Sean Winter won US Poker Open Championship Event #11 $25K NL and Event #12 $50K NL at the Aria to secure the 2022 USPO Championship and win the prestigious golden eagle trophy. Winter needed to win the final $50K event in order to claim the championship, and he outlasted 42 runners and held off Masashi Oya heads up to win Event #12 for a $756K score. He also won a $50K bonus for topping the leaderboard.
The 2022 US Poker Open concluded at the Aria Casino in Las Vegas during the latest stop on the PokerGo Tour. Sean Winter saved his best poker for the last two events and he snagged the USPO championship by passing Tamon Nakamura on the leaderboard. Nakamura was the only other player to ship two events at the USPO with victories in Event #4 Big Bet Mixed and Event #6 8-Game.
USPO Event #12 $50,000 NL attracted 42 entrants, who generated a prize pool worth $2.1 million. Only the top six places paid out. The final seven of Event #12 included Jake Schindler, Masashi Oya, Sean Winter, Shannon Shor, Dan Smith, Zhuang Ruan and Vikenty Shegal. They were fighting for a first-place prize worth $756K. Zhuang Ruan bagged the chip lead heading into the final table with 2.8M. Jake Shindler was the shorty with 155K.
Heading into the final day of Event #12, the USPO title and the pursuit of the golden eagle was still up for grabs. Both Sean Winter and Shannon Shorr were in contention and chasing Tamon Nakamura on the 2022 USPO leaderboard, but Winter needed to win outright, while Shorr needed to finish in first or second place, but also make Winter didn't finish in the top two.
Shannon Shorr's run ended in fifth place, but he failed to earn enough leaderboard points to remain in contention. With Shorr's elimination, Winter now needed to win outright for the golden eagle.
Chip leader Ruan hit the rail in third place, which set up the heads-up battle between Masashi Oya and Sean Winter. Winter was the last player standing and Oya locked up $504K for a runner-up finish. Not too shabby, eh? Winter got to fondle a mound of cash worth $756K. He also earned 453 points to rocket to the top of the leaderboard with 718 points. That secured the USPO Championship and golden eagle trophy. He also banked the $50K bonus. Nakamura finished second overall with 588 points after he failed to cash in the final event.
Several noteworthy players stepped into the winner's circle at the Aria for the final five events including Chino Rheem, Sean Winter, Dylan Weisman, and Erik Seidel.
Chino Rheem shipped Event #8 $15,000 PLO and rocketed to the top of the USPO leaderboard. Event #8 attracted 67 players a prize pool slightly over $1 million. The top ten places were paid out with $271,350 and 271 coveted Leaderboard points to the winner. The final six included Dylan Weisman, Adam Hendrix, Phil Hellmuth, Isaac Kempton, Scott Seiver, and Chino Rheem. Hellmuth was picked off in fourth place. Seiver and Rheem jousted for the title, but Rheem prevailed. He won $271,350 and earned enough points to pass Tamon Nakamura on the leaderboard with 481 points to Nakamura's 462.
Erik Seidel emerged victorious in Event #9 $25,000 NL and denied Phil Hellmuth a title in an old-school heads-up battle for the ages. Event #9 attracted 63 runners and a $1.575 million prize pool with the top nine getting a cut. The final seven included Ren Lin, Tamon Nakamura, Alex Livingston, Sam Soverel, Alex Foxen, Phi Hellmuth, and Erik Seidel. Nakamura busted in fifth place but regained the top of the USPO leaderboard with 538 points. Foxen hit the bricks in third place and moved into second overall on the leaderboard with 488 points.
It was a heavyweight fight between Seidel and Hellmuth and a battle of good and evil. Good prevailed and the Poker Brat busted in second place. Hellmuth banked $472,500 for the runner-up finish, but you know he wanted the win super bad. Seidel won $472,500 plus 284 leaderboard points to move into fifth overall behind Hellmuth.
In Event #10 $25,000 PLO, Dylan Wiesman outlasted 49 runners and defeated Cary Katz heads up to win $416,500.
Event #11 featured 55 runners in the $25,000 NL affair. Only the top eight places paid out. Tamon Nakamura cashed again when he busted in sixth place, but added 50 more leaderboard points. Sean Winter defeated Ali Imsirovic heads up for the victory. He earned $440,000 for first place, plus 264 points. After 11 events. Nakamura was the overall leader with 588 points, and he held a 100-point lead ahead of Alex Foxen in second place with 488 points. Chino Rheem was third with 481, followed by Hellmuth (464), and Seidel (428).
With 718 points, Winter now moved into fourth place overall on the 2022 PokerGo Tour Leaderboard. Isaac Kempton holds a slim lead with 13,75 points versus 1,369 from Ali Imsirovic. Tony Sinishtaj sits in third place with 1,250 points and Winter is fourth with 12,40. Sean Perry rounds out the top five with 1,119 points.
2022 US Poker Open Championship - FINAL LEADERBOARD
1. Sean Winter (USA) 718
2. Tamon Nakamura (Japan) 588
3. Alex Foxen (USA) 488
4. Chino Rheem (USA) 481
5. Phil Hellmuth (USA) 464
6. Shannon Shorr (USA) 441
7. Erik Seidel (USA) 428
8. Dylan Weisman (USA) 414
9. Masashi Oya (Japan) 414
10. Adam Hendrix (USA) 356
