Rarely in life is there a second chance. Sterling Lopez received this opportunity and wrote a special chapter in his career by winning his first WSOP bracelet. The American won the Event #92 (US$ 3,000 T.O.R.S.E.) and took home US$ 247,842 after defeating Jesse Lonis in heads-up.
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Thus, the result had a special meaning for Lopez. Exactly one year ago, he reached the final table of the same competition and finished only in sixth place, earning US$ 40,753 at the time. This time, however, he came back better prepared and turned the opportunity into the biggest title of his career.
Meanwhile, the tournament gathered 457 entries and distributed US$ 1,220,190 in prizes. Only 20 players returned for the decisive day, which featured several mixed games specialists fighting for one of the last bracelets of the series. Among the Brazilians, Renan Bruschi was the only one to reach the payout zone. He finished the tournament in 20th place, receiving US$ 8,666.
Additionally, Sterling Lopez stated that he entered the final much more confident because of the experience gained in 2025. “I felt much more comfortable. It was the second time. Last year I reached Day 3 and felt there was no pressure because I had been through this situation before”, he said after the victory.
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Check out the final table payouts:
| Position | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Sterling Lopez | United States | US$ 247,842 |
| 2nd | Jesse Lonis | United States | US$ 160,862 |
| 3rd | Gary Bolden | United States | US$ 106,912 |
| 4th | Alex Livingston | Canada | US$ 72,791 |
| 5th | David Bach | United States | US$ 50,801 |
| 6th | Panela Qinghai | United States | US$ 36,363 |
Champion highlights patience and celebrates revenge
Sterling Lopez revealed that he almost did not return to Las Vegas to play the tournament. Still, he decided to travel just for the weekend and ended up being rewarded with the first bracelet of his career. “I definitely got my revenge. I came back just for this tournament and it was totally worth it”, he said.
However, the champion highlighted the high technical level of the final table. According to Lopez, facing big names in mixed games made the title even more important. “You have to compete. That’s why I came back. I love playing tournaments against these guys”, he explained.
Finally, Lopez gave advice to those who want to explore mixed poker variants. The American encouraged new players to accept different challenges. “Have fun. Hold’em gets repetitive after a while. It’s always fun to challenge yourself and try something new”, he concluded.
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