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The opening event of the 2026 PokerGO Cup has reached its conclusion inside PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. After a marathon heads-up battle against Myles Mullaly, studio newcomer Kent Stephens of Utah emerged victorious to win Event #1: $3,000 PokerGO Cup Showcase for his first major title and $130,000 — more than ten times his previous tournament earnings.
"He was a tough kid," Stephens told PokerNews about his heads-up opponent, adding that he decided to play the mid-stakes event for a chance to play with poker pros he's watched on TV over the years.
The opening event drew 215 runners across two starting flights for a prize pool of $645,000.
The final table also included two-time bracelet winner Jim Collopy, Vegas grinder Daniyal Gheba and PokerGO Studio newcomer Sandeep Koralla.
$3,000 PokerGO Cup Showcase Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kent Stephens | United States | $130,000 |
| 2 | Myles Mullaly | United States | $85,000 |
| 3 | Daniyal Gheba | United States | $61,000 |
| 4 | Sandeep Koralla | United States | $48,000 |
| 5 | Natalie Ferguson | United States | $38,000 |
| 6 | Jim Collopy | United States | $31,000 |
| 7 | Aaron Messmer | United States | $25,000 |
Utah Man Closes Out
There were 31 players who returned for Day 2, all of whom were in the money and guaranteed a payout of at least $61,000.
With everyone in the money, players fell from the Day 2 field quicker than wild boars on an Eastern Europe road. Some of the early eliminations included poker coach Jonathan Little, longtime pros Chino Rheem and David "ODB" Baker and German pro Manig Loeser.
Last qualifier standing Adam Bonilla, a daily grinder who won a satellite to play the biggest buy-in of his career, nearly turned his satellite ticket into a final table appearance as he was eliminated in tenth place at the hands of Daniyal Gheba.
Despite some nerves, Bonilla was in his element in the event he qualified for, and he spoke to PokerNews about the experience.
The elimination of David Kim made way for the final table, which moved quickly as Aaron Messmer fell in seventh place to Mullaly in one of the first hands. Three-time bracelet winner Jim Collopy was the next to go, followed by Natalie Ferguson after she was left short by running out of time banks when she was about to.
It was a bit of luck on Ferguson's side as she was beat in the hand, but she nonetheless fell in fifth place after a small spin-up. The eliminations of Koralla and Gheba set up would could've been a quick heads-up match against Stephens and Mullaly, who held an overwhelming chip lead but soon doubled up Gheba to slow down the action considerably.
The two traded leads before Stephens pulled ahead and eventually had his pocket threes hold up against Mullaly's nine-eight to win the title.
Utah's college basketball teams may have lost by a combined 63 points on Tuesday night, but the evening was kind to one Utah native.
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the Showcase event, but we will be back tomorrow for continued coverage of the PokerGO Cup series. Check out the live reporting hub in the meantime.
