One of the Poker Go Tour’s crown jewels is nearing a conclusion. The US Poker Open is underway and nearing a close. Several big-name players, including Sam Soverel, Darren Elias, and Isaac Haxton, have taken down events during the series.
However, one of the biggest names in poker has also won an event. Poker Hall of Famer and 15-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth took down Event #5 of the series to earn his first career PGT title.
Weissman, Soverel, and Le Among Early Winners
The 2023 US Poker Open kicked off on March 23rd at the ARIA in Las Vegas. The USPO is one of the premier events in high-stakes poker and is considered one of the Majors in high-stakes poker. Players worldwide travelled to the United States to try and take down massive prizes and earn points toward the PGT Leaderboard.
The first three events of the series were all $10k NL Hold’em tournaments. Joey Weissman took down the first event. He defeated a record field of 105 players to win the title and $231,000. This was his second USPO title, with his first coming in a preliminary event of the 2021 USPO. His win gave him an early advantage in the USPO leaderboard race.
Sam Soverel (@SamSoverel) became the sixth player to nab two U.S. Poker Open titles with his win in Event #3: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em.
Soverel earned $213,900, 214 PGT points, and a coveted Golden Eagle trophy for the victory.
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— PokerGO Tour (@PokerGOTour) March 28, 2023
Ren Lin won event #2. He survived a final table that included Erik Seidel, Aram Zobian, and Nacho Barbero. The victory was his first USPO title and his first victory in the PokerGo Studios in ARIA. He won $231,000 and earned 231 points toward the leaderboard.
Top high-stakes pro Sam Soverel took down event #3. He defeated a field of 93 players and survived a final table that included Chris Brewer, Kristen Foxen, Daniel Colpoys, and Nacho Barbero. The victory was his second USPO title, with his first coming in a PLO Event in 2021. He has won four times in the ARIA and now has career earnings of over $20 million.
Allan Le won Event #4, the $10k PLO Event. He defeated Ronald Keijzer heads-up to take down the title and $200,200. He now has over $3.5 million in career earnings, with most of his lifetime winnings coming in Omaha games.
Phil Hellmuth Wins First PGT Title
Event #5 was perhaps the most publicized event of the series, thanks to its winner. Phil Hellmuth has long been knocked for his lack of success outside the World Series of Poker. In recent years, he has been quieting those critics, and his performance in Event #5 is another example that Hellmuth is more than a WSOP pony.
Phil Hellmuth Wins 2023 U.S. Poker Open Event #5 ($211,200) | PGT https://t.co/4GXBdOkgJE
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) March 30, 2023
Hellmuth won Event #5 in dominant fashion, eliminating five of his six opponents at the final table. The final table included Darren Elias, Allen Le, George Wolff, and Jeremy Ausmus. In the tournament’s final hand against Jeremy Ausmus, Hellmuth flopped a flush and turned a straight flush to win his first career PGT title and $211,200.
After winning, Hellmuth told reporters, “It’s nice, you know after last year. Last year I had two seconds and a fourth in the US Poker Open. I don’t play that many tournaments here, but if you look at like the last ten tournaments I played here at the studio, it’s pretty crazy. I think I have four final tables in ten events. Now people are gonna say that’s not true but it’s pretty easy to check.”
Haxton Among Late Event Winners
Event #6 saw Isaac Kempton take down the $15,000 PL Omaha Event. He outlasted a final table that included Ben Lamb and Erik Seidel to take down the prizes and $279,000.
Event #7 was a $15,000 NL Hold’em Event that saw Darren Elias come out on top. He defeated Sam Soveral heads-up to win the title and $313,200. Due to earlier performances, this victory put him atop the leaderboard for the series.
Isaac Haxton took down the $25,000 NL Hold’em Event on April Fools Day, defeating a field of 54 entries. The final table was a who’s who of poker. Chris Brewer, Alex Foxen, Bill Klein, Dan Smith, Phil Hellmuth, and Joey Weissman were battling for the title.
Hellmuth would fall in 5th place, and ultimately Haxton defeated Joey Weissman to take down the title and $423,000.
Going into the final two events, Darren Elias is atop the series leaderboard, with Weissman in second. The ultimate winner will receive the USPO Trophy and a cash prize.
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