Even as multiple players managed back-to-back-to-back final tables over the course of the 2026 PokerGO Cup, it seemed as though Brock Wilson had a tight hold on player of the series honors. After winning both events no. 4 and no. 6, Wilson held a significant lead over the rest of the pack with just three tournaments left to be played.
That’s no longer the case. Filipp Khavin’s victory in event no. 8 gave him a double of his own, following his win in event no. 2. Khavin’s second win of the series earned him a career-best score of $210,000, as well as 210 PGT points. Both Khavin and Wilson have two wins and three total cashes through eight events, and Khavin holds the narrowest of leads in the player of the series race heading into the final weekend.
Can Filipp Khavin close it out?!?! YES, HE CAN!!!
Khavin wins PokerGO Cup Event #8 for $210,000 – his second trophy of the series. pic.twitter.com/RFaS7sRftv
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) March 14, 2026
Khavin outlasted a 70-player field in the $10,300 buy-in no-limit hold’em event for his latest triumph, adding 420 Card Player Player of the Year points to his haul in the process. That positions Khavin within the top 70 in the yearlong POY race presented by CoinPoker.
A total of 10 players earned a share of the $700,000 prize pool in this tournament. Brandon Wilson, John Krpan, Chino Rheem, and finally John Riordan hit the rail inside the money before the end of day 1 action.
Stealing The Spotlight
All eyes were on Darren Elias at the start of the final table. The four-time World Poker Tour champion held the chip lead going into his third consecutive final table and fourth cash of the series.
Things started to go sideways for Elias before a single elimination was recorded, though. He lost a chunk of his stack to Ben Grise, and then a hefty portion of what remained to Andrew Lichtenberger.
.@LuckyChewy finds himself in a great spot to double.
Watch the PokerGO Cup on https://t.co/2RQh5ROjQG. pic.twitter.com/KtQHG5rmGZ
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) March 14, 2026
Jeremy Becker went out in sixth place after being reduced to less than two big blinds. He managed to get into a coin flip against Grise, holding K♥Q♦ against Grise’s pocket jacks, but failed to connect in any way with the board. He was sent packing with $38,500 for his sixth-place showing.
Elias soon took his final stand with K♣J♦. Grise called with A♦2♠ and stayed ahead throughout an A♣K♠10♦10♣7♥ runout. Elias capped off a run that saw him finish eighth, fifth, second, and now fifth in four consecutive tournaments. He has accumulated $287,725 so far this stop.
Lichtenberger absorbed recent WPT Venetian champion Nicholas Seward’s stack in a cooler, with pocket queens holding off Seward’s pocket jacks (4th – $70,000). Seward has now made three final tables at this series, helping propel him to second in the POY standings. He has cashed for nearly $645,000 in POY earnings so far in 2026, accruing 2,220 points along the way.
With three players left, Lichtenberger, Khavin, and Grise traded chips for a considerable stretch of time as the stacks grew shallower.
Eventually, Khavin and Grise knocked Lichtenberger out with a 1-2 punch. First, Khavin doubled up through Lichtenberger, turning A♦3♣ into two pair. Grise got lucky to take the last of Lichtenberger’s chips, as K♣4♠ flopped a pair of fours to outrun Lichtenberger’s K♦J♣. The Vegas-based bracelet winner earned $94,500 for his podium showing, growing his career haul to nearly $25.2 million in the process.
Finishing The Job
Khavin took a much larger chunk of Lichtenberger’s stack than Grise, giving him a considerable chip lead at the start of heads-up play. Grise managed one double-up, but Khavin’s lead turned out to be too much to overcome.
Grise open shoved his last eight big blinds with pocket threes, and he was in decent shape for a key double. Khavin was behind with A♥3♣, but ran out a flush on a J♣9♦8♣7♣4♣ board to secure the victory.
Khavin now boasts nearly $2.8 million in career cashes after this win. Grise’s $136,500 payday was also a personal best.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Filipp Khavin | $210,000 | 420 | 210 |
| 2 | Ben Grise | $136,500 | 350 | 137 |
| 3 | Andrew Lichtenberger | $94,500 | 280 | 95 |
| 4 | Nick Seward | $70,000 | 210 | 70 |
| 5 | Darren Elias | $52,500 | 175 | 53 |
| 6 | Jeremy Becker | $38,500 | 140 | 39 |
PokerGo Cup Standings (Through Event No. 8)
| Rank | Player | Points | Titles | Final Tables | Earnings |
| 1 | Filipp Khavin | 443 | 2 | 2 | $355,525 |
| 2 | Brock Wilson | 430 | 2 | 2 | $343,420 |
| 3 | Kent Stephens | 280 | 1 | 1 | $150,100 |
| 4 | Darren Elias | 261 | 0 | 3 | $287,725 |
| 5 | Myles Mullaly | 240 | 0 | 2 | $131,800 |
| 6 | Michael Berk | 240 | 1 | 1 | $233,800 |
| 7 | Chris Hunichen | 218 | 0 | 3 | $211,450 |
| 8 | Qinghai Pan | 218 | 0 | 3 | $204,975 |
| 9 | Drake Kemper | 210 | 0 | 2 | $147,775 |
| 10 | Landon Tice | 206 | 0 | 2 | $198,675 |
Photo credit: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.
