LAS VEGAS — Tony Gregg called this week "spring training." He left with a trophy.
Gregg defeated Darren Elias heads-up to win Event #7 of the 2026 PokerGO Cup, a $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, taking home $173,075. The two finalists agreed to an ICM chop before the final hands, leaving $10,000 and the title still to play for. Elias received $158,575 as runner-up.
Sixty-seven entries played down to a seven-handed final table, with Gregg surviving at least one dramatic near-elimination before closing it out.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Gregg* | $173,075 |
| 2 | Darren Elias* | $158,575 |
| 3 | Qinghai Pan | $90,450 |
| 4 | Neil Warren | $67,000 |
| 5 | Landon Tice | $50,250 |
| 6 | Chris Hunichen | $36,850 |
| 7 | Jeremy Ausmus | $26,800 |
denotes ICM chop
How It Played Out
Action came early. Jeremy Ausmus got his short stack in with pocket kings, but Chris Hunichen flopped an ace and Ausmus was eliminated in seventh.
Hunichen continued to surge and at one point had Gregg at risk in a significant pot, holding queens. Gregg spiked a king on the river to stay alive. He then eliminated Hunichen in sixth shortly after.
The remaining four players were handled by the two finalists. Elias knocked out Landon Tice in fifth. Gregg eliminated Neil Warren in fourth. Elias then sent Qinghai Pan to the rail in third, setting up the heads-up match.
Elias won the first notable heads-up pot with pocket kings, evening the stacks. The two agreed to an ICM deal from there. Gregg then pulled away when his ace-king held against Elias' ace-deuce, leaving Elias short. He finished it shortly after.
"I Can Still Win"
Gregg, a WSOP bracelet winner, has not been playing a full tournament schedule in recent years. He came to Las Vegas this week with modest expectations, describing the trip as "spring training" ahead of the summer.
The week had been rough before the final table. "I had been running really bad this trip before this tournament," Gregg said. "But I was telling myself that's part of playing tournaments. The important thing is that you're here playing again and that you still love it."
His focus throughout was less about results and more about process. "I've really just been focusing on how much I'm enjoying the process of getting to play every day," he said. "Getting to write hands in my phone and look back at them in the evening."
An 11th-place finish in the 2025 WSOP Main Event had already given him a boost of confidence heading in. This title added to it. "It's a nice reminder that I can still win," Gregg said. "My Main Event run last year kind of reminded me of that too."
He also pointed to the field itself as part of what made the week worthwhile. "The caliber of players here is really tough. Seeing how sharp some of the newer generation is motivates me to get in repetitions against them."
Spring training, by any measure, went well.
