Missouri Grinder Defeats Star-Studded Field in WSOP $600 Mixed Event

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Jun 10, 2026 7 min read

Brent Gregory outlasted a field of 3,332 entries to win Event #28: $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack at the 2026 World Series of Poker, earning his first WSOP bracelet and a career-best payday of $204,140.

As always, it is a major accomplishment to overcome a field of this magnitude at poker's grandest stage. However, while many bracelet winners in the three-figure buy-in range find themselves battling fellow up-and-comers late in tournaments, Gregory’s path to the title was anything but ordinary.

The eventual champion had to navigate a final table that featured Daniel Negreanu, Alex Foxen, Maurice Hawkins, and Josh Reichard, turning one of the WSOP’s smallest buy-ins into one of its toughest final tables of the summer.

$600 Deepstack Mixed NLH; PLO Final Table Results

After his victory, Gregory was quick to acknowledge the difficulty of the field.

"It’s about as tough as a $600 field is going to get," Gregory said after the win. "Somehow, I prevailed against some of the best players in the world. I feel extremely lucky."

The win marks the biggest result of Gregory’s poker career. Already a familiar face on the mid-stakes circuit with titles on the RunGood Poker Series and at the Orleans Winter Poker Open, Gregory now has poker’s most coveted prize to add to his resume.

After finding himself under the lights with several accomplished pros still standing, Gregory admitted the moment wasn’t without its nerves.

"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous," Gregory said. "Foxen, Negreanu, Reichard, everybody. There were several better players than me at the table."

"Somehow, I prevailed against some of the best players in the world. I feel extremely lucky."

Those nerves eventually turned into confidence as Gregory battled back from a short stack during three-handed play. At one point, he was down to just a few big blinds before finding a crucial double-up that helped swing the momentum in his favor.

“Once I got the double up and then there was the whole atmosphere with most people pulling for me, I felt like it was going to happen,” Gregory said. “It was just one of those things where when you feel it, sometimes it comes through.”

The support from the rail only added to the experience.

“It was awesome,” Gregory said. “I had thousands of people probably pulling for me today, so it feels pretty damn good.”

Big Names Dominate Day 2

When Day 2 began, 132 players returned from a massive field of 3,332 entries, and several of poker’s biggest names were sitting near the top of the chip counts. Hall of Famers Brian Rast and Daniel Negreanu both started the day inside the top ten, joined by three-time bracelet winner Alex Foxen, giving the $600 buy-in event a surprisingly star-studded feel.

Of the three players who began the day inside the top ten in chips, Rast was the first to be eliminated, finishing in 51st place despite getting off to a fast start that included a nasty beat on pocket kings to score a double knockout.

With Rast eliminated, attention quickly turned to the other big names still in contention. Negreanu and Foxen continued to build stacks throughout the day, while 25K Fantasy pick and mid-stakes legend Josh Reichard remained in the hunt alongside record-setting 25-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Maurice Hawkins.

As the tournament played down to its final table, the dream scenario many fans had been hoping for became a reality. Negreanu, Foxen, Hawkins, and Reichard all secured seats at the final table after navigating their way through the massive field, though Negreanu nearly saw his run come to an end before finding a crucial double through Hawkins late in the day.

Negreanu was looking to add an eighth WSOP bracelet to his Hall of Fame career. Hawkins was chasing the first bracelet of his career to go along with his record-setting collection of Circuit rings, while Reichard was also searching for his maiden bracelet after years of success on the tournament circuit.

Foxen, meanwhile, was looking for bracelet number four and a chance to keep the momentum going for the Foxen family after Kristen Foxen’s victory in the $25,000 High Roller just days earlier.

Final Table Swings

Gregory entered the final table with the chip lead after scoring back-to-back knockouts, eliminating the 11th and 10th place finishers to vault to the top of the counts. He wasted little time extending that advantage once the final table got underway, sending Sonny Franco to the rail in ninth place to score his third knockout in a short span.

Then one of the craziest hands of the tournament took place between Negreanu and Hawkins.

With eight players remaining, Negreanu got his chips in the middle against Hawkins in a crucial PLO pot. Hawkins held aces, but a paired flop gave Negreanu a heart flush draw.

The turn completed Negreanu’s flush and put him in position for a much-needed double-up. However, the river brought the third four on the board, giving Hawkins a full house and ending Negreanu’s run in eighth place.

After Gregory doubled up Foxen and surrendered the chip lead, he started to claw some of those chips back when he scored another knockout, this time sending Kelly Mahana to the rail in seventh place.

It was then Hawkins who soared to the top of the counts after a big pot in PLO sent home John Holley in sixth place, with Hawkins’ set of tens holding up against Holley’s combo draw.

That momentum continued when Hawkins flopped the nuts in a massive three-way all-in to knock out Foxen and John Ghosn, taking a commanding chip lead with approximately 66% of the chips in play three-handed.

Gregory found himself as the clear short stack with three players remaining after Reichard doubled through him in PLO.

However, after finding a double-up of his own, Gregory finally started to believe he could win, thanks in part to the support from his massive rail.

Reichard then flopped the nut straight and got the money in against Hawkins on the flop, but Hawkins turned a flush to leave Reichard drawing dead and set up heads-up play with a commanding chip lead.

Gregory Rallies to Capture First Bracelet

When heads-up play began, it appeared Hawkins was well on his way to capturing the first WSOP bracelet of his career. After eliminating Reichard in third place, Hawkins held a commanding chip lead and had Gregory on the ropes multiple times during their duel.

Gregory’s first lifeline came when he got his chips in with a pair of tens and improved to a set to secure a crucial double-up. The double gave him some breathing room and marked the beginning of a dramatic turnaround.

The momentum continued to shift in Gregory’s favor as he chipped away at Hawkins’ lead. A short time later, he found another key double-up after getting his chips in with top pair against Hawkins’ flush draw. Gregory faded the river to stay alive once again and suddenly found himself firmly in control of the match.

From there, Gregory never looked back. The final hand saw Hawkins get his chips in with two pair against Gregory’s set, and the board failed to provide a miracle escape for the 25-time Circuit ring winner.

The comeback victory earned Gregory his first WSOP bracelet and the $204,140 top prize, while Hawkins was forced to settle for a runner-up finish after coming within one elimination of securing his long-awaited first bracelet.

For Gregory, the win was the culmination of years spent grinding tournaments around the country. After overcoming a final table packed with accomplished professionals and surviving one of the toughest fields a $600 buy-in event is likely to produce, he can officially call himself a World Series of Poker bracelet winner.

• Tags Brent Gregory Alex Foxen Daniel Negreanu Brian Rast John Holley Josh Reichard Kelly Mahana Kristen Foxen Maurice Hawkins WSOP26 WSOP
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