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Nicholas Palma, widely known as Nicky P, has claimed his first PokerGO Tour title after defeating Adrian Mateos heads-up in Event #2: $10,500 NLH at the 2026 Poker Masters. The New Yorker topped a field of 84 entries at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, earning $235,200 for the win.

The final table saw plenty of swings before Palma emerged on top. David Coleman opened the action with a bold four-bet bluff against Michael Berk, while Nicholas Seward briefly took the chip lead after doubling with aces, only for Palma to double through Adrian Mateos with aces of his own soon after.

Seward’s run ended in third place after a series of costly pots, while Coleman fell in fourth when his queen-ten failed to catch up to Berk’s ace-ten. Berk went out in third, his queen-jack unable to beat Mateos’ ace-king, setting up the heads-up clash.

Palma and Mateos traded the lead throughout their duel. A key moment came when Palma trapped with ace-jack, inducing a shove from Mateos’ weaker ace to win a 9.4 million-chip pot. Mateos fought back with a couple of doubles, but Palma closed out the win.

Speaking after his victory, Palma credited his confidence and work ethic, saying he never doubted the outcome despite facing a player of Mateos’ caliber. He expressed ambitions to crack the top ten in Player of the Year standings and the top 20 of the Global Poker Index this year.

Palma dedicated the win to his family, citing personal losses earlier in life as motivation. He has already moved on to Event #3 of the Poker Masters, with hopes of adding the Purple Jacket to his collection.