Jim Mastorakos

Jim Mastorakos began his recorded tournament career in 2005, achieving immediate success at the Crown Victorian Poker Championship. He won the No Limit Hold'em shootout event for AU$4,779 and also took down the $550 No Limit Hold'em two-day event, earning AU$20,400. These early victories established him as a force in the Australian poker scene.

Mastorakos's most notable title came in the 2005 Victorian Poker Championship #1 $550 No Limit Hold'em event, where he outlasted a large field to claim the first-place prize of AU$20,400. He also won the No Limit Hold'em shootout at the same series, adding AU$4,779 to his portfolio. In 2007, he finished third in the APPT Sydney Poker Championship #3 Semi Shootout event, taking home AU$14,350.

Mastorakos regularly performed well at the Aussie Millions. In 2009, he finished 19th in the opening event ($1,100 buy-in) for AU$6,579 and 31st in the Feature Bounty event for AU$3,780. His best Aussie Millions result came in 2010 when he finished 8th in the opening event, earning AU$22,860. During Day 1b of that tournament, he was the chip leader after a key hand where his A♠Q♣ held against an opponent's QxJx on an A♥Q♥8♥ board, earning him a stack of 174,700.

Mastorakos also cashed in several other notable Australian events. He finished second in the PokerNews Cup 2007 Championship Event 1, winning AU$12,050. In 2008, he placed 19th in the PokerNews Cup Main Event (AU$7,380) and 16th in the Victorian Poker Championships Main Event (AU$10,710). He also cashed in the 2010 ANZPT Melbourne opening event (15th) and the Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series main event (30th).

Published hand histories from the 2010 Aussie Millions show that Mastorakos is willing to play big pots confidently. In the defining hand of Day 1b, he check-called large bets on the flop and turn with top two pair, then snap-called an all-in on the river. This suggests a solid, patient approach with the ability to extract maximum value when he has a strong hand.