2026 Tampa Poker Classic

2026 TPC in Review

by
Thien Nguyen, 2026 TPC Champion

The 2026 Tampa Poker Classic rolled out 11 trophy events over 12 days of action and we had a great turnout with old friends and new.

Events: 11
Entries:  2,114
Guarantees:  $500,000
Prize Pools:  $1,005,960

We offered up $500,000 in guarantee prize pools, plus the satellites that blasted their guarantees along the way, and paid out more than $1,000,000 over the course of the series.

The $1,700 buy-in TPC Championship was the big game on the schedule and it drew 838 entries over three starting flights. Thien Nguyen conquered a tough field and final table to win the Championship for $100,900.

We had 11 great winners during the series, and a lot of people made a lot of money. Thank you to everyone who came out and played. We look forward to seeing you at the 2026 Signature Poker Series running from July 15th through the 28.

You can find links to all TPC results below:

TPC Championship: Thien Nguyen – $100,900
Event 1 ($400 NLH): Justin Green – $50,090
Event 2 ($250 NLH): Sanjib Acharya – $8,171
Event 3 ($400 O8): Wayne Leonard – $6,300
Event 4 ($600 NLH): Pablo Valdivieso – $10,590
Event 5 ($400 Big O): Michael Gross – $6,690
Event 6 ($200 Bounty): Damian Dvorak – $2,515
Event 7 ($400 PLO): Grant Hart – $7,110
Event 9 ($400 NLH): Peter Santangelo – $11,450
Event 10 ($250 Seniors): Daniel Lehmann – $8,310
Event 11 ($300 Bounty): Peter Sellgren – $4,800

The Poker Room

2026 March Little Slick Chip Counts Through Flight B

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$200 Little Slick No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Current Prize Pool: $17,600
Players Remaining: 12 of 110
Day 2 Resume level 12 20:33 Blinds 1,500/3,000 with a 3,000 Ante

Flight A: 49 Entries, 5 Advanced
Flight B: 61 Entries, 7 Advanced
Flight C: Wednesday, March 18th at 10:00am
Flight D: Wednesday, March 18th at 6:00pm
Flight E: Thursday, March 19th at 10:00am
Flight F: Thursday, March 19th at 6:00pm
Flight G: Friday, March 20th at 10:00am
Flight H: Friday, March 20th at 6:00pm
Flight I: Saturday, March 21st at 10:00am
Day 2: Sunday, March 22nd at 11am

RankFirst NameLast NameCityStateChip Count
1NicholasBakshTemple TerraceFL435,000
2MarcioPeixotoOcoeeFL255,000
3MichaelCruzCocoaFL208,000
4FrankVitaleSpring HillFL200,000
5EricBlanchardClearwaterFL177,500
6RuthHagenFairview HeightsIL160,000
7SreenivasaKattaOdessaFL159,000
8MichaelVitaleHudsonFL157,000
9LyleVincentBrandonFL152,500
10JohnFeeneyTampaFL119,500
11JonathanCapersOcalaFL92,500
12ChaseKalivasPinellas ParkFL78,000
2026 Tampa Poker Classic

Gregory Sellgren Wins Final TPC Trophy in Heads-Up Deal for $4,800!

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2026 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 11
$200 + $100 Monster Stack Bounty NLH
Entries:  129
Prize Pool:  $19,350
Bounty Prize Pool:  $12,900
March 16, 2026

Gregory Sellgren, 2026 TPC Event 11 Champion

The final tournament on the TPC schedule was the $200 +$100 Monster Stack Black Chip Bounty with a ton of chips and cash up for grabs. After playing through the late night and into the early morning, Gregory Sellgren took the top spot for $4,800 in a heads-up deal.

Congrats Gregory!

PlaceFirst NameLast NameCityStatePrize Amount
1GregorySellgrenLas VegasNV$4,800 *
2AlanTaylorClearwaterFL$4,070 *
3LucasSadowskiWayneNJ$2,300
4ErikWoodTampaFL$1,610
5JohnMartinoTampaFL$1,160
6CoreyManleyApollo BeachFL$870
7BradleyToperThonotosassaFL$670
8DanielSchmidtPlant CityFL$540
9JohnAllegroSt AugustineFL$450
10JaimeDamianEsteroFL$390
11JosephRuizBonita SpringsFL$390
12JosiasCardoso Dos SantosTampaFL$390
13RobertPanetta JrValricoFL$350
14JacobWallaceCastle RockCO$350
15VincentTanicoRiverviewFL$350
16RishinPatelEl CerritoCA$330
17GregoryWilsonTampaFL$330
2026 Tampa Poker Classic

Daniel Lehmann Wins 2026 TPC Seniors Event Ouright for $8,310!

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2026 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 10
$250 Seniors 50+ No-Limit Hold’em
$10,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  152
Prize Pool:  $30,400
March 16, 2026

Daniel Lehmann, 2026 TPC Event 10 Champion

The $250 Seniors 50+ Event is always a great time, the TPC version drew 152 entries, more than tripling the $10,000 guarantee, and Daniel Lehmann took the top spot outright for $8,310!

Congrats Daniel!

PlaceFirst NameLast NameCityStatePrize Amount
1DanielLehmannLakelandFL$8,310
2RobertAleksivichClearfieldPA$5,150
3BrentBrunsSaint JosephMN$3,520
4AdamGoldgellLakelandFL$2,480
5WesleySkinnerTampaFL$1,800
6JamesBrowning JrPalm HarborFL$1,350
7CraigMillerWinter GardenFL$1,040
8LawrenceDowlingOrlandoFL$830
9MarkSessumsTampaFL$690
10CharlesHouleDavenportFL$590
11JohnWolfe IIIRiverviewFL$590
12RobertWingardLeicesterNC$590
13ChadKitchenWimaumaFL$520
14WilliamGilletteHarbor SpringsMI$520
15JamesMartinRochesterNY$520
16StephenDiamantasTampaFL$480
17Larry GlennBramlettPlant CityFL$480
18JamesMorrisseyLand O LakesFL$480
19KirkBrennamanMidvaleUT$460
2026 Tampa Poker Classic

Event 11: Prize Pool and Payouts; $5,480 to the Bounty Champ

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2026 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 11
$200 + $100 Monster Stack Bounty NLH
Entries:  129
Prize Pool:  $19,350
Bounty Prize Pool:  $12,900
March 16, 2026

Registration closed for the $200 + $100 Monster Stack Black Chip Bounty No-Limit Hold’em tournament with 129 entries, creating a prize pool worth $19,350 plus another $12,900 up for grabs in the form of bounties.

The last 17 players will make the money with $330 for a min-cash and $5,480 up top for the winner plus the last TPC trophy.

1st: $5,480 + TPC Trophy
2nd: $3,390
3rd: $2,300
4th: $1,610
5th: $1,160
6th: $870
7th: $670
8th: $540
9th: $450
10th-12th: $390
13th-15th: $350
16th-17th: $330

2026 Tampa Poker Classic

Event 10: Prize Pool and Payouts; $8,310 to the Seniors Champ

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2026 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 10
$250 Seniors 50+ No-Limit Hold’em
$10,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  152
Prize Pool:  $30,400
March 16, 2026

Registration closed for the $250 Seniors 50+ event with 152 entries, more than tripling the $10,000 guarantee into a prize pool worth $30,400. The last 19 spots will be paid with $460 for a min-cash and $8,310 up top for the Seniors Champ.

1st: $8,310 + TPC Trophy
2nd: $5,150
3rd: $3,520
4th: $2,480
5th: $1,800
6th: $1,350
7th: $1,040
8th: $830
9th: $690
10th-12th: $590
13th-15th: $520
16th-18th: $480
19th: $460

2026 Tampa Poker Classic

Event 10: Seniors Event

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$250 Seniors 50+ No-Limit Hold’em
$10,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 1:  100/200 with a 200 ante

We have a fun one kicking off at 11 am in the Draper Room, closing out the series with the popular $250 Seniors 50+ No-Limit Hold’em tournament. It features a $10,000 guaranteed prize pool and they will have a great time on a Monday afternoon.

Players start with 30K in their stacks and all levels last 30 minutes for the one-day trophy event. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 9 at 3:30 pm.

  • $10,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
  • Players begin with 30,000 in chips
  • Levels last 30 minutes
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9 (3:30pm)
  • This is a one-day tournament and play to completion
  • Event 10 Structure Sheet
2026 Tampa Poker Classic

Thien Nguyen Wins 2026 TPC Championship Outright for $100,900!

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2026 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 8
$1,700 TPC Championship
$250,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  300
Prize Pool:  $450,000
March 12 – 15, 2026

Thien Nguyen, 2026 TPC Champion

The 2026 Tampa Poker Classic was headlined by the $1,700 Championship event. The tournament drew 300 entries, turning the $250,000 guarantee into a $450,000 prize pool, and Thien Nguyen took the top spot outright for $100,900.

The tournament featured three starting flights and a very busy Saturday to lock in the field. Nguyen bagged the lead that evening, the only player coming back for Day 2 with more than one million in their stack, and he held the lead most of the way until he was posing with the trophy.

Hassan El Hakim gave him a run late at the final table but fell short in third place. Cheri Ivan, fresh off finishing 11th out of 838 in the opener, came one spot short of winning the title after a great battle.

This is the biggest cash of Nguyen’s career, topping his finish in the 2025 WPT RRPO Championship in Hollywood where he made the last two tables.

Congrats to Thien for the win and thank you to everyone for a great Championship1

PlaceFirst NameLast NameCityStatePrize Amount
1ThienNguyenFort MyersFL$100,900
2CheriIvanOldsmarFL$62,360
3HassanEl HakimSarasotaFL$44,700
4FredParadisOldsmarFL$32,620
5WayneLeonardTampaFL$24,250
6NathanielPalomboTampaFL$183,600
7WilliamCriegoNokomisFL$14,170
8MikeAhmadLutzFL$11,150
9DanielZuckerTampaFL$8,950
10C.J.WalkerOrmond BeachFL$7,330
11JeffreyHongLas VegasNV$7,330
12DiegoUezRiverviewFL$7,330
13HeatherKimelLutzFL$6,120
14MarkCahillChicagoIL$6,120
15FrankMenendezLand O LakesFL$6,120
16JoshuaMorganWinter HavenFL$5,230
17DanMurrayTampaFL$5,230
18MikeHernandezClermontFL$5,230
19EdwardsMunizTampaFL$4,560
20DavidMeagherMulberryFL$4,560
21KenGroomsLakelandFL$4,560
22RafaelReisWinter GardenFL$4,060
23RobertoMeloLakelandFL$4,060
24JeffreyTrudeau JrMount DoraFL$4,060
25TonyMarchTampaFL$3,700
26CarlCarlisleTroyAL$3,700
27DionJagrooWinter GardenFL$3,700
28MitchGarshofskyLas VegasNV$3,450
29LuYuWesley ChapelFL$3,450
30JustinGreenClearwaterFL$3,450
31DanielKasperMinneolaFL$3,290
32RicardoEyzaguirreMiamiFL$3,290
33BradleyWilliamsRiverviewFL$3,290
34TylerGreenRichmondVA$3,220
35WilliamDavisOrlandoFL$3,220
36KelleySlayJacksonvilleFL$3,220
37JordanLowerySarasotaFL$3,220
38KevinBlewittTampaFL$3,220
39JohnTwo-BearsSebringFL$3,220

2026 Tampa Poker Classic

Peter Santangelo Wins TPC Event 9 Outright for $11,450!

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2026 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 9
$400 No-Limit Hold’em
$20,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  118
Prize Pool:  $38,940
March 15, 2026

Peter Santangelo, 2026 TPC Event 9 Champion

Running beside Day 2 of the Championship, TPC Event 9 was a $400 buy-in one-day tournament. It drew 118 entries, nearly doubling the $20,000 guarantee, and Peter Santangelo took the title outright for $11,450.

Congrats Peter!

PlaceFirst NameLast NameCityStatePrize Amount
1PeterSantangeloSan AntonioFL$11,450
2PiyushGawaiTampaFL$7,060
3MatthewStettlerLakelandFL$4,760
4JenniferFrankensteinLongwoodFL$3,320
5RobertCornetteRiverviewFL$2,400
6JohnWeberWatford CityND$1,790
7BrianHarrisLongwoodFL$1,390
8EliasKiwanWesley ChapelFL$1,120
9BlaizeMeeSaint PetersburgFL$940
10OlegRutskinTampaFL$820
11KevinAppleyardBeaufortSC$820
12RicardoEyzaguirreMiamiFL$820
13BradleyToperThonotosassaFL$750
14PatrickZoellerSuamicoWI$750
15JosiasCardoso Dos SantosTampaFL$750