After 17 events packed with mixed-game action, memorable final tables, and standout performances, the 2026 King of Mix series officially came to a close. Players battled through a wide variety of formats including NLHE, PLO, Badugi, Triple Draw, T.H.O.R.S.E., and specialty mixed games, all while chasing titles, prize money, and valuable Player of the Series points.
At the end of an incredible week of poker, one player stood above the rest.
Congratulations to Kevin Kent, the 2026 King of Mix Player of the Series!
Kevin put together one of the most consistent performances of the entire tournament, making multiple final tables and scoring deep runs across several different formats. His runner-up finish in the series finale ultimately secured the title and capped off an impressive week.
| Points | Player |
|---|---|
| 17 | Kevin Kent |
| 16 | David Smith |
| 15 | Michael Krescanko |
| 12 | Ryan Hughes |
| 10 | Brandon Silberfine |
| 9 | David James |
| 7 | Shahram Tousi |
| 7 | Frankie O'Dell |
The 2026 King of Mix series kicked off with a huge turnout for the opening $800 NLHE event, and Ryan Hughes wasted no time making an early statement in the Player of the Series race. Hughes battled through a tough field and a stacked final table to earn the first trophy of the series along with a $28,603 payday. Robby McClintock and Benjamin Tang rounded out the top three in one of the largest prize pools of the week.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Ryan Hughes | $28,603 |
| 2 | Robby McClintock | $26,846 |
| 3 | Benjamin Tang | $24,484 |
| 4 | Jason Leifer | $18,905 |
| 5 | James Sedlacek | $18,530 |
| 6 | Joseph Cook | $17,567 |
| 7 | Henry McCardle | $15,267 |
| 8 | David Gee | $6,500 |
| 9 | Robert Blackmer | $5,200 |
| 10 | Guest K. | $4,200 |
| 11 | Michael Basco | $4,200 |
| 12 | Tanner Lefferts | $3,100 |
| 13 | Sean Wright | $3,100 |
| 14 | Huy Nguyen | $2,300 |
| 15 | Benjamin Edson | $2,300 |
| 16 | Brandon Conrad | $2,300 |
| 17 | Norman Nelson | $2,300 |
| 18 | Michael Taylor | $1,800 |
| 19 | Kevin Stevens | $1,800 |
| 20 | Jay Hindman | $1,800 |
| 21 | Michael Scully | $1,800 |
| 22 | Vinny Tran | $1,800 |
| 23 | Glenn Zellman | $1,800 |
| 24 | William Stabler | $1,800 |
| 25 | Jonathan Wright | $1,800 |
| 26 | Gary Waters | $1,800 |
| 27 | Maxx Coleman | $1,600 |
| 28 | Christopher Hamby | $1,600 |
| 29 | Alex Abariotes | $1,600 |
| 30 | Patrick Beavers | $1,600 |
| 31 | Erik Gault | $1,600 |
| 32 | David Volas | $1,600 |
| 33 | Richard Hanley | $1,600 |
| 34 | Jack Simon | $1,600 |
| 35 | Troy Sprungl | $1,600 |
| 36 | Ryan Stiner | $1,600 |
| 37 | Brian Biggs | $1,600 |
Saturday evening brought another packed field as players returned for the $500 NLHE event. Clayton Hardt emerged victorious after navigating a competitive final table, taking home $13,140 and the second title of the series. Brandon Silberfine’s third-place finish would prove important later in the week as he steadily climbed the Player of the Series leaderboard.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Clayton Hardt | $13,140 |
| 2 | James Young | $11,441 |
| 3 | Brandon Silberfine | $6,100 |
| 4 | Joseph Leger | $4,600 |
| 5 | Stephen Hunsaker | $3,800 |
| 6 | Yarron Bendor | $3,100 |
| 7 | Daniel Stebbins | $2,300 |
| 8 | Moussa Haddad | $1,900 |
| 9 | Kevin Kent | $1,500 |
| 10 | Howard Holtkamp | $1,200 |
| 11 | Brock Blikre | $1,200 |
| 12 | Nick Blakiston | $1,000 |
| 13 | Brian Perzinski | $1,000 |
The first major Omaha event of the series drew a talented field of four-card specialists, and David Smith came away with the title after a dominant performance from start to finish. Smith collected more than $20K for the victory and immediately established himself as one of the top contenders in the Player of the Series standings. David James also made a deep run with a third-place finish.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | David Smith | $20,573 |
| 2 | Steven Golenda | $17,744 |
| 3 | David James | $12,030 |
| 4 | Robin Foss | $11,143 |
| 5 | Luke Nelson | $6,700 |
| 6 | Steven Josephsen | $5,400 |
| 7 | Ashton Nikzad | $4,000 |
| 8 | Hooman Nikzad | $3,400 |
| 9 | Erik Kaneshiro | $2,700 |
| 10 | Anthony Arvidson | $2,200 |
Fast structures and nonstop action defined the $300 NLHE Turbo, where Brett Shaffer came out on top after a quick-moving final table. Kevin Kent and Ryan Hughes both continued their strong starts to the series with podium finishes, adding valuable leaderboard points early in the schedule.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Brett Shaffer | $6,700 |
| 2 | Kevin Kent | $3,945 |
| 3 | Ryan Hughes | $2,700 |
| 4 | Andre Pastrana | $2,000 |
| 5 | David Sobel | $1,700 |
| 6 | David Bach | $1,300 |
| 7 | Robert Defabrizio | $1,000 |
| 8 | Patrick Ford | $800 |
The first true mixed-game event of the series belonged to Michael Krescanko, who showcased his versatility in the Arizona 4-Game Mix. Krescanko defeated a tough final table that included several familiar mixed-game regulars and picked up a key victory that helped propel him toward a top-three Player of the Series finish.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Michael Krescanko | $8,076 |
| 2 | Rafat Shomali | $7,754 |
| 3 | Yarron Bendor | $7,175 |
| 4 | Pierre Dotson | $6,957 |
| 5 | Ezequiel Rodrigo | $5,886 |
| 6 | Michael Krescanko Jr | $2,800 |
| 7 | James Sedlacek | $2,100 |
| 8 | Shasha Shen | $1,800 |
| 9 | Matthew Mortensen | $1,400 |
| 10 | Allen King | $1,200 |
| 11 | Francis Whitaker | $1,200 |
The action stayed high in the 5-Card PLO Progressive Bounty, where Brandon Silberfine captured his first title of the series. The bounty format created nonstop swings throughout the tournament, but Silberfine held strong down the stretch to secure the win and continue building momentum in the leaderboard race.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Brandon Silberfine | $4,913 |
| 2 | Charles Tucker | $4,911 |
| 3 | Sean Deacon | $2,500 |
| 4 | Guest K. | $1,900 |
| 5 | Melissa Frintner | $1,600 |
| 6 | Christopher Chamberlin | $1,200 |
| 7 | Kevin Kent | $900 |
| 8 | John Brinkman | $800 |
| 9 | Samuel Panzica | $600 |
| 10 | Rod Chern | $500 |
| 11 | Benjamin Martin | $500 |
| 12 | Lawrence Landay | $400 |
| 13 | Richard Crystal | $400 |
Nicholas Pupillo earned one of the biggest victories of the entire festival in the $600 PLO Mix, taking home $21,700 after a dominant final table performance. The event drew one of the toughest Omaha fields of the series, making Pupillo’s victory even more impressive.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Nicholas Pupillo | $21,700 |
| 2 | Erik Gault | $12,550 |
| 3 | Michael Taylor | $9,400 |
| 4 | Senh Cong | $7,100 |
| 5 | Yarron Bendor | $5,900 |
| 6 | Nicholas Fountotos | $4,700 |
| 7 | Elijah Ruffin | $3,500 |
| 8 | Steven Josephsen | $2,900 |
| 9 | Thomas McCormick | $2,400 |
| 10 | Cary Christensen | $1,900 |
| 11 | Josh Mok | $1,900 |
| 12 | Rubin Katanov | $1,600 |
| 13 | Benjamin Edson | $1,400 |
| 14 | Maxwell Sheridan | $1,400 |
| 15 | Colton Blomberg | $1,400 |
| 16 | Ryan Johnson | $1,400 |
| 17 | John Corrigan | $1,200 |
| 18 | Preston Heller | $1,200 |
| 19 | Brian Stonoff | $1,200 |
| 20 | Christopher Chamberlain | $1,200 |
Badugi took center stage on Tuesday night, and Michael Krescanko added a second title to his already impressive series resume. Ryan Hughes also continued stacking leaderboard points with another deep run, keeping the Player of the Series race tight heading into the middle of the schedule.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Michael Krescanko | $4,405 |
| 2 | Nicholas Blakiston | $3,759 |
| 3 | Philip Guana | $2,040 |
| 4 | Ryan Hughes | $1,530 |
| 5 | Eric Steve | $1,280 |
| 6 | Kevin Kent | $1,020 |
| 7 | Brian Mosbey | $770 |
Poker Hall of Famer Frankie O'Dell demonstrated exactly why he remains one of the most respected mixed-game players in poker, capturing the T.H.O.R.S.E. title after a strong final-table performance. The win vaulted O'Dell into the Player of the Series standings late in the week.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Frankie O’Dell | $13,665 |
| 2 | Anthony Willm | $9,000 |
| 3 | Samuel Panzica | $5,700 |
| 4 | Ryan Hughes | $4,300 |
| 5 | Christopher Adams | $3,600 |
| 6 | Raed Salem | $2,900 |
| 7 | Charles Tucker | $2,100 |
| 8 | Senh Cong | $1,800 |
| 9 | Elijah Ruffin | $1,400 |
| 10 | Robert Amereno | $1,200 |
Dan Wang captured the Pineapple Mix title after navigating another entertaining mixed-game final table. Kevin Kent continued his remarkable consistency with a third-place finish, keeping himself firmly in contention for Player of the Series honors.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Dan Wang | $6,700 |
| 2 | Richard Crystal | $3,925 |
| 3 | Kevin Kent | $2,700 |
| 4 | Matthew Maybury | $2,000 |
| 5 | Petros Theocharides | $1,700 |
| 6 | Sharam Tousi | $1,300 |
| 7 | Mark McGaffin | $1,000 |
| 8 | David Werba | $800 |
| 9 | Chris Perry | $700 |
The Triple Draw Mix brought together another highly skilled mixed-game field, and Thomas Wentzel emerged victorious after a disciplined and consistent performance throughout the day. Wentzel earned just over $10K for the win, while Marc Shubbe and Brian Garber completed the top three. Frankie O'Dell added another deep finish to continue climbing the Player of the Series leaderboard heading into the final stretch of the series.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Thomas Wentzel | $10,013 |
| 2 | Marc Shubbe | $6,921 |
| 3 | Brian Garber | $5,830 |
| 4 | Frankie O’Dell | $3,500 |
| 5 | Ryan Johnson | $2,900 |
| 6 | Quezon Raguindin | $2,300 |
| 7 | Louis Perrone | $1,800 |
| 8 | Yarron Bendor | $1,500 |
| 9 | Venkata Tayi | $1,200 |
| 10 | Timothy Batow | $600 |
Thursday night’s NLHE Progressive Bounty delivered another fast-paced and action-heavy tournament, with Shahram Tousi coming away with the victory. Tousi closed strong at the final table to earn the title and move into the Player of the Series standings. Austin Erickson finished runner-up, while Richard Crystal added another impressive cash to his series results.
| 1 | Shahram Tousi | $6,775 |
| 2 | Austin Erickson | $4,230 |
| 3 | Guest K. | $2,700 |
| 4 | Richard Crystal | $2,100 |
| 5 | Robert Thompson | $1,700 |
| 6 | Gregory Sundberg | $1,400 |
| 7 | Bjorn Peterson | $1,000 |
| 8 | Jeffrey Weninger | $900 |
| 9 | Marlou Heiland | $700 |
| 10 | Mark Babekov | $500 |
The centerpiece event of the series delivered a stacked field and an elite final table worthy of the King of Mix name. After two days of play, Venkata Tayi emerged as the official 2026 King of Mix Champion, earning $28,500 and one of the most prestigious titles of the week. Michael Krescanko’s third-place finish kept the Player of the Series race alive heading into the final weekend, while several top mixed-game players made deep runs in the championship event.
| 1 | Venkata Tayi | $28,500 |
| 2 | Fu Wong | $17,025 |
| 3 | Michael Krescanko | $11,400 |
| 4 | Ryan Johnson | $8,500 |
| 5 | Christopher Claassen | $7,100 |
| 6 | Christopher Vitch | $5,700 |
| 7 | David Levi | $4,300 |
| 8 | Charles Tucker | $3,600 |
Friday evening featured another Omaha battle as Jonathan Mendoza captured the Event 14 title in the $300 PLO Mix. Mendoza topped a competitive field to earn the win, while David Smith continued one of the strongest overall performances of the series with another deep final-table finish that kept him within striking distance of the Player of the Series lead.
| 1 | Jonathan Mendoza | $8,700 |
| 2 | David Smith | $5,210 |
| 3 | Jorge Uribe | $3,500 |
| 4 | Mark Simsuangco | $2,600 |
| 5 | Todd Aron | $2,200 |
| 6 | Ryan Hughes | $1,700 |
| 7 | Brandon Silberfine | $1,300 |
| 8 | Graham Mathews | $1,100 |
| 9 | Kim Olson | $900 |
| 10 | David Werba | $700 |
| 11 | Christian Ziegeler | $700 |
| 12 | Nicolas Adamakis | $500 |
| 13 | Ryan Vink | $500 |
One of the most unique events on the schedule brought a fun and energetic atmosphere to the series as players teamed up for the 5-Card PLO Tag Team event. David James and Eric Hicks combined forces for an impressive run to the title, earning $16,000 for the victory. Colton Blomberg and Kevin Kent finished third, giving Kent another important boost in the Player of the Series race entering the final day.
| 1 | David James / Eric Hicks | $16,000 |
| 2 | Matthew Carter / Dominic Brazier | $9,540 |
| 3 | Colton Blomberg / Kevin Kent | $6,500 |
| 4 | Robin Foss / Corbin Nash | $4,900 |
| 5 | Ryan Stiner / Daniel Allen | $4,100 |
| 6 | Troy Sprungl / Michael Taylor | $3,300 |
| 7 | Patrick Ford / Ezequiel Rodrigo | $2,400 |
| 8 | Vinny Tran / Tal Ron | $2,000 |
| 9 | Ryan Hughes / Steven Gorder | $1,800 |
| 10 | Senh Cong / Abdel Hamid | $1,600 |
With the Player of the Series race tightening late in the schedule, David Smith delivered a massive performance in Event 16 to capture his second title of the series. Smith earned $18,500 for the victory and nearly chased down the series lead heading into the finale. Aleksandr Gavrielov and Lee Farris rounded out the top three in one of the final big NLHE fields of the week.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | David Smith | $18,500 |
| 2 | Aleksandr Gavrielov | $12,645 |
| 3 | Lee Farris | $8,300 |
| 4 | Brian Kent | $6,200 |
| 5 | Ryan Vink | $5,200 |
| 6 | Wenjie Kan | $4,200 |
| 7 | Mark McGaffin | $3,100 |
| 8 | Alex Abariotes | $2,600 |
| 9 | Balram Bhandari | $2,100 |
| 10 | Mark Edmonds | $1,700 |
| 11 | Guest K. | $1,700 |
| 12 | Farley Penaflorida | $1,200 |
| 13 | Glenn Zellman | $1,200 |
| 14 | Troy Tobin | $1,100 |
| 15 | Kristin Bertilson | $1,100 |
| 16 | George Keleman | $1,100 |
| 17 | Fernando Orellana | $1,100 |
| 18 | Danielle Laiken | $1,000 |
| 19 | David Mock | $1,000 |
| 20 | Sara Dehghani | $500 |
The 2026 King of Mix series came to a close with the $800 NLHE & 4-Card PLO finale, where Francis Kelly captured the final trophy of the festival after an impressive performance against another tough mixed field. Kevin Kent’s runner-up finish proved to be the final result needed to officially secure the Player of the Series title, capping off a remarkable week filled with consistency across multiple formats.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Francis Kelly | $14,993 |
| 2 | Kevin Kent | $12,720 |
| 3 | Guy Cannon | $12,440 |
| 4 | Luciano Pascale | $10,990 |
| 5 | Melissa Frintner | $9,759 |
| 6 | Michael Zucker | $9,407 |
| 7 | Joseph De Luca | $7,928 |
| 8 | Brian Phillis | $8,380 |
| 9 | Ezequiel Rodrigo | $3,000 |
| 10 | Brian Bank | $2,400 |
| 11 | Moussa Haddad | $2,400 |
| 12 | Mark Simsuangco | $2,000 |
| 13 | Ronald Tilley | $2,000 |
| 14 | Ryan Johnson | $1,800 |
| 15 | Luke Desautels | $1,800 |
| 16 | David Volas | $1,600 |
| 17 | Donald Fulton | $1,600 |
| 18 | Kevin Lyng | $1,600 |
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2026 King of Mix series. From mixed-game specialists to first-time participants, the energy and competition throughout all 17 events helped make this one of the most exciting series yet.
Congratulations again to all of our champions, finalists, and cashers — and especially to Kevin Kent, your 2026 King of Mix Player of the Series!
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