The 2019 U.S. Poker Open Series Champion David Peters is the odds-on favorite to defend his title after winning USPO Event #11: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em for $467,750 at the PokerGO Studio at the Aria Resort & Casino.
It was another dominating display for Peters as he came into the final table with one of the short stacks only to soar ahead and oust the final four players in Ivan Zufic, Dan Shak, Event #1 champion Jake Daniels, and Vanessa Kade en route to yet another victory.
Peters is absolutely on fire as this was the remarkably his third title in five days. On Thursday, Peters won Event #7: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em for $217,800 and before also shipping Event #10: $10,000 Short Deck on Sunday for $124,200 .
Winning the U.S. Poker Open Championship isn't a lock just quite yet for Peters as Sam Soverel can still win the title if he can spin up a short stack at the final table of Event #12: $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em. Soverel will need to win the event to dethrone Peters, otherwise, the festival is looking at its first back-to-back champion.
Event #11: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Peters | United States | $465,750 |
| 2 | Ivan Zufic | Croatia | $345,000 |
| 3 | Dan Shak | United States | $224,250 |
| 4 | Jake Daniels | United States | $172,500 |
| 5 | Vanessa Kade | Canada | $138,000 |
| 6 | Frank Funaro | United States | $103,500 |
Event #11 Final Table Recap
Zufic began the final table with the chip lead and sent Frank Funaro packing early in the action in sixth place for $103,500.
Kade then won a big pot against Zufic and appeared to be taking control of the event with more than half the chips in play. Her reign as the table captain didn't last long as things began to fall apart for Kade after losing a pot to Shak and doubling up Peters. Kade's quest for the title ended a few hands later in fifth place for $138,000 after her ace-eight didn't get there against the big slick held by Peters.
Daniels found himself short on chips and was eliminated by Peters in fourth place for $172,500 when his ace-five didn't hold against queen-ten.
Despite eliminating two players, it wasn't smooth sailing for Peters during three-handed play as Zufic regained the chip lead before handing it over to Shak. Peters would regain the lead and never look back after doubling up against Shak.
Shak was then short on chips and was ousted by Peters in third place for $224,250 when his king-five suited didn't hold after Peters improved to a straight with jack-six suited.
Heads-up action lasted just one hand with Peters holding a 3:1 chip advantage against Zufic. It was a huge cooler for Zufic who got it in with a premium hand heads-up with nines only to run into the tens held by Peters. The board ran dry for Zufic and he settled for the healthy runner-up prize of $345,000, while Peters was awarded his third title this festival.
Sean Winter Leads Final 6 Players in USPO Event #12: $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em
The 2021 U.S. Poker Open jacked up the stakes for the final event of the festival with Event #12: $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em eclipsing the $25,000 buy-in in Event #11 and the $10,000 buy-in featured during each of the first 10 events.
The event attracted 42 entries to generate a $2.1 million prize pool. The action was whittled down to just a six-player final table on the opening day with Sean Winter bagging the overnight chip lead with a stack of 2,080,000.
Bill Klein (1,575,000), Jonathan Little (1,450,000), Stephen Chidwick (1,320,000), and Jason Koon (1,110,000) all advanced stacks north of 1 million in chips.
All eyes are on Sam Soverel (860,000), who will hope to spin up his short stack. Soverel needs to come from behind and secure an outright victory in order to dethrone David Peters, who currently is on top of the leaderboard after winning three events.
Event #12: $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Name | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Koon | United States | 1,110,000 | 28 |
| 2 | Jonathan Little | United States | 1,450,000 | 36 |
| 3 | Sean Winter | United States | 2,080,000 | 52 |
| 4 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | 1,320,000 | 33 |
| 5 | Bill Klein | United States | 1,575,000 | 39 |
| 6 | Sam Soverel | United States | 860,000 | 22 |
| Total | 8,395,000 | 210 | ||
| Average | 1,399,167 | 35 |
Where to Watch the Final Table?
The final six players will return to the PokerGo Studios on Tuesday, June 15 with the action expected to begin at 3 p.m. EDT. PokerGO will live stream what promises to be some of the most exciting poker action of the year beginning at 4 p.m. EDT.
Final Table Payouts
All returning players are guaranteed at least a $105,000 payout with the eventual winner slated to take home a massive $756,000 top prize.
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $756,000 |
| 2 | $504,000 |
| 3 | $336,000 |
| 4 | $231,000 |
| 5 | $168,000 |
| 6 | $105,000 |
2021 U.S. Poker Open Championship Standings
After winning his third USPO event on Monday, Peters has unseeded Ali Imsirovic for the top spot on the 2021 U.S. Poker Championship Standings and is the odds on favorite to win with just one player able to catch him in the final event in Soverel.
Soverel has his work cut out for him on his quest to win the Golden Eagle Trophy as he will need to win Event #12: $50,000 No Limit Hold'em where he comes in with the shortest stack with six players remaining.
| Rank | Player | Points | Wins | Cashes | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Peters | 646 | 3 | 4 | $832,950 |
| 2 | Ali Imsirovic | 483 | 1 | 5 | $482,000 |
| 3 | Dan Shak | 371 | 0 | 4 | $459,750 |
| 4 | Jake Daniels | 323 | 1 | 2 | $391,000 |
| 5 | Andrew Lichtenberger | 308 | 0 | 3 | $308,000 |
| 6 | Joe McKeehen | 302 | 1 | 2 | $302,200 |
| 7 | Steve Zolotow | 289 | 0 | 3 | $289,000 |
| 8 | Cary Katz | 270 | 0 | 4 | $270,100 |
| 9 | Ivan Zufic | 266 | 0 | 2 | $404,400 |
| 10 | John Riordan | 253 | 1 | 4 | $273,550 |
2021 U.S. Poker Open Results
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 95 | $950,000 | Jake Daniels | United States | $218,500 |
| Event #2: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha | 65 | $650,000 | Sam Soverel | United States | $175,000 |
| Event #3: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 77 | $770,000 | Joe McKeehen | United States | $200,200 |
| Event #4: $10,000 Big Bet Mix | 48 | $480,000 | John Riordan | United States | $163,200 |
| Event #5: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 85 | $850,000 | Joey Weissman | United States | $204,000 |
| Event #6: $10,000 8-Game | 68 | $680,000 | Eli Elezra | United States | $183,600 |
| Event #7: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 99 | $990,000 | David Peters | United States | $217,800 |
| Event #8: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha | 63 | $630,000 | Jared Bleznick | United States | $189,000 |
| Event #9: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 99 | $990,000 | Ali Imsirovic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | $217,800 |
| Event #10: $10,000 Short Deck | 27 | $270,000 | David Peters | United States | $124,200 |
| Event #11: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 69 | $1,725,000 | David Peters | United States | $465,750 |
*Images courtesy of Poker Central
In this Series
- 1 2021 U.S. Poker Open Begins Thursday With First of 12 Events
- 2 The USPO is Back: A Historical Look at PokerGO’s US Poker Open (USPO)
- 3 Dan Shak Leads Star-Studded Final Table in U.S. Poker Open Event #1: $10,000 NLHE
- 4 Jake Daniels Wins the U.S. Poker Open Event #1: $10,000 No Limit Hold'em ($218,500)
- 5 PokerGO Point Standings Leading Into 2021 US Poker Open; Imsirovic Leads
- 6 Sam Soverel Wins USPO Event #2: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha ($175,500)
- 7 Joe McKeehen Wins USPO Event #3: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em ($200,200)
- 8 Chris Brewer Transitions from Collegiate Runner to High-Stakes Poker Pro
- 9 John Riordan Wins U.S. Poker Open $10K Big Bet Mix ($163,200)
- 10 Joey Weissman Mounts Comeback for the Ages to Win USPO Event #5: $10K NLHE ($204,000)
- 11 Eli Elezra Defeats Zolotow & Negreanu to Win the USPO $10K 8-Game ($183,600)
- 12 David Peters Wins Record-Breaking USPO Event #7: $10,000 NLHE ($217,800)
- 13 No Gamble, No Future: Jeff Platt & Brent Hanks Chemistry Shines During USPO
- 14 Jared Bleznick Wins USPO Event #8: $10K PLO ($189,000)
- 15 Brock Wilson Banks on Building a Name for Himself at the USPO
- 16 Ali Imsirovic Catapults into USPO Lead after Winning Event #9: $10K NLHE ($217,800)
- 17 Inside Jared Bleznick’s Bizarre "Sports Cards" Interview After USPO Victory
- 18 David Peters Wins $10K Short Deck for his Second 2021 USPO Title ($124,200)
- 19 David Peters Wins Third USPO Title in Five Days in the Event #11: $25K NLHE ($465,750)
- 20 Sean Winter Defeats Stephen Chidwick to Win USPO Event #12: $50K NLHE ($756,000)
- 21 David Peters Wins Back-To-Back U.S. Poker Open Championships; Imsirovic Extends PokerGO Tour Lead
