Justin Saliba Slays the Opposition in PokerGO Cup Victory
The third PokerGO Cup event of the series was won by PokerStake seller Justin Saliba for over $96,000 after a late deal with fellow player James Carroll when heads-up led to the end of a thrilling tournament. The series, set in Las Vegas this Spring, features 10 events and has already seen wins for Kent Stephens and Filipp Kavin in the opening two events. Now the race is on to become the overall leaderboard winner.
The Toughest Bubble
With 86 total entries in Event #3 of the 2026 PokerGO Cup, the $5,000-entry No-Limit Hold’em Single-Day event saw John Riordan bust on the bubble in 14th place. In one tournament, this would feel unlucky, but in back-to-back events? Yes, it was Riordan who missed the money by the slimmest margin in Event #2, and he suffered the same fate again when Justin Saliba made the call with ace-deuce. Riordan led the way with pocket jacks but an ace on the flop ended his hopes and the field was in the money.
Immediate $10,750 min-cashes swiftly followed for Matthew Wantman (13th) and Neil Warren (12th), while Jeremy Becker cashed for $12,900 in 11th place. A PokerStake superstar followed next for the same amount, as Cherish Andrews busted in 10th place for a profitable result for her and her PokerStake investors.
After the eliminations of Joao Simao (9th for $12,900) and Justin Zaki (8th for $17,200), the final table of seven was set. At that stage, Justin Saliba had the chip lead with 2.6 million chips, with his closest challenger being Sam Laskowitz on 1,875,000, and his fellow PokerStake player Chino Rheem on a stack of 1.6 million.
Chino Cashes Out
It wasn’t long before there was a quick elimination at the final table and it was Eric Blair who was the victim of it, cashing for $17,200 in seventh place. All-in with 
, Blair lost to James Carrol’s 
when an ace came on the flop. Blair had a redraw to a Broadway straight on turn and river but nothing came to help him and the field was reduced to six players.
Another PokerStake player, Jeremy Ausmus, busted next. The popular six-time WSOP bracelet winner and recent vlogging legend was al-in on a flop of 
with pocket sixes. While Ausmus was correct in thinking Saliba hadn’t hit the flop, his 
was already better than Jeremy’s hand and both turn and river bricked, sending Jeremy to the rail with $21,500 in sixth place.
Jeremy’s fellow PokerStake stablemate Chino Rheem was the next to go as he busted in fifth place for $30,100. All-in pre-flop with ace-jack, Chino made the correct call after James Carroll had shoved with 
but the board had other ideas. The flop of 
looked safe enough but after a 
turn, the 
on the river gave Carroll a flush and sent Chino to the rail in Event #3.
Saliba Slays Carroll
“Once it went from seven to four players, I got freed up a little bit.”
With four men left, Carroll looked in charge and led by some way after he took out Timothy Capretta with a dominating ace for $38,700. The luckless Sam Laskowitz soon followed in third place for $53,750, whose 
couldn’t beat Justin’s ace-seven, which eventually found a straight on the river after Laskowitz had earlier hit top pair.
Heads-up, Carroll had the lead, but Justin’s dominating 
beat Carroll’s 
to switch the lead after an ICM deal had been reached. Soon, it was all over in opposite fashion, Justin’s dominated 
beating Carroll’s 
when a board of 
paired up Justin’s queen and ended the event in his favor.
“Obviously I ran very hot. I got kings a lot, got aces a lot, and played a lot of fun hands,” the ever-modest Justin told reporters after the event. “There was a lot of tension at the final table with the stacks, and I had James on my left. He was very good and very aggressive, so I was kind of locked for a little bit of the final table. But once it went from seven to four players, I got freed up a little bit and just ran hot from there.”
After victory, Justin credited the humor and charisma of his PokerStake stablemates in helping him stave off jetlag following his flight in from Paris.
“I was just in Paris playing every day and came straight here,” he said. “If you’re only in grind mode all the time you’re going to burn out. Playing with guys like Jeremy and Chino just makes it enjoyable. I was very jet-lagged, so I was trying to keep my energy up and have fun early. Once the final table came, it was time to lock back in.”
Another superb win for Justin Saliba and a top ten packed with PokerStake players – what a result in Las Vegas all round.
| PGT PokerGO Cup Event #3 $5,000 Single Day NLHE Final Table Results: | |||
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Justin Saliba | United States | *$96,400 |
| 2nd | James Carroll | United States | *$94,950 |
| 3rd | Sam Laskowitz | United States | $53,750 |
| 4th | Timothy Capretta | United States | $38,700 |
| 5th | Chino Rheem | United States | $30,100 |
| 6th | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | $21,500 |
| 7th | Eric Blair | United States | $17,200 |