Sean Winter overcame a heads-up chip disadvantage to defeat Benjamin Grise and win Event #9: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the 2026 PokerGO Cup, taking home $210,000 and a PokerGO Tour trophy at the PokerGO Studio inside ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Winter navigated a tough 70-entry field and a stacked final table before facing Grise heads-up as the shorter stack. He worked his way back into contention by applying constant pressure and winning several small pots, eventually overtaking the lead and closing out the victory.
Grise Plays Through Devastating News
Grise's runner-up finish came under extraordinary circumstances. He had already placed second in Event #8, and after that result, he max-late registered Event #9. It was only then that he learned his close friend and fellow poker player Matt Lushin had been murdered in Indiana just days before.
Authorities discovered Lushin dead inside his home. The case is currently under investigation. Lushin was a respected member of the Indiana poker community with more than $500,000 in live tournament earnings.
Grise continued to compete, bagged the Day 1 chip lead, and ultimately delivered back-to-back second-place finishes across consecutive days.
Final Table Recap
Aram Zobian was the first to go after Grise cracked his pocket kings with five-three offsuit. Justin Zaki followed in sixth, and Brandon Wilson exited shortly after to bring the field to four-handed play.
Jeremy Ausmus finished fourth. Grise then eliminated Myles Mullaly in third after flopping a flush against Mullaly's pocket aces, setting up heads-up play with Winter holding the chip lead.
Winter trailed to start but methodically fought back, won the lead, and closed out Grise to take the title.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Sean Winter | $210,000 |
| 2nd | Benjamin Grise | $136,500 |
| 3rd | Myles Mullaly | $94,500 |
| 4th | Jeremy Ausmus | $70,000 |
| 5th | Brandon Wilson | $52,500 |
| 6th | Justin Zaki | $38,500 |
| 7th | Aram Zobian | $28,000 |
