Evan Sandberg turned two decades of Arizona poker history into a personal breakthrough, capturing the 20th Annual Arizona State Poker Championship title at Talking Stick Resort and banking a career-best $627,050. The 33-year-old Las Vegas pro survived more than 4,000 entrants in a six-day endurance test inside the ARENA Poker Room, Arizona’s largest and one of the Southwest’s premier poker stages.
The marathon tournament, held Aug. 13–19, demanded the same qualities that drive elite athletic performance: focus, recovery, and emotional control under pressure. For Sandberg, the edge didn’t come from a lucky streak—it came from years of work on what he calls his “mental game.”
“The last couple of years, I’ve worked hard on my mental game,” Sandberg said after the win. “I find that if I appreciate the basic things in life, it makes it a lot easier for me to accept what happens at the poker table.”
That mindset proved crucial as the field funneled through multiple opening flights, tense semifinal action, and a stacked final table featuring some of the strongest players from Arizona and across the country. Tournament organizers leaned into the moment, celebrating 20 years of championship poker at Talking Stick while watching Sandberg write the latest chapter.
The victory was more than a financial windfall; it was a payoff on a decades-long bond with the game. Sandberg credited his late-night ESPN sessions with his dad, when they’d scan the broadcasts for pro Mike Matusow, as the spark that turned poker from a curiosity into a career.
“My dad is gonna be really happy,” Sandberg said. “Part of how I got into poker was when I was 10 or 11, me and my dad would watch ESPN and always look for Mike Matusow on TV. He’ll definitely be the first person I call.”
The resort’s poker calendar isn’t slowing down. Riding the momentum of its 20th anniversary championship, Talking Stick’s ARENA Poker Room is set to host the World Series of Poker Circuit Nov. 5–16, 2026, adding another high-stakes series to an already landmark year.
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Arizona State Poker Championship – Final Table Results
- Evan Sandberg – $627,050
- Jared Rogers – $359,937
- Brandon Conrad – $224,804
- John Riordan – $140,214
- Sergio Segura – $91,498
- Moussa Haddad – $63,495
- Jonathan Roeder – $47,133
- Hill Kerby – $37,143
- Ronnie Bardah – $30,566
- John Phan – $25,801
Photo: Talking Stick Resort / Arizona State Poker Championships