Lichtenberger Wins PokerGO Cup Finale, But Wilson’s Double Propels Him to Leaderboard Glory

PokerGO Cup returns to Las Vegas

The PokerGO Cup has become one of the pillars of the Las Vegas high-stakes tournament calendar, drawing elite professionals and ambitious newcomers to the PokerGO Studio in the Aria Casino. Across ten events with escalating buy-ins, the series delivered a range of storylines. A dream start from an unexpected champion opened the festival, while seasoned regulars quickly reasserted themselves in the events that followed.

combination of small, stacked fields and compact structures rewards consistency

Multiple repeat winners emerged as the competition intensified, turning the prestigious series leaderboard into a battle of momentum and endurance. The combination of small, stacked fields and compact structures rewards consistency and, as the schedule progressed, a handful of players separated themselves with deep runs and victories.

Brock Wilson, Filipp Khavin, and several other high-roller regulars repeatedly found themselves in the mix at the business end of the tournaments. Meanwhile, dramatic comebacks and some unlikely runs added texture to the narrative. By the time the $15,000 Main Event arrived, the PokerGO Cup had already delivered plenty of excitement and intrigue, but a dazzling performance gave the series a barnstorming denouement.

Event #1: Stephens hits big

The 2026 PokerGO Cup began with a newcomer chasing a dream. Event #1, the $3,000 PokerGO Cup Showcase, drew 215 runners across two starting flights and generated a tasty $645,000 prize pool. When the dust settled, Utah’s Kent Stephens stood alone with the trophy and $130,000, more than ten times his previous lifetime tournament earnings.

When 31 players returned for Day 2 already in the money, there were bust outs galore. Satellite qualifier Adam Bonilla was running hot and parlayed his ticket to a 10^th place finish and a career best $19,000 score. The final table eventually boiled down to a heads-up match between Stephens and Myles Mullaly. The latter began with a commanding chip lead, but Stephens stayed patient as momentum shifted back and forth. In the final confrontation, Stephens’ pocket threes held against Mullaly’s 9-8 to win him the title.

Event #1 – $3,000 PokerGO Cup Showcase Final Table

1. Kent Stephens — $130,000
2. Myles Mullaly — $85,000
3. Daniyal Gheba — $61,000
4. Sandeep Koralla — $48,000
5. Natalie Ferguson — $38,000
6. Jim Collopy — $31,000
7. Aaron Messmer — $25,000

Event #2: Khavin arrives on no sleep

If the theme of the opening event was new faces, then Event #2 returned the narrative to the familiar ecosystem of high-stakes professionals. The $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em tournament brought together a tighter field of regulars, for whom the PokerGO Studio is a second office. By the end of the day, it was Filipp Khavin who claimed the title, defeating top pro Jesse Lonis heads-up to earn $124,525 and his first PokerGO Tour victory.

Khavin’s triumph came with a funny backstory. He had arrived in Las Vegas exhausted from travel and registered almost on a whim. Being weary and bleary-eyed rarely helps decision-making at the tables but Khavin overcame his fatigue, navigating his way through the field with a calm clarity. Despite his excellent resume, it was his first live tournament victory, and he wouldn’t have to wait long to be in the winner’s enclosure again.

Event #2 – $5,000 NLH Single-Day Final Table

1. Filipp Khavin — $124,525*
2. Jesse Lonis — $105,800*
3. Drake Kemper — $63,825
4. David Kim — $49,950
5. Jon-Michael Gisler — $36,075
6. Nicholas Seward — $27,750
7. Dylan Linde — $22,200

*Heads-up deal

Event #3: Saliba gets it done

Justin Saliba worked his way through a field of 86 entries in Event #3 to secure the trophy and $96,400 after some heads-up business. It was his third PokerGO Tour title, reinforcing his reputation as one of the circuit’s most reliable performers. He did an ICM deal with 2025 WSOP Millionaire Maker runner-up James Carroll.

Saliba started heads-up behind, but quickly doubled into a commanding chip lead, his A♣️J♠️ holding versus Carroll’s Q♠️J♦️. Within minutes, the two players were all-in again, but this time it was Saliba who was dominated. However, his Q♠️5♠️ spiked a Queen on the flop versus Carroll’s K♠️5♣️ and that was all she wrote.

Event #3 – $5,000 NLH Single-Day Final Table

1. Justin Saliba — $96,400*
2. James Carroll — $94,950*
3. Sam Laskowitz — $53,750
4. Timothy Capretta — $38,700
5. Chino Rheem — $30,100
6. Jeremy Ausmus — $21,500
7. Eric Blair — $17,200

*Heads-up deal

Event #4: Wilson starts building momentum

By the time Event #4 rolled around, the PokerGO Cup had settled into its familiar rhythm. Brock Wilson, a regular presence in high-roller fields, seized the opportunity to add his name to the list of champions. His victory came after a heads-up deal that guaranteed both finalists six-figure payouts, though Wilson ultimately claimed the trophy.

Throughout the tournament, Wilson hovered near the top of the chip counts without ever pulling ahead of the field. As the final table played out, he demonstrated patience and good timing, making numerous key reads as he put himself into position to close. With this, his first PokerGO Cup victory, he too would be hungry for more.

Event #4 – $5,000 NLH Single-Day Final Table

1. Brock Wilson — $112,720
2. David Coleman — $73,060
3. Jesse Lonis — $50,960
4. Sean Winter — $38,420
5. Justin Saliba — $28,315
6. Sam Laskowitz — $21,955
7. Dylan Linde — $17,385

Event #5: Berk bink

Event #5 raised the stakes to $10,000 and, with that, the quality of field thickened. There were 69 entries and re-entries, including a few bullets from Michael Berk, who ultimately came good to the tune of $207,000. Having gotten back in the saddle, Berk showed confidence and determination, accumulating chips at key stages.

Crucially, too, Berk won some flips and, by the time the final table was set, he had transformed his earlier struggles into momentum and a commanding stack. He came out on top after a final showdown with the talented Landon Tice, the win reinforcing his reputation as a player who can thrive under pressure.

Event #5 – $10,000 NLH Final Table

1. Michael Berk — $207,000
2. Landon Tice — $134,550
3. Nick Seward — $93,150
4. Sam Soverel — $69,000
5. Qinghai Pan — $51,750
6. Joey Weissman — $37,950
7. Aram Zobian — $27,600

Event #6: Wilson makes it a double

Seventy stacks of high society found their way into the prize pool of Event #6, which whittled down to a loaded final seven. One at a time, Lonis, Nick Seward, Joey Weismann, Dylan Linde, and Jeremy Becker all fell by the wayside, setting up a heads-up encounter between Wilson and Shannon Shorr, the former in pursuit of his second title.

Right away, Wilson was relentless, chipping away steadily, winning critical pots and stealing back the initiative that was once Shorr’s. He would not be denied his double, taking home $210,000 and lots of crucial points to strengthen his position in the overall series leaderboard. He was now the person to catch.

Event #6 – $10,000 NLH Final Table

1. Brock Wilson — $210,000
2. Shannon Shorr — $136,500
3. Jeremy Becker — $94,500
4. Dylan Linde — $70,000
5. Joey Weissman — $52,500
6. Nick Seward — $38,500
7. Jesse Lonis — $28,000

Event #7: Gregg’s spring training pays off

Tony Gregg called Event #7 “spring training” as he dusted off the cobwebs for the forthcoming season of poker. Another $10,000 buy-in tournament, it attracted 67 entries which boiled down to another boss septet. Tice was in the mix again, as were Chris Hunichen and Jeremy Ausmus. 

Early at the final table, a huge pot versus Hunichen got Gregg’s engines going and from that point, he never looked back, stomping his way to a duel with Darren Elias. He made short shrift of the heads-up encounter, winning with big slick to clinch the trophy and $173,075. In case there were any doubts, this performance certainly solidified Gregg’s return to competitive form.

Event #7 – $10,000 NLH Final Table

1. Tony Gregg — $173,075
2. Darren Elias — $113,900
3. Jeremy Ausmus — $77,725
4. Chris Hunichen — $56,950
5. Qinghai Pan — $42,875
6. Neil Warren — $32,150
7. Landon Tice — $26,800

Event #8: Khavin returns

Looking to build on his success in Event #2, Khavin neatly weaved his way through another beastly $10,000 buy-in field. The personification of composure, he was unfazed by the stiff competition, and, with the benefit of sleep this time out, was unstoppable.

Ben Grise was under the cosh heads-up and never got a foothold as the relentless Khavin pushed for his second title. The win added $210,000 to his career earnings and a bunch of points that put him in contention for the leaderboard alongside Wilson.

Event #8 – $10,000 NLH Final Table

1. Filipp Khavin — $210,000
2. Ben Grise — $136,500
3. Darren Elias — $94,500
4. Jeremy Becker — $70,000
5. Nicholas Seward — $52,500
6. Andrew Lichtenberger — $38,500
7. Joey Weissman — $28,000

Event #9: A seasoned Winter mounted his comeback

It was another 70-runner field in the PokerGO Studio but a different person was standing tallest when all was said and done. Veteran high stakes pro Sean Winter faced stiff opposition at every turn, but he was up to the task, shopping the trophy and the $210,000 payday.

During heads-up play, Winter found himself at a substantial chip deficit against Benjamin Grise. He remained patient, however, chipping away and slowly regaining control. His comeback relied on careful play and timely aggression. Once he regained parity, he kept the pressure up until Grise finally succumbed.

Event #9 – $10,000 NLH Final Table

1. Sean Winter — $210,000
2. Ben Grise — $136,500
3. Aram Zobian — $94,500
4. Dylan Linde — $70,000
5. Jeremy Becker — $52,500
6. Joey Weissman — $38,500
7. Nicholas Seward — $28,000

Event #10: Lucky Chewy crushes the Main Event

The $15,000 Main Event generated a $780,000 prize pool as 52 entrants went to war for the big one. Wilson was in the hunt once again, sniffing a potential hat trick to go with the now secured leaderboard victory. However, it wasn’t to be as a rampant Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger eliminated every single one of his final table opponents.

When 2015 WSOP Main Event champion Joe McKeehen and Arthur Peacock busted in 4^th and 3^rd, respectively, Lichtenberger found himself with a slight chip deficit against Sam Soverel. Throughout heads-up play, he maintained focus and poise, winning several key pots and, in the end, he captured the trophy and $257,400.

Event #10 – $15,000 NLH Main Event Final Table

1. Andrew Lichtenberger — $257,400
2. Sam Soverel — $163,800
3. Arthur Peacock — $109,200
4. Joe McKeehen — $78,000
5. John Krpan — $62,400
6. Brock Wilson — $46,800
7. Joey Weissman — $31,200

Consistency was key for Wilson

It may be a small field series but, in a way, that’s what makes the PokerGo Cup all that more intriguing. Lots of regulars doing battle day after day is a recipe for gripping action and fascinating dynamics. By the end of the ten-event schedule, there is no denying that Wilson was a deserving leaderboard champion, his performance standing above the rest.

Despite excellent efforts from Khavin and Grise, Wilson’s two titles and several additional deep finishes gave him a commanding lead in the overall earnings race and secured the series crown before cards were even in the air in the final event. The finale provided a fitting closing act as Lichtenberger stormed through the last field but, for Wilson, consistency was key.

2026 PokerGO Cup – Total Series Winnings Top 10 Leaderboard

1. Brock Wilson — $390,220
2. Filipp Khavin — $334,525
3. Andrew Lichtenberger — $295,900
4. Ben Grise — $273,000
5. Sam Soverel — $256,895
6. Jeremy Becker — $250,190
7. Sean Winter — $248,420
8. Nicholas Seward — $239,900
9. Darren Elias — $232,550
10. Michael Berk — $207,000