Eight Deuce · 2026 Tournament of Champions
Juan Lopez Clears the Table for the Tournament of Champions Trophy
Five knockouts, an eight-minute heads-up, and top pair of aces on the final hand bring Juan Lopez $505 and the trophy in his first Tournament of Champions since 2022.
Juan Lopez had not sat down at a Tournament of Champions table in four years, and he made up for every missed night at once. Four hours, 19 minutes, and 58 seconds in the chair, five knockouts — tying Steve McLean’s 2022 Tournament of Champions record — and an eight-minute, one-second heads-up duel against Shawn Miller put the trophy and the $505 first prize in his hands. With the blinds at 6,000 and 12,000, Juan raised from the small blind to 36,000 and Shawn called in the big blind. The flop brought the ace of spades, jack of hearts, and three of clubs. Juan bet 36,000, Shawn moved all in, and Juan snap-called. Shawn turned over the jack and nine of clubs for second pair, while Juan tabled the ace and ten of clubs for top pair with a ten kicker. The five of clubs on the turn gave both players a flush draw — with Juan holding the nut draw — and the six of hearts on the river locked it up for Juan’s aces.
Juan punched his ticket to the post-season showcase by winning #57 in July to go with a third-place cash at #55 in May. His only previous Tournament of Champions appearance came back in 2022, when he finished runner-up to Mac. This time he finished the job, adding the 2026 Tournament of Champions trophy alongside his four Eight Deuce regular-season wins and five career regular-season wins including the Canterberry Poker League.
Shawn collected $275 for second. He earned his seat with a victory at #56 in June and added a runner-up finish at #59 in September, then broke through here for his first Tournament of Champions cash after four previous trips without reaching the money. Andrew Shier took third and $80 in his Tournament of Champions debut. He qualified on points after cashing in three of the year’s first four events — second in January, fourth in March, and third in April — and picked up two knockouts before Juan ended his run eight minutes before the final hand. All three players in the money went the distance on their original buy-in.
Where the money went
| Player | Prize | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Lopez | $505 |
| 2 | Shawn Miller | $275 |
| 3 | Andrew Shier | $80 |
The undercard
The bubble fell on Mac, the April winner at #54, who went out in fourth after doing plenty of damage of his own. He recorded three knockouts, sending last year’s Tournament of Champions winner Warren Mervin home in eighth and October finale winner Jeff Ferguson out in fifth after both had rebought.
Eric Denny, who earned his seat by winning #55 in May and remains the only player to take part in all six editions of the Tournament of Champions, notched one knockout before Juan eliminated him in sixth. That started Juan’s closing tear: he knocked out Eric in sixth, Mac on the bubble in fourth, Andrew in third, and Shawn heads-up. Earlier in the evening, Andrew knocked out both of the other at-large qualifiers, sending Brian Connolly out first overall after two hours, 29 minutes, and 36 seconds in ninth and Justin Vaughn home in seventh.
How the field was set
Winning a regular-season tournament earns a seat in the Tournament of Champions. A player who wins more than once does not take a second seat; each additional win opens a seat for the highest-ranked player in the final standings who has not won. Ten regular-season nights in 2026 produced seven winners: Joe Johnson, Mac, Eric, Shawn, Juan, Warren, and Jeff. Joe’s four wins on the way to the Player of the Year title opened three at-large seats for Brian, Andrew, and Justin. Because a qualifier may miss the event and a vacated seat is not passed down, Joe’s absence left a nine-player field to battle for the $860 pool. Next up is the Annual Denny Poker Tournament on Saturday, November 14.
Eight Deuce · 2026 Tournament of Champions — Friday, October 30, 2026. 9 entrants and 2 rebuys, three paid from an $860 prize pool. The field is built from the season’s tournament winners and top non-winning qualifiers; the event is separate from the Eight Deuce regular season and does not count toward the Player of the Year.