Sterling Lopez Wins Event #92: $3,000 T.O.R.S.E

Just 20 players returned to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas today for Event #92: $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. out of the 457 initial entrants that generated $1,220,190 for the prize pool. Many of the game’s most decorated players came back hunting for one of the last mixed game bracelets of the summer and the $247,842 that would be awarded to the winner. After around 12 hours of play, that field of 20 was reduced to just one.

It was a year ago to the day that Sterling Lopez came into the final table of the 2025 edition of the $3,000 T.O.R.S.E., where he finished in sixth place for $40,753 in his highest WSOP bracelet event finish. This year, he returned with a vengeance and beat Jesse Lonis heads-up to claim his first WSOP bracelet.

Event #92: $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. Final Table Results

“I felt a lot more comfortable,” Lopez said minutes after his win, discussing his start-of-day position. “It is the second time. Last year, I came in 16/17 into Day 3 in this event. I felt like there was no pressure; I’ve been in that spot before, and it felt good.”

“Definitely got the revenge,” he joked about making this tournament’s final table again. “I flew back for this tournament, just for the weekend. I was on the fence about coming back because I can’t really take that much time off, but it was definitely worth it.”

Lopez had two pieces of WSOP jewelry in the form of two rings, coming in PLO in Lake Tahoe and Hammond, but a bracelet was not something in his possession prior to the day, making him the only player at the final table hunting for his first.

“You gotta compete, that’s what this game is all about. Entering this field specifically, you’re going to be playing against great players, there’s no doubt about it. It’s no surprise that this final table was probably one of the better final tables that you will see in mixed games. That’s why I came back; I love competing against these guys.”

The three-handed match saw the chip lead go back and forth between Lonis and Gary Bolden, who won this particular event when it was a HORSE tournament, while Lopez hung either at the middle of the pack or bottom. After a while of jockeying, Lopez overtook the overall lead, and the tournament was over less than an hour later.

“You just have to be patient, understand when the spots are going to come, trust that they will (or they won’t). You just can’t give up. You have to give yourself a chance to spin. I never felt like I was down and out, I still had enough to battle with.”

With numbers up in mixed game tournaments throughout the series, Lopez had some parting words of wisdom for the newer crowd getting involved in mixed games.

“Have a good time! Hold’em gets boring after a while, and you can only last so much tanking. I couldn’t take it anymore, so it’s always fun to challenge yourself and try something new. I don’t think I am the best player in the world by any means, it’s just always fun to try a new challenge.”

Day 3 Action

The eliminations came quickly at the beginning of the day as players like Joseph Bowers (20th-$10,241) and Thomas Taylor (19th-$10,241) quickly departed. 25k Fantasy players began falling quickly after as Nick Guagenti (17th-$12,471), Naoya Kihara (16th-$12,471), Marco Johnson (14th-$12,471), Viktor Blom (12th-$12,471), and Brandon Shack-Harris (11th-$15,633) all hit the rail.

A double elimination saw no need for an unofficial final table as Larry Tull found himself all in with kings in Stud Hi-Lo up against David Bach’s low cards and pair of sevens. The kings did improve, while Bach made two pair to scoop the pot, eliminating Tull in eighth place for $20,158. At the other table, Menikos Panagiotou saw his three eights go up in flames against two full houses belonging to Qinghai Pan and Lonis. Lonis’ full house was superior, and he raked in a sizable pot to come into the final table with 40% of the chips in play, while Panagiotou was eliminated in seventh place for $26,715.

After the players returned from dinner break, Pan was unable to spin up his short stack, and he got in his chips against Bolden in Triple Draw. His eight-seven was unable to hold up against Bolden, who made number three, and the WSOP bracelet winner took his leave from the tournament in sixth place for $36,363.

Bach collected $50,801 for his fifth-place finish after that, when he found himself anted down to just four chips. His final hand came in Seven-Card Stud, where he made kings up on sixth street as a sizable side pot was played between Alex Livingston and Lopez. Lopez ended with aces up to win, Livingston got short, and the three-time WSOP bracelet winner Bach took his leave.

Livingston was unable to spin up his stack, and he found himself short in the 2-7 Triple Draw round. In a three-bet pot, Livingston was drawing against Lonis and Bolden, who built a large side pot. Livingston ended up with number four, but it was no good against Lonis’ wheel, and the two-time WSOP bracelet winner collected $72,791 for his fourth-place finish.

The three-handed match saw the lead switch back and forth between Lonis and Bolden, while Lopez hung around as the shortest stack of the three. A Razz rush shifted the tide into the Alaskan’s favor as he became the first player of the three to cross the eight-figure mark.

It was a relatively quick affair to get from three-handed to a winner as Bolden fell in third place to Lopez in the 2-7 Triple Draw round. Bolden ended with nine-perfect only to see Lopez draw to an eight, and the WSOP bracelet winner collected $106,912 for his efforts.

Only forty minutes of heads-up play were needed before a winner was crowned, as Lopez’s lead over Lonis never vanished. The two players found themselves in a Stud pot, and Lopez made an eight-high straight on seventh to win the pot and eliminate the two-time WSOP bracelet winner in second place, as Lonis collected $160,862.

That will conclude today’s coverage of Event #92: $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage on the ground at the 2026 WSOP in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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