On Friday, January 23rd, 2026, the WGA Poker Group held a feast for both the eyes and stomach as 40 players gathered for our National Pie Day Poker Tournament where the cards were hot, the bluffs were flaky, and the pies were plentiful. From apple to cherry to banana cream, we all enjoyed a spread of delicious desserts to fuel our hunger for poker victory. 🍎🍒 🍌🥧
Watch the full recap video below or continue reading for the detailed play-by-play!
Waco O’Guin vs. Cheryl “Cher” Guerriero
As the final table of eight got underway, Waco moved all-in on a flop of A♣️️K♥️️5♦️️holding the Q♠️️6♠️️, only to receive a call by Cheryl’s A♠️️J♦️️for top pair. Waco would need some backdoor draws to materialize quickly if he wanted stick around. Unfortunately, the 8♥️️ turn left him drawing dead, making the 6♣️️ river irrelevant. Enough for crumbs, but not a slice of glory — Waco was sent off in 8th place with an empty stomach. WATCH 🎦
Cheryl Guerriero vs. Dave Malkoff
A short time later, Cheryl limped, Dave shoved, and she called holding A♠️️9♣️️, dominating Dave’s K♣️️9♦️️. The board ran J♠️️2♠️️7♥️️T♦️️A♦️️, giving Cheryl top pair and the victory. Sorry, Dave. It’s “Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie” for you in 7th place. WATCH 🎦
Nadia Madden vs Nick Stanton – Ace high good?!
At blinds 15k-30, Nick limped from under the gun, Nadia raised to 60k from the small blind, Cheryl called from the big blind, as did Nick. The flop came down K♥️️3♣️️9♥️️. Nadia led out 60k. Cheryl got out of the way, and after some contemplation, Nick declared “all-in!” for his remaining chips. Nick tabled A♥️️5♥️️ for the nut flush draw. Nadia tabled A♦️️8♦️️ for just ace-high, but as it happens, her eight kicker might just actually play depending on the runout! Nick had a slight equity advantage, but that would change when he bricked the turn on a 4♠️️, completely turning the tables. Nick could now win with any heart, a deuce for a straight, or a five. He could chop with a 3 or 4. Nadia showed a lot of heart and bravery in this hand, but unfortunately for her, it was a heart on the river (Q♥️️) that would give Nick a winning flush and a much needed double-up. WATCH 🎦
Aaron “Triple A” Ho vs. Randi Barnes
On the short stack, Aaron went all-in from early position with K♠️️6♣️️, hoping for a double scoop of poker chips. But Randi’s J♣️️J♠️️ was a powerful pastry of a poker hand, packed with flavor and the 3-to-1 advantage. The flop of 5♦️️4♦️️A♣️️followed by the turn of 2♥️️gave Aaron hope with a gutshot straight draw. With 7 outs to improve, he prayed to the poker gods. Unfortunately, his call for help went straight to voicemail when the 2♦️️ fell on the river, leaving Aaron to melt away in 6th place. WATCH 🎦
Nadia Madden vs Cheryl Guerriero vs Mike “Boston Mike” Schaub
In this three-way pot, Cheryl limped, Mike completed from the small blind, and Nadia raised all-in from the big blind for her last remaining 1k. The others called and we saw a flop of K♠️️8♦️️6♠️️. Mike and Cheryl checked, leading us to the 3♦️️ turn. They checked again. The A♦️️ river baked up a little drama when Mike led out for 40k, receiving a snap call from Cheryl. Mike tabled T♦️️5♦️️ for a flush, enough to best Cheryl’s top pair with A♣️️T♣️️ and Nadia’s 3♥️️5♣️️. Mike scooped both the main and side pot, leaving Nadia a bitter slice to swallow in 5th place. WATCH 🎦
Cheryl Guerriero vs Mike Schaub – CRAZY HAND ALERT!
At blinds 20k-40k and four players remaining, Cheryl limped under-the-gun, Nick folded on the button, and Randi completed from the small blind. In the big blind, our chip leader, Mike, turned up the heat by raising to 240k, committing everyone else all-in if they were to call. To his surprise, Cheryl called the raise (leaving herself just 20k behind), while Randi folded. The flop came 6♠️️7♠️️Q♥️️. Mike instantly shoved all-in, receiving a call from Cheryl, who would be at risk of busting. Mike tabled the almighty A♦️️Q♠️️ for top pair-top kicker. Cheryl tabled 9♣️️7♣️️ for middle pair. The turn brought the 8♥️️, giving Cheryl an open-ended straight draw. If she could find a 5, 7, 9, or 10 – she’d survive and become our new chip leader. If not, it’d be closing time. But not today! The dealer unveiled the T♥️️ on the river, causing Cheryl to burst with excitement while Mike stared on in disbelief. As it happens, Randi folded the 7♥️️2♥️️ preflop and would have made the winning flush. Wow – what a hand! WATCH 🎦
Nick Stanton vs. Randi Barnes
From the button, Nick shoved A♥️️8♣️️. Randi wasted little time calling all-in from the small blind with K♦️️T♦️️, putting herself at risk. Mike folded the big blind. It was a sweat for both players as the 9♣️️Q♣️️6♠️️rolled out on the flop, giving Randi additional outs to a gutshot straight. Unfortunately for her, the A♣️️ on the turn would pair Nick, meaning only a non-club Jack on the river could save her. With 3 outs total, could she survive? The 3♥️️ appeared on the river, securing Nick the win and eliminating Randi in 4th place with nothing but half-baked dreams of another championship. Better luck next time! WATCH 🎦
Cheryl Guerriero vs. Nick Stanton
With blinds at a whopping 50k-100k, Cheryl limped A♥️️K♦️️, only to have Nick shove with 5♥️️5♦️️. Cheryl made the easy call and off to the races we went! 🏇 The flop: 7♦️️7♠️️T♦️️. Nick remained in the lead, but his pair of fives could now be counterfeited if a ten rolled off. The turn: Q♦️️. Ooh, interesting! Now Nick had to dodge any diamond for a flush, jack for a straight, or a ten, queen, king, or ace for a higher two pair. Cheryl suddenly had a whopping 22 outs to improve, turning the hand into a virtual 50/50 coin flip. But was luck on her side? 🍀 It was! The 2♦️️ on the river completed Cheryl’s diamond flush, sending Nick home in 3rd place with nothing but a large slice of humble pie with a side of bad beats. Oof! WATCH 🎦
Mike Schaub vs. Cheryl Guerriero – Time for some humble pie!
In the final showdown, Cheryl limped with 9♠️️9♦️️, followed by Mike shoving all-in with A♠️️7♣️️ from the big blind. Cheryl made the call and we all held our breath (and our appetites) as the board came rolling out. The flop of 4♣️️Q♣️️8♠️️helped no one, inching Cheryl closer to victory. The turn of 5♣️️ brought a world of possibilities for Mike, as he now increased to 15 total outs with a flush draw and gutshot straight draw, in addition to the three remaining aces. Tension mounted as the river slid off the deck…
The 4♥️️! And just like that, Cheryl’s pocket nines held up to bust Mike in 2nd place and become our newest WGA Poker Group champion! As a cherry on top, Cheryl would also receive the coveted championship mug 🍒🏆. Congratulations Cheryl, way to go! WATCH 🎦
Here is a summary of the tournament results. Congrats to all our finalists!
1st – Cheryl “Cher” Guerriero
2nd – Mike “Boston Mike” Schaub
3rd – Nick Stanton
4th – Randi Barnes
5th – Nadia Madden
6th – Aaron “Triple A” Ho
7th – Dave Malkoff
8th – Waco O’Guin
Special thanks to my wife, Nichole, and our dear friend and fellow scribe, Alasdair Thornton, for helping run the tournament. I’d also like to thank Jay Moriarty and the Burbank Moose Lodge for their support and hospitality. Finally, I’d like to thank our amazing dedicated dealers — Tyler Wong, Jeff Meyers, Adam Cole, and Matty Tauber.
From the very first bite, this tournament was a recipe for suspense, skill, and sweet victories. Thanks to everyone who played, chewed, and bluffed their way through our National Pie Day Poker Tournament! See you at the felt for the next slice of action in March! Please stay tuned for updates via facebook or the e-newsletter. Also, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Until then, please enjoy these photos from the tournament while your blood sugar goes back to normal. 🍰📉
