Mason now has almost $2.8 million in live poker tournament earnings
Craig Mason, a familiar name in high-stakes poker, finally secured his first live tournament title at the 2025 PGT Venetian Las Vegas Classic. The $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller attracted 49 entries and built a $245,000 prize pool. Mason, who already had more than $2.7 million in live earnings according to HendonMob, added $85,750 to his career total after a dramatic comeback heads-up victory over Andrew Lichtenberger.
The tournament paid seven players, with Victoria Livschitz the unfortunate bubble. Her shove with jack-nine suited ran into Lichtenberger’s pocket sixes, and when the board bricked, she exited in eighth place. Once in the money, it was Mason and Lichtenberger who began shaping the final table. Mason knocked out Jim Collopy in seventh with ace-queen overcoming pocket tens, while Lichtenberger sent Shannon Shorr to the rail in sixth after rivering top pair against Shorr’s middle pair.
Mason’s momentum grew as he eliminated Bob Buckenmayer in fifth with kings holding against sevens, and later Landon Tice in fourth after ace-jack dominated jack-nine. The field then narrowed further when Lichtenberger busted Joao Simao in third with a flopped full house, setting up a duel between the two chip leaders.
Heads-up play initially favored Lichtenberger, who extended his lead through steady pressure. At one point, Mason was close to elimination, dominated with nine-six against Lichtenberger’s queen-six. A rivered straight, however, flipped the script. Mason doubled, then doubled again, and eventually overtook the lead. The final hand saw Mason’s pocket sevens hold against Lichtenberger’s sixes, sealing his first live victory after years of near misses.
The win also earned Mason 86 PGT points and a measure of redemption, proving persistence pays off even for seasoned professionals. For the man who had long been known for deep runs without a trophy, Las Vegas provided the breakthrough moment he had been chasing.
