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Event #10: $15,000 NLH
Day 1 Completed
2026 PokerGO Cup
Event #10: $15,000 NLH
Day: 1
Event Info
2026 PokerGO Cup
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
Buy-in
$15,000
Prize Pool
$780,000
Total Entries
52
Level
19
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
100,000
Entries
52
Players Left
6
Players Left 1 / 52
Filter
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Just six players remain in the final event of the 2026 PokerGO Cup, the biggest buy-in event of the spring series that has been underway since March 1.
Leading the way in Event #10: $15,000 NLH is WPT champion Arthur Peacock with a stack of 90 big blinds ahead of big-stacked high-stakes pros Sam Soverel, Andrew Lichtenberger, and two-time series champion Brock Wilson, who by cashing the event locked up the overall PokerGO Cup title.
Rounding out the counts are Canadian bling-flasher John Krpan in his third straight cash and 2015 WSOP Main Event champion Joe McKeehen.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Peacock | United States | 2,240,000 | 90 |
| 2 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | 1,470,000 | 59 |
| 3 | Sam Soverel | United States | 1,350,000 | 54 |
| 4 | Joe McKeehen | United States | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 5 | Brock Wilson | United States | 1,080,000 | 43 |
| 6 | John Krpan | Canada | 550,000 | 22 |
Wouldn't It Be Nice to Win the Series Title
The series has been full of laughs and needles, but there was a sense of somber in the room on Saturday as Indianas Ben Grise finished runner-up in his second straight event.
As he was competing in Las Vegas, Grise learned about the murder of his friend and fellow midwest poker player Matt Lushin, who he described to PokerNews as a "funny guy."
"You always knew you could hangout with him and he'd put a smile on your face," Grise said in an emotional interview.
Grise had a series shot at topping the series leaderboard, as did two-time champion Filipp Khavin, who topped the leaderboard heading into the event.
But the eliminations of Grise and Khavin meant that Wilson could lock up the series title with a cash. He secured that cash after Chino Rheem was eliminated on the money bubble in a three-way clash with McKeehen and Soverel.
Earlier in the evening, Landon Tice's love-hate relationship with flopped sets continued as he was eliminated on the soft bubble.
The first two to fall in the money were singer-songwriter-content-creator-Ween-fan Jeremy Ausmus and fellow high-stakes pro Joey Weissman.
Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team will be back on-site tomorrow to see out the completion of the final event of the 2026 PokerGO Cup. Check out the live reporting hub in the meantime.
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Day 1 has ended with six players remaining and 34 minutes left in Level 14.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the day's action.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,240,000 | |
|
||
|
1,470,000 | |
|
||
|
1,350,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
|
||
|
1,100,000 | |
|
||
|
1,080,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
550,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Joey Weissman opened to 95,000 from under the gun with one chip behind and called off as Andrew Lichtenberger raised in the big blind.
Joey Weissman: K♣8♣ 
Andrew Lichtenberger: Ax4x
Weissman couldn't pull ahead after flopping a king as the board ran out KxJx2x3x5x to mark his elimination in seventh place to end the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,470,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe McKeehen | United States | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 2 | Arthur Peacock | United States | 1,700,000 | 68 |
| 3 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | 1,300,000 | 52 |
| 4 | Joey Weissman | United States | 190,000 | 8 |
| 5 | John Krpan | Canada | 500,000 | 20 |
| 6 | Brock Wilson | United States | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 7 | Sam Soverel | United States | 1,500,000 | 60 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,700,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,500,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
500,000
105,000
|
105,000 |
|
|
190,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
|
||
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Jeremy Ausmus raised on the button and called off as Sam Soverel three-bet jammed in the big blind.
Jeremy Ausmus: A♥K♣
Sam Soverel: A♣Q♠
Ausmus had his opponent dominated, but he may need to consult the Mighty Poker Gods he sings about as the flop landed 7♣3♠Q♣ to pair Soverel's queen as the runout of 4♠3♣ confirmed Ausmus' elimination on the final table bubble.
Adding insult to injury, Soverel positioned himself in front of Ausmus' vlogging camera and posed with his winning hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,600,000
700,000
|
700,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,900,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,600,000
750,000
|
750,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,000,000 | |
|
|
1,000,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
900,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
605,000
185,000
|
185,000 |
|
|
450,000
175,000
|
175,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
250,000
650,000
|
650,000 |
|
|
||
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Chino Rheem opened to 250,000 on the button with just about 40,000 behind and Joe McKeehen three-bet to 600,000 in the small blind. Sam Soverel then called off in the big blind to leave Rheem shaking his head.
"How the f*** do I fold?" Rheem groaned. "I've never been in this spot before."
Rheem called as he and Soverel were both at risk on the money bubble.
Chino Rheem: J♠10♦
Sam Soverel: A♦K♠
Joe McKeehen: 8♣8♥
The flop of Q♥9♥Q♠ gave Rheem an open-ended straight draw, but it ended up helping Soverel more as the turn brought the 9♣ to counterfeit McKeehen's eights as the 3♥ river rolled off for Soverel to nearly triple with ace-high as Rheem was sent out on the money bubble.
Soverel may have had good karma after giving PokerNews his uneaten chips and salsa from Javier's.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
900,000
500,000
|
500,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
900,000 | |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
