Nicky P Palma Beats Adrian Mateos to Win 2026 Poker Masters Event #2

Nicholas “Nicky P” Palma at a poker table with stacks of chips, following his victory over Adrian Mateos in 2026 Poker Masters Event #2.

Key Details

Nicholas “Nicky P” Palma won 2026 Poker Masters Event #2 ($10,500 No-Limit Hold’em) for $235,200 and his first PokerGO Tour title.
He beat six-time WSOP bracelet winner Adrian Mateos heads-up at PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas on October 14.
Palma’s payout was the largest of the series at the time, and he has the Purple Jacket in his sights.

New Yorker Nicholas “Nicky P” Palma won 2026 Poker Masters Event #2: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em on Wednesday, October 14, beating Adrian Mateos heads-up at PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. The win paid $235,200 and gave Palma his first PokerGO Tour (PGT) title. It isn’t the biggest payday of his career, but Palma called it the most important.

The 37-year-old started the final day second in chips behind Mateos, a six-time WSOP bracelet winner. He finished it with the trophy, a Scarface T-shirt and a clear message about what comes next.

How the Poker Masters Event #2 Final Table Played Out

The event drew 84 entries and generated an $840,000 prize pool. Five players returned for the final day, and Palma lost and regained chips in key all-ins. Nicholas Seward doubled through Palma in a pocket aces versus ace-king clash. Palma recovered soon after, doubling through Mateos with pocket aces.

David Coleman produced the boldest play of the day. He four-bet bluffed on the flop with seven-high, meaning he re-raised a re-raise with almost nothing, and Michael Berk folded ace-king. Coleman later fell in fourth when his queen-ten lost to Berk’s ace-ten. Three-handed, Berk turned two pair into a bluff with a river raise. Palma held the nuts, the best possible hand, and moved all in. Berk folded, then shoved 17 big blinds with queen-jack into Mateos’ ace-king and went out in third.

Palma Closes Out Mateos Heads-Up

Mateos doubled up with aces against Palma’s sixes. The match turned when Palma trapped with ace-jack, playing it passively to invite aggression. Mateos shoved a weaker ace, and Palma scooped a 9.4 million chip pot.

Mateos didn’t go quietly. He doubled twice while short-stacked before Palma finally closed it out.

Palma’s $235,200 topped Myles Mullaly’s $218,400 prize for winning the series opener, making it the largest payout of the 2026 Poker Masters at the time. Here’s how the final table paid out:

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1st	Nicholas Palma	United States	$235,200
2nd	Adrian Mateos	Spain	$151,200
3rd	Michael Berk	United States	$109,200
4th	David Coleman	United States	$79,800
5th	Nicholas Seward	United States	$58,600
6th	Christopher Par	United States	$42,000
7th	Sam Laskowitz	United States	$33,600

A New Yorker Who Comes “From Nothing”

Palma sat down for heads-up against a six-time bracelet winner with full confidence in his own game. “He’s obviously a legend, but I’m a great player in my own right,” Palma said. This time, he was determined to finish the job. “They weren’t going to take it from me this time,” he added.

His drive is personal. “One, I’m a New Yorker, and two, I just come from nothing,” he said. “I lost a lot of my family when I was younger, and I just want to have my family name live on forever.” Palma used his winner’s moment to thank the people in his corner. “I want to say I love you to my mom Rosemary and my nephew Bobby, and thank you to everyone who roots for me.”

Palma’s Purple Jacket Plan and Long-Term Goals

One title isn’t enough for Palma. He has a specific target for the rest of the Poker Masters. “I plan on winning another tournament, getting another top two or three, and I plan on wearing the jacket.” He already knows how he’d celebrate. “I’ll go to the bar one time with it. Only one time, though.”

His goals stretch beyond this series. Palma wants to finish 2026 in the top ten of the Player of the Year race. He also aims to break into the top 20 of the Global Poker Index rankings. Longer term, he’s thinking in decades. “I plan on being a top 10 player in this game for the next 10 to 15 years,” he said, describing a routine of “I just play poker, sleep, play poker and sleep.” True to that, he went straight into Event #3, a $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em tournament already underway.

Online Poker Options in New York and Nevada

Palma’s résumé already includes online success. His first WSOP bracelet came online in October 2025 in a $2,000 progressive knockout event. Where you live decides whether you can follow that route legally. In Palma’s home state, there’s no legal, regulated online poker in 2026, as our New York poker law guide explains.

Nevada works differently. WSOP Online offers regulated real-money online poker in the state. Our Nevada poker law guide covers the details, and our WSOP hub covers the brand’s live and online events.

Palma Continues His Purple Jacket Pursuit

With his first PGT title secured, Palma wasted little time returning to the tables, entering Event #3 as he continued his pursuit of the Purple Jacket.

For US players watching from home, his story is also a reminder to check local laws before playing online. A New York player and a Nevada player have very different legal options.

Sandra is a content writer and editor specializing in online poker and iGaming. She covers poker sites, game formats, industry news, and US online poker laws for Legal US Poker Sites.