Kent Stephens of Utah defeats Myles Mullaly heads-up to claim first major title
LAS VEGAS — Kent Stephens came to PokerGO Studio as a fan of the game. He left as a champion.
The Utah native had accumulated just $12,000 in career tournament earnings before this week. He won Event #1 of the 2026 PokerGO Cup, the $3,000 buy-in Showcase, defeating Myles Mullaly in heads-up play to collect $130,000, a figure more than ten times everything he had previously earned on the tournament circuit.
Stephens said he entered specifically for the chance to compete against pros he had spent years watching on television, and called his heads-up opponent a tough player.
The event drew 215 runners across two starting flights and built a $645,000 prize pool. Mullaly banked $85,000 as runner-up. The final table also included WSOP bracelet winner Jim Collopy, Las Vegas grinder Daniyal Gheba and fellow PokerGO Studio newcomer Sandeep Koralla.
$3,000 PokerGO Cup Showcase Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kent Stephens | United States | $130,000 |
| 2 | Myles Mullaly | United States | $85,000 |
| 3 | Daniyal Gheba | United States | $61,000 |
| 4 | Sandeep Koralla | United States | $48,000 |
| 5 | Natalie Ferguson | United States | $38,000 |
| 6 | Jim Collopy | United States | $31,000 |
| 7 | Aaron Messmer | United States | $25,000 |
Day 2: Rapid eliminations and a satellite story cut short
All 31 players who bagged chips returned for Day 2 already in the money, each guaranteed a minimum payout. With no bubble pressure, the field thinned fast. Poker coach Jonathan Little, longtime pros Chino Rheem and David "ODB" Baker, and German pro Manig Loeser were among the first out the door.
The most compelling near-miss belonged to Adam Bonilla, a daily grinder who won a satellite to play the biggest buy-in of his career. He was the last qualifier still standing before Gheba sent him to the rail in tenth place.
David Kim's exit triggered the final table, which wasted little time. Aaron Messmer fell in seventh on one of the opening hands, a victim of Mullaly. Jim Collopy followed in sixth. Natalie Ferguson's run ended in fifth under unusual circumstances: she ran out of time banks at a critical juncture, leaving her desperately short. She had been losing the hand in question regardless, but managed a small spin-up before finally busting.
Stephens survives chip-lead swing, pocket threes seal it
Koralla and Gheba's exits in fourth and third set the stage for heads-up play, with Mullaly holding an overwhelming chip advantage. But Mullaly had already doubled up Gheba during three-handed action, bleeding momentum from his stack and slowing what had looked like a runaway.
The two swapped the chip lead repeatedly before Stephens finally pulled clear. He closed out the match when his pocket threes held against Mullaly's nine-eight, dragging the final pot and locking up the title.
Utah's college basketball teams dropped their games Tuesday night by a combined 63 points. At least one person from the state had a night worth remembering.
