lehr himself busted on the very next hand when his king-queen ran into Mateos’ dominant ace-queen. Martin Zamani was next to go, finding a brutal preflop cooler when his ace-queen collided with Jeremy Becker’s ace-king.
It took almost another hour before the field shrank to three. Robert French, in the midst of his best year on the live tournament circuit, committed his short stack with ace-king, only for Schulman to call with queen-nine and river a nine to send French home in fourth. That left Becker, Schulman and Mateos to play for the title, with Mateos applying pressure on Becker from the outset. The decisive hand saw Mateos raise from the small blind, with Becker calling bets through a board of ten-eight-three-ten-five. Facing a river shove with 1,425,000 behind, Becker made the call with king-eight for two pair, only to find Mateos holding ten-four for trip tens. Mateos then dispatched Schulman in heads-up play in just two hands, closing out the title with a commanding chip lead of more than 4:1.
Purple Jacket Race Heats Up
Winning Event #5 did more than erase a frustrating run of bubbles. It also pushed Mateos to the top of the Purple Jacket leaderboard, the season-long race that crowns the most consistent performer across the Poker Masters schedule. “Right now I think I’m leading, but there are a lot of tournaments. We’re only halfway through,” Mateos said. “Five more tournaments and I will try my best to keep cashing and try to win it.” Mateos has competed at the Poker Masters on multiple occasions in the past without ever mounting a serious Purple Jacket bid, and he was candid about what the chase means to him. “I love poker. I’m a big poker fan too, and titles are something that motivates me.”
True to that competitive streak, Mateos had no plans to rest on his breakthrough. With Event #6 already underway at the same venue, he confirmed he would be heading back to the tables after only a short break, hoping to build further on his newfound lead. For players who want to sharpen the preflop decisions that separate champions from bubble boys at buy-ins like this, Poker Pro Academy’s how to play poker guide breaks down the fundamentals that even seasoned professionals keep returning to under pressure.
Why This Result Matters
The Poker Masters has become one of the premier fixtures on the high-roller calendar precisely because of storylines like this one. A field stacked with the likes of Nick Schulman, Jeremy Becker and Robert French means every title carries weight, and Mateos’ ability to convert a brutal run of bubbles into a statement victory underscores why he remains one of the most respected tournament players of his generation. With five events remaining and the Purple Jacket now within reach, the rest of the Poker Masters field will be watching closely to see whether Mateos can turn one big week into a career-defining series.
