USPoker Weekly: SHRPO Big 4 Winners, WSOP Circuit News And More

Matthew Clark August 16, 2017

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The post-WSOP grind is officially upon us with U.S. poker tournaments taking place across the country. The Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open and the World Series of Poker Circuit stop in Cherokee NC both awarded multiple titles in the last week.

The Heartland Poker Tour, which passed through Vicksburg, MS also hosted their first U.S. poker tournament of the “Poker New Year.”

The SHRPO BIG 4 Awards Over $6,500,000

Seminole Hard Rock put on their largest of U.S. poker tournament event of the year over the last two weeks. The Big 4 capped off another great series in South Florida with live streams for all events. Over $6,500,000 in prize money were awarded, and John Andress and Martin Kozlov took home the majority of the winnings.

Andress shipped the $25,500 High Roller event for just over $800,000, coming back from just one big blind on the money bubble.

Kozlov outlasted the likes of Matt Berkey and Aaron Mermelstein to win $754,000 following a 13-hour final table.

The other two Big 4 winners were Brian Altman and Alex Foxen. Altman took down the $500,000 guaranteed re-entry event for $118,157. Foxen earned his first major title in the $1,000,000 guaranteed freezeout along with $204,600 for his time.

Joe Kuether made history, becoming the first player in Big 4 history to make two final tables. Kuether finished ninth in the $5,250 Championship and eighth in the $500,000 guarantee, earning a combined $90,000.

Check out the full results and SHRPO live blog here

Last WSOP Bracelet and First WSOP Main Event Ring Awarded

The final World Series of Poker bracelet to be won on U.S. turf in 2017 went to Sean Yu. Yu defeated a field of 124 Circuit and WSOP Player of the Year qualifiers to win almost $300,000. The $1,000,000 guaranteed event held in Cherokee, North Carolina drew players from around the country to “climb the mountain” and take their shot. Among the players Yu defeated on his way to victory were Jason Mercier, Jesse Cohen, and Dylan Linde.

Not long after Yu’s win, Harut Arutunyan won the WSOP Circuit Main Event title at Cherokee. Arutunyan’s win included his first ever WSOPC ring and $283,597. The win is the second major victory for Arutunyan. He previously won 2014 win in the World Poker Tour Legends of Poker event. The total entries for this event were 1,022.

Want in on the WSOP Circuit action? You can play online at WSOP.com in Nevada or in New Jersey at WSOP.com NJ.

Heartland Poker Tour Rolls Through Mississippi

Right as the WPT was making its way to Choctaw, the Heartland Poker Tour made the trip south to Vicksburg, MS. The ninth main event of the current HPT season featured an $1,100 buy-in and $100,000 guarantee. The prize pool hit $158,000 and Freddie Ardoin shipped the victory and $42,835 for first place.

Former WSOP bracelet winner Nick Jivkov was the most high-profile player to make the final table, and he busted in ninth. The next stop for the HPT is in Chicago at the Ameristar Casino starting on August 31.

What’s up next for poker in the U.S.?

More tournament action kicks off this week with the Parx Big Stax series and Mid-States Poker Tour among the events hosting main events over the weekend. We’ll keep you dialed in each week at US Poker with results and news from around the nation.

*Lead photo courtesy of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida