Six Remain in Penultimate $10,000 Event of the PokerGO Cup
Another Day 1 has ended here in the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas as part of the 2026 PokerGO Cup with six players remaining. Leading the way at the final table is longtime pro Darren Elias in his third straight final table appearance.
The WPT end-boss, who started the day by chopping Event #7, leads Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger, Daily King Jeremy Becker, Event #2 winner Filipp Khavin, Indiana grinder Ben Grise, and 25-year-old Nicholas Seward, the youngest player at the final table who is on fire as of late.
Day 1 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darren Elias | United States | 2,710,000 | 68 |
| 2 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | 1,685,000 | 42 |
| 3 | Filipp Khavin | United States | 1,310,000 | 33 |
| 4 | Nicholas Seward | United States | 1,250,000 | 31 |
| 5 | Ben Grise | United States | 1,010,000 | 25 |
| 6 | Jeremy Becker | United States | 760,000 | 19 |
Generational Battle
The two-day event drew 70 runners for a prize pool of $700,000 — precisely the same numbers as Event #6: $10,000 NLH, which saw Brock Wilson win his second title of the series.
Chino Rheem was in some kind of mood on Thursday and let the newest generation of poker players have it.
“Don’t cover up your neck and smile. I want to see all of that shit. It’s level one, bro," Rheem told Brandon Wilson in the first hand of the day.
“You guys all cover your face. You guys are f***ing idiots," the longtime pro told Jeremy Becker later in the day.
Rheem is coming off of one of the best years of his career. Speaking of coming off, he recently made a no drinking and no smoking $100,000 prop bet with Michael Mizrachi.
But clean living didn't help recent non-smoker Jesse Lonis, who fell at the hands of Rheem in straight-edge-on-straight-edge violence, perhaps the first such confrontation outside of tiny hardcore punk venues.
It was an act of poetry, then, that 25-year-old Seward was the one who eliminated Rheem in eighth place to make way for the final table. That followed elimination of three-time bracelet winner and Event #6 runner-up Shannon Shorr on the money bubble, as well as Brandon Wilson and John Krpan in tenth and ninth place.
It didn't take long after that for John Riordan to go out in seventh place as the first final table elimination as his queen-jack couldn't hold against Seward's ace-nine.
Each returning player is guaranteed at least $38,500, but all eyes are on the trophy and $210,000 up top for the eventual winner.
Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team will be back in the PokerGO Studio tomorrow to see out Event #8. Check out the live reporting portal for other highlights from the series.
*Photos courtesy of PokerGO and Antonio Abrego