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Event #8: $10,000 NLH
Day 1 Completed
2026 PokerGO Cup
Event #8: $10,000 NLH
Day: 1
Event Info
2026 PokerGO Cup
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$700,000
Total Entries
70
Level
24
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Entries
70
Players Left
6
Players Left 1 / 70
Filter
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
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
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,710,000
1,610,000
|
1,610,000 |
|
||
|
1,685,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,310,000
310,000
|
310,000 |
|
1,250,000
1,150,000
|
1,150,000 |
|
||
|
1,010,000
310,000
|
310,000 |
|
760,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Day 1 has ended with six players remaining after the completion of Level 17.
Stay tuned for a recap of the day's action.
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
In a heads-up pot on a board of 5♣6♥9♠6♠4♦, Jeremy Becker moved all in from the big blind for 180,000 with most of his chips already in the pot.
Andrew Lichtenberger went deep in the tank and used a few time banks before calling. Becker tabled 6♦3♦ for trip sixes and Lichtenberger briefly flashed a no-good ace-high with Ax7x.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,600,000
500,000
|
500,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
700,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
Level 17
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Ben Grise was seen doubling up through Darren Elias on a board of 10♣8♠3♣10♥5♦.
Elias' hand had already been flipped face-down, but Grise held Q♦Q♥ for an overpair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
700,000
250,000
|
250,000 |
Level: 17
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 40,000
Level 16
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Level 16
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
John Riordan was all in as the final table short stack against Nicholas Seward.
John Riordan: Q♥J♦ 
Nicholas Seward: A♣9♥
Riordan couldn't pull ahead as the board ran out K♠2♥6♦9♦A♥ to mark his elimination in seventh place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,400,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 16
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicholas Seward | United States | 2,000,000 | 67 |
| 2 | Filipp Khavin | United States | 1,000,000 | 33 |
| 3 | Ben Grise | United States | 450,000 | 15 |
| 4 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | 2,100,000 | 70 |
| 5 | Darren Elias | United States | 1,200,000 | 40 |
| 6 | John Riordan | United States | 300,000 | 10 |
| 7 | Jeremy Becker | United States | 530,000 | 18 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,100,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
2,000,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
1,200,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,000,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
530,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
450,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
300,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
|
||
