Tony Gregg was widely recognized as one of the best tournament poker players in the world at his peak. He won a World Poker Tour title at Parx in 2012, and banked a staggering $4,830,619 payday with his 2013 $111,111 WSOP One Drop High Roller victory. There were also four high-profile live runner-up finishes between 2009 and 2016 for almost $4 million more.
The 39-year-old popped back onto the poker radar in the 2025 WSOP main event, when he finished in 11th place. At the 2026 PokerGO Cup, Gregg broke a nearly 13-year drought, claiming his first significant live title since his bracelet run in 2013. Gregg earned his first-ever PGT trophy and a $173,075 first-place prize in event no. 7 of the PokerGO Cup, a $10,300 buy-in no-limit hold’em event.
.@wwwBTHEREcom is getting his poker swing back, and that means wanting to test himself against tougher competition.
Let’s hear from the @PokerGO Cup Event #7 champ. pic.twitter.com/iLxVeGlU5b
— PGT (@PokerGOTour) March 12, 2026
The Maryland-born standout made a heads-up deal with another longtime tournament standout in four-time WPT champion Darren Elias, closing out the title after rearranging the remaining prize money. Gregg outlasted a field of 67 entrants and earned 360 Card Player Player of the Year points towards the yearlong leaderboard presented by CoinPoker. He also received 201 PGT points, bolstering his position on both the PokerGO Cup series leaderboard and the season-long standings.
There’s a good chance we’ll see more of Gregg at the 2026 WSOP than we have in quite a few years.
“This was like Spring training, because I want to make a few trips over the Summer,” Gregg said after his win. “Talking to friends, I said I wanted to get some hands in against some tougher competition so that I can be comfortable enough to fire the WSOP $25,000 events.”
A Comeback Begins
The final table of event no. 7 looked a lot like the ones that had preceded it at this festival. Elias made it back-to-back final tables, while Qinghai Pan and Chris Hunichen were both at their third consecutive final table of the series.
With 67 players in the mix, 10 ultimately finished in the money to earn a share of the $670,000 prize pool. Event no. 1 winner Kent Stephens, event no. 5 winner Michael Berk, and then Brandon Wilson went out just before the first day of play ended. Coming back for the final table, Pan held the chip lead with Elias hot on his heels.
Jeremy Ausmus started the day as the shortest stack and seemingly positioned himself to jump up the counts when he picked up pocket kings. Hunichen’s A♥9♦ had other plans, though. He flopped an ace, and then ran out a heart flush by the river to knock Ausmus off in seventh place ($26,800). The six-time bracelet winner now has more than $29 million in career cashes.
First hand of the day, and @jeremyausmus is all in and at risk with cowboys!
Watch the PokerGO Cup streaming on https://t.co/2RQh5ROjQG. pic.twitter.com/5jDWFGDARx
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) March 12, 2026
That luck wouldn’t last long for Hunichen, though. Landon Tice doubled through him, with ace-high against king-high, and then Gregg found a lucky river to crack ‘Big Huni’s’ pocket queens. Gregg took the last of Hunichen’s stack, flopping a set of tens to beat A♣8♥ and bounce Hunichen in sixth place ($36,850).
Tice, who finished second to Berk earlier in the series, positioned himself for another double. He shoved with A♠Q♥, and Elias called with A♣6♠. It got bad for Tice on an A♥6♦3♥ flop and worse on a 6♥ turn. Tice couldn’t find the one-outer to chop, and he settled for $50,250 as the fifth-place finisher.
Gregg picked up another elimination at the expense of Neil Warren ($67,000). The 2026 PGT Last Chance event no. 4 winner got his chips in with K♠Q♠ against Gregg’s A♥5♦, and it ran out clean for Gregg on a 9♣4♠3♣6♦5♠ board.
Finishing The Job
Elias then dispatched Pan in third thanks to a similar preflop showdown. Pan’s K♦10♣ failed to connect with an 8♠4♣2♦9♥J♥ runout, leaving Elias’ A♣5♠ the best hand. Pan, a three-time bracelet winner, earned $90,450 for his podium showing. This was his fifth cash of the series, with three final-table finishes along the way.
Gregg and Elias began their heads-up battle after splitting the top two prizes in an ICM deal, leaving $10,000 and the trophy on the line. Elias pulled ahead early, only for Gregg to win the pot that ultimately swung the tournament for good.
Gregg limped the button, Elias raised more than five times the blind, and Gregg more than doubled that total with a three-bet. Elias shoved, Gregg called, and Gregg was well out in front with A♠K♦ against Elias’ A♣2♠. Gregg found a king on the flop and held, taking a commanding chip lead in the process.
On the final hand, Gregg shoved the button and Elias called off his stack with K♥6♠. Gregg’s J♦10♠ smashed the J♠10♥9♥ flop and held off Elias’ straight draw on a 3♣ turn and 4♦ river to secure the victory.
There are three more events left to be decided in the 2026 PokerGO Cup. The series runs through Sunday, March 15.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Tony Gregg | $173,075 | 360 | 201 |
| 2 | Darren Elias | $158,575 | 300 | 131 |
| 3 | Qinghai Pan | $90,450 | 240 | 90 |
| 4 | Neil Warren | $67,000 | 180 | 67 |
| 5 | Landon Tice | $50,250 | 150 | 50 |
| 6 | Chris Hunichen | $36,850 | 120 | 37 |
| 7 | Jeremy Ausmus | $26,800 | 90 | 27 |
Photo credit: PGT / Antonio Abrego.
