Cochrane Takes Down the PokerStars Titans Event as Lucky Dip Prizes Increase in Value
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British grinder Gavin "gavz101" Cochrane helped himself to a New Year Series title at PokerStars over the weekend. Despite being better known for his Pot-Limit Omaha prowess, Cochrane triumphed in the $5,200 No-Limit Hold'em Titans event, where he walked away with a $73,348 top prize.
A compact yet star-studded field of 40 entrants battled at the PokerStars virtual felt for a slice of the $200,000 prize pool. As you would expect from such a high buy-in tournament, the entry list read like a who's who of the online poker world.
Such luminaries as Pascal "Pass_72" Lefrancois, Samuel "€urop€an" Vousden, Dimitar "KuuL" Danchev, and final table bubble boy Ole "wizowizo" Schemion were present and correct, although they fell before the payouts started.
Only the top five finishers shared the $200,000 pot, so spare a thought for the legendary Spaniard Adrian "Amadi_017" Mateos, who fell in sixth-place on his second bullet and popped the money bubble.
Brazilian "ferkovsk" was the first casualty to bow out inside the money places. Their fifth-place exit came with $15,206. Austria-based Montenegrin Dejan "dejanlc357" Kaladjurdjevic was the next to fall, doing so in fourth place for a $24,639 score.
One can imagine there was an audible sigh of relief when the tournament reached the heads-up stage. This is because Mikita "fish2013" Badziakouski, one of the most dangerous tournament players on the planet, busted in third. He took home $36,282 for his efforts.
Cochrane and Canada's "777acenace77" locked horns and butted heads in the final battle of the $5,200 Titans. You may recall that the Canadian came close to taking down the $1,050 medium WCOOP Main Event in 2025, ultimately finishing fourth for $176,444. They had to make do with the $50,523 consolation prize in this Titans event because Cochrane got the job done and his hands on $73,348, a perfect start to 2026.
$5,200 NLHE Titans Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gavin "gavz101" Cochrane | United Kingdom | $73,348 |
| 2 | 777acenace77 | Canada | $50,523 |
| 3 | Mikita "fish2013" Badziakouski | Ukraine | $36,282 |
| 4 | Dejan "dejanlc357" Kaladjurdjevic | Austria | $24,639 |
| 5 | ferkovsk | Brazil | $15,206 |
Several other well-known players captured PokerStars New Year Series titles this weekend. Ognyan "cocojamb0" Dimov came out on top in the $109 Progressive KO Warm Up for $27,262. You may recall that Dimov was crowned the first Sunday Million champion of 2026 last week, turning his $109 investment into $138,494.
Canada's "roo_400" walked away with the $27,868 top prize in the $530 Warm-Up, while Germany's "Sintoras" won the $530 Bounty Builder High Roller for a $26,079 addition to their bankroll.
Huge Value Awaits in the New Year Series Lucky Dip
PokerStars is giving away thousands of dollars worth of New Year Series tickets, satellite tickets, and Power Path Passes in the final week of the New Year Series Lucky Dip promotion.
Everyone who plays in a New Year Series tournament receives a random score between 1 and 1,000,000 as soon as they play their first hand. The more New Year Series tournaments played, the more Lucky Dip numbers they receive, although only the highest score counts for a prize.
Between January 12-15, the top 491 scores receive a prize ranging from a $5.50 New Year Series ticket up to a $1,050 New Year Series ticket.
| Rank | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $1,050 New Year Series ticket |
| 2-41 | $109 New Year Series Main Event Low ticket |
| 42-91 | $55 New Year Series ticket |
| 92-191 | $11 New Year Series ticket |
| 192-491 | $5.50 New Year Series ticket |
The prizes get even better on January 16-17. On these two days, the top 631 scores win a New Year Series-related prize. Those prizes start at a $5.50 New Year Series Main Event satellite ticket, those finishing in places 7-156 banking a $109 New Year Series Main Event Low ticket. Second-place through sixth will win a $1,050 Main Event Medium ticket, with top place awarding a $5,200 Main Event High ticket!
| Rank | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $5,200 New Year Series Main Event High ticket |
| 2-6 | $1,050 New Year Series Main Event Medium ticket |
| 7-156 | $109 New Year Series Main Event Low ticket |
| 157-231 | $55 New Year Series Main Even satellite ticket |
| 232-331 | $11 New Year Series Main Event satellite ticket |
| 332-631 | $5.50 New Year Series Main Event satellite ticket |
January 18 is the day when PokerStars dishes out thousands of dollars worth of Power Path-related goodies, including a $10,300 Gold Power Pass for the eventual winner. The top 38 finishers will win a Power Pass worth between $109 and $10,300, with a total of 698 places paid. If you're only able to play the New Year Series on one day this week, January 18 is the day to do it!
| Rank | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $10,300 Gold Power Pass |
| 2-3 | $2,500 Silver Power Pass |
| 4-8 | $1,050 New Year Series ticket |
| 9-38 | $109 Bronze Power Pass |
| 39-113 | $55 New Year Series ticket |
| 114-238 | $11 Power Path Step 3 ticket |
| 239-388 | $5.50 New Year Series ticket |
| 389-698 | $1.50 Power Path Step 2 ticket |
