US Poker Open Update: Shannon Shorr, Jeremy Ausmus Find Winner’s Circle on PokerGO; Action Continues All Week
Halfway through the US Poker Open, some big names have risen to the top at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. The series began with Shannon Shorr finding a title in the opening event.
Getting that win wasn’t easy as he battled a final table full of tough poker pros.
“It was a blast,” Shorr said. “All of these events inside the PokerGO Studio are so much fun, and the names at the final table – Joseph Cheong, Erik Seidel, Daniel Negreanu – they speak for themselves. It was a blast to be here and I’m glad I could come out on top.”
Jeremy Ausmus also found a big win to take the lead in the series standings. The US Poker Open features 10 tournaments running through March 28 with all the final table action streamed on PokerGO. Here’s a look at the action so far through five events.
Event 5: $10,000 NLHE
The big wins continued for Jeremy Ausmus (pictured in lead image) with a nice payday in this event of $178,200. The win follows a huge run in the PokerGO Cup, where he earned the series championship.
The USPO victory landed Ausmus in the top spot in the series leaderboard with the Golden Eagle Trophy and an extra $50,000 on the line. The idea of taking another big series is intriguing for this poker pro.
“It would be really cool to win back-to-back majors,” Ausmus said. “I know (David) Peters won this twice (US Poker Open), but I don’t think anyone has won back to back. The older I get, the more important it is to me. My kids think it’s cool. If I win trophies, they can see me way up in the standings.”
Ausmus topped a field of 66 entrants, which produced a prize pool of $660,000. Chris Brewer finished runner-up for $132,000 With Ren Lin in third for $85,800. Ali Imsirovic took fourth for $66,000.
Event 4: $10,000 Big Bet Mix
Japan’s Tamon Nakamura came out on top in the mixed-game action, scoring $169,600 in the process. This becomes Nakamura’s largest live tournament cash and he now has more than $593,000 in winnings.
The event attracted 53 entries for a $530,000 prize pool. Rok Gostisa took runner-up for $111,300. Daniel Negreanu scored his second deep run, finishing third for $74,200. Stephen Chidwick took fourth for $53,000.
Event 3: $10,000 NLHE
Finding a trophy in this event was quite an uphill climb for Adam Hendrix. He entered the final table with the smallest chip stack of those remaining.
An early all-in gave Hendrix a quick double-up. That kickstarted a huge rally and he eventually took the title for $211,200.
“So thankful I get to wake up and do something I love every day,” the champion noted on Twitter.
Getting there wasn’t easy against a stacked final table. Jonathan Little finished runner-up for $149,600 and Ausmus took third for $105,600.
Shorr finished fourth for $88,000 with Seidel in fifth for $70,400. The tournament brought in 88 entries for an $880,000 prize pool.
Event 2: Pot Limit Omaha
Justin Young emerged as the winner in the series’ second event, topping the 77-entry Omaha field for $200,200. The finish was quite memorable for the poker pro originally from North Carolina.
“This means a million times more than anything I’ve ever done in this room, cash games, or otherwise,” Young said. “Just to play with the best of the best in this room just means the world to me.”
At the final table, Young began the day second in chips behind Tommy Le. These two also ended up as the final two, with Young coming out on top.
Le scored $146,300 second in an event that produced a prize pool of $770,000. Dan Shak finished third for $100,100 with Damjan Radanov taking fourth for $77,000
Event 1: $10,000 NLHE
Shorr brings some major skills to the table and needed them as he faced a murderer’s row of some of the game’s best No Limit Hold’em players. He entered the final table second in chips and continued working his chip stack upward.
In heads-up play, Shorr held almost a 5-to-1 chip lead over Ren Lin. Lin took the lead at one point however, but Shorr battled back and eventually vanquished his opponent.
Shorr now has more than $9.6 million in tournament winnings and discussed his mental preparation going into a major series.
“Generally going into a big series like this, I’ll try and push myself extra hard in the gym and with meditation,” Shorr said. “I try to be really ready to play poker for when a long grind comes in. I did a bit of that and maybe there’s something to it.”
The hard work paid off and Shorr scored $213,900 for his efforts. The event produced a field of 93 entries for a $930,000 prize pool. Other top finishers included: Masashi Oya (third, $111,600); Negreanu (fourth, $93,000); and Seidel ($74,400).