Deal Made, Title Won: Justin Saliba Captures PokerGO Cup Event #3

Justin Saliba topped a subject of 86 entries to win Occasion #3: $5,100 No-Restrict Maintain’em Single-Day on the 2026 PokerGO Cup contained in the PokerGO Studio at ARIA in Las Vegas, incomes $96,400 and the match trophy. Saliba defeated James Carroll heads-up after the 2 agreed to an ICM deal that redistributed the remaining prize pool whereas leaving $10,000 and the trophy to play for, with Saliba in the end closing it out to safe the victory.

Last Desk Outcomes

*denotes ICM chop

Saliba Runs Scorching and Stays Unfastened on the Technique to Victory

Saliba credited each robust playing cards and a relaxed desk dynamic for serving to him navigate the one-day occasion and in the end shut out the win.

“I really feel good,” Saliba mentioned after the victory. “Clearly I ran extremely popular. I acquired kings lots, acquired aces lots, and performed numerous enjoyable fingers.”

Regardless of the robust run of playing cards, the ultimate desk wasn’t with out its challenges. Saliba had eventual runner-up James Carroll seated on to his left, forcing him to be affected person early on.

“There was numerous pressure on the ultimate desk with the stacks, and I had James on my left,” Saliba defined. “He was superb and really aggressive, so I used to be sort of locked for just a little little bit of the ultimate desk. However as soon as it went from seven to 4 gamers, I acquired freed up just a little bit and simply ran sizzling from there.”

One of many extra entertaining moments of the day got here earlier within the match when Saliba acquired concerned in a pleasant facet wager with tablemates Chino Rheem and Jeremy Becker.

“We had a wager as a result of Jeremy (Becker) had three-bet eight-three offsuit earlier close to the bubble,” Saliba mentioned. “Chino principally mentioned in case you win a hand with eight-three, he’d pay $500. I mentioned I wished to get in on that wager.”

Only a few fingers later, Saliba picked up the very hand in query.

“5 fingers later, I get dealt eight-three off swimsuit on the button,” he mentioned with fun. “I raised masking each blinds and ended up in a giant pot. The runout was excellent, and I acquired to fireplace a triple-barrel bluff and present the eight-three for an additional $500 from Jeremy.”

Whereas the hand added some levity to the day, Saliba mentioned sustaining that steadiness between focus and enjoyable is vital throughout lengthy match classes.

“Once you play a lot reside poker, you get used to the grind,” Saliba mentioned. “I used to be simply in Paris taking part in day-after-day and got here straight right here. In case you’re solely in grind mode on a regular basis you’re going to burn out. Taking part in with guys like Jeremy and Chino simply makes it satisfying.”

Saliba admitted he was even battling jet lag all through the day however leaned into the relaxed ambiance till the ultimate desk required a shift in focus.

“I used to be positively very jet-lagged, so I used to be making an attempt to maintain my vitality up and have enjoyable early,” he mentioned. “Then as soon as the ultimate desk got here, it was time to lock again in.”

The short tempo of PokerGO Cup’s single-day occasions additionally requires a special psychological strategy in comparison with multi-day tournaments.

“It’s a bit completely different as a result of every little thing strikes sooner,” Saliba defined. “Common stacks are decrease and the swings come shortly. You don’t get to bag chips and go research for the subsequent day. You simply have to remain resilient and deal with taking part in every spot properly because it comes up.”

Bubble Boy Again-to-Again Days

One of many early storylines of the day got here on the cash bubble, the place John Riordan fell simply in need of a payday for the second day in a row. Riordan opened pocket jacks, and it folded to the eventual champion Saliba, who three-bet after which known as Riordan’s four-bet jam with ace-deuce suited, and flopped an ace to burst the bubble.

Riordan’s elimination marked the second straight day he bubbled an occasion on the PokerGO Cup, a brutal flip of occasions for the high-stakes professional.

Regardless of the comparatively modest subject measurement, the match attracted a number of massive names. Standard poker vlogger Ethan “Rampage” Yau, together with high-stakes crushers Jesse Lonis, Chris Hunichen, and Shannon Shorr, all took their photographs within the $5K occasion however had been unable to navigate their means into the cash.

As the sphere thinned, Saliba discovered himself among the many ultimate contenders and ultimately battled his approach to heads-up play towards Carroll. After the duo agreed to an ICM chop, play continued for the remaining $10,000 and the title, and it was Saliba who in the end got here out on high so as to add his third PokerGO Tour victory to his resume.

Make sure to observe PokerNews for reside updates and protection of the remainder of the 2026 PokerGO Cup, in addition to main poker occasions from across the globe.