In a whirlwind of action, a little‑buy‑in $600 Mixed NLH/PLO event at the 2026 WSOP turned into one of the toughest final tables ever — and Missouri grinder Brent Gregory emerged with the glory.
The 2026 World Series of Poker delivered a sensational subplot this week in its $600 Mixed No‑Limit Hold’em/Pot‑Limit Omaha Deepstack, where 3,332 entrants battled for a $204,140 top prize. What began as a modest buy‑in tournament transformed into a high‑voltage showdown featuring poker royalty — and ended with a relative newcomer, Brent Gregory, seizing his first bracelet in dramatic fashion.
From Low Buy‑In to High Drama
PokerNews framed the final table as “the sickest final table ever in a $600 buy‑in” event, noting names like Maurice Hawkins, Josh Reichard, Daniel Negreanu, and Alex Foxen among the nine survivors — a lineup more common in elite high‑roller action than budget buy‑ins (pokernews.com).
Gregory, a familiar face on mid‑stakes circuits with past titles at RunGood Poker Series and the Orleans Winter Poker Open, wasn’t expected by many to hold his own. Yet he entered the final nine as chip leader and carried that momentum through heads‑up play to capture his first WSOP bracelet and the career‑best payday of $204,140 (pokernews.com).
A Dramatic Cascade of Eliminations
The eliminations that followed read like a poker thriller. One of the key hands featured Maurice Hawkins against Daniel Negreanu — a battle that saw Negreanu scooped by a brutal turn‑to‑river transition. With a heart flush on the turn, Negreanu appeared poised for a double‑up. But Hawkins caught a full house on the river, sending the six‑bracelet legend to an eighth‑place exit and cementing Hawkins’ status as an even fiercer competitor in the field (pokernews.com).
Momentum swung back and forth. Hawkins vaulted into the chip lead after knocking out John Holley with a set of tens, then executed a massive three‑way bluff flap that eliminated both Foxen and Ghosn, leaving him holding two‑thirds of the chips in play. Meanwhile, Gregory stayed patient, capitalizing on opportunities as they arose (pokernews.com).
Heads‑up against Hawkins, Gregory found his chance. After doubling through Reichard earlier, he gained belief — and eventually clinched the bracelet, proving that grit and timing can topple even the most decorated of foes (pokernews.com).
Legacy, Redemption, and New Beginnings
Hawkins’ final table run carried weight beyond one event. With a record‑setting 25 WSOP Circuit rings to his name, the bracelet remained the one trophy eluding his highly decorated résumé. PokerNews had built anticipation around his opportunity for redemption in this event (pokernews.com).
Negreanu, meanwhile, was hunting an eighth bracelet — one that would have come in what is by far the largest field he has ever run deep in. PokerNews noted he’d never won an event of this scale, with his previous largest win coming in a 479‑entry Limit Hold’em field back in 2008 (pokernews.com). That made his early elimination particularly notable, even for a legend of his stature.
For Alex Foxen, who entered the table riding the momentum of his wife Kristen’s recent $25,000 High Roller victory, the outcome was another twist in a week Southern pitting high stakes against low buy‑in chaos (pokernews.com).
What It All Means
- Brent Gregory vaults from mid‑stakes standout to WSOP bracelet winner, turning a career highlight into a defining moment.
- Daniel Negreanu’s deep run ends abruptly — a reminder that even the greats can find themselves wrathfully felled by variance.
- Maurice Hawkins comes agonizingly close to finally winning a bracelet — his deep run underscores both his consistency and his infamous near‑misses.
- WSOP proves again that in poker, wild mixes of pros and grinders can explode expectations and deliver headline‑grabbing drama, even at lower stakes.
Final Table Payouts
- 1st – Brent Gregory (United States): $204,140
- 2nd – Maurice Hawkins (United States): $135,864
- 3rd – Josh Reichard (United States): $99,831
- 4th – John Ghosn (United States): $73,984
- 5th – Alex Foxen (United States): $55,305
- 6th – John Holley (United States): $41,703
- 7th – Kelly Mahana (United States): $31,724
- 8th – Daniel Negreanu (Canada): $24,347
- 9th – Sonny Franco (France): $18,854
This $600 tournament may not have the glamour of the Main Event, but it delivered one of the most electrifying final tables of the 2026 series — and offered a reminder that poker’s drama doesn’t always come with a high buy‑in tag.
Sources
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