Jesse Lonis lost the heads-up of the $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. event.

Two-time bracelet winner Jesse Lonis failed to capture his third World Series title. In the heads-up of $3,000 T.O.R.S.E., he lost to Sterling Lopez, who became a WSOP champion for the first time. The event drew 457 entrants, 20 of whom played on the final day. Among the first eliminated on day three were Naoya Kihara (16th place, $12,471) and Viktor Blom (12th place, $12,471).

In the 3-max with Lonis and Gary Bolden, Lopez spent a long time as a shortstack, but he built up his stack and moved into the lead after winning several pots in razz. The heads-up wrapped up in just 40 minutes. In a stud hand, Lopez made an 8-high straight to win the bracelet, along with $247,842. Notably, last year Sterling finished sixth in T.O.R.S.E., so he was especially pleased with the title.
"I definitely got my revenge. I flew in specifically for this tournament, just for the weekend. I was on the fence about coming back because I couldn't take many days off, but it was definitely worth it," Lopez said in an interview after the win.

Jesse Lonis earned $160,862 for second place. The two-time bracelet winner came up one step short of a title for the second time at WSOP 2026. Earlier, he lost the heads-up of $5,000 PLO 8-Handed to Yong Won, and in total Lonis has 13 cashes at the current World Series.

"This T.O.R.S.E. was a lot of fun, but I'm getting tired of second places. I need bracelets," Lonis wrote on his X.