2019 US Poker Open

USPO #5 - $25,000 NLH
Day: 2
Event Info

2019 US Poker Open

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
96
Prize
$442,500
Event Info
Buy-in
$25,000
Prize Pool
$1,475,000
Entries
59
Level Info
Level
21
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
60,000

USPO #5 - $25,000 NLH

Day 2 Completed

Poker Masters Champ Ali Imsirovic Wins US Poker Open Event #5: $25,000 NLH ($442,500)

Level 21 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Ali Imsirovic - Champion
Ali Imsirovic - Champion

Last September, 24-year-old Ali Imsirovic won back-to-back events at the 2018 Poker Masters on his way to capturing the overall series championship and prestigious purple jacket. After taking the past couple months off from the game, he returned to the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas and claimed another title.

This time he beat a 59-entry field to win the 2019 US Poker Open Event #5: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $442,500, the fourth-largest score of his burgeoning career.

"I'm much less risk-averse than other players and I'm more aggressive, so I might make fewer final tables but when I do I usually have a lot of chips and perhaps a little better chance of getting the win," Imsirovic said after the win. "Today just went so fast. As first the two short stacks doubled up but then I had back-to-back bust outs against Nick Petrangelo and Dan Shak, and the heads up with Cary didn't last too long either. If he had doubled up, however, we might've been here a while longer."

Event #5: $25,000 NLH Final Table Results

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1Ali ImsirovicUnited States$442,500
2Cary KatzUnited States$295,000
3Dan ShakUnited States$206,500
4Nick PetrangeloUnited States$147,500
5Kristen BicknellCanada$118,000
6Joseph CappelloUnited States$88,500

Final Table Action

Imsirovic began the final table as chip leader and it took him approximately two hours to close things out. First, Nick Petrangelo got things started by eliminating the short-stacked Joe Cappello, who saw his Big Slick straightened out by king-jack all in preflop.

Dan Shak then won a race with pocket nines against queen-jack to dispatch Kristen Bicknell in fifth place, and a short time later Petrangelo ran pocket jacks smack dab into Imsirovic’s two black aces. The rockets held and Imsirovic pulled out to a massive lead.

When Shak jammed two pair with an inferior flush draw into Imsirovic, who had trips with a better flush draw, it set up a heads-up match with the latter holding a 10:1 lead over Cary Katz.

In the final hand of the tournament, Katz check-raised all in after flopping a flush drawn and Imsirovic called with middle pair. Katz turned more outs by turning a small pair, but he missed when an offsuit eight bricked the river.

Katz, who earlier in the series finished fifth in Event #2: $10K PLO for $51,200, had to settle for second place and $295,000 in prize money.

PokerNews coverage of the 2019 USPO continues now with live updates from Event #6: $25,000 PLO, which you can follow here.

Remember, you can watch all USPO final tables exclusively on PokerGO. Subscribe to PokerGO for just $10 a month or $99 a year to watch nine straight days of U.S. Poker Open final table action plus PokerGO’s full catalog of programming.

Tags: Ali Imsirovic

Cary Katz Eliminated in 2nd Place ($295,000)

Level 21 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Cary Katz - 2nd Place
Cary Katz - 2nd Place

Ali Imsirovic raised to 180,000 holding the {9-Clubs}{6-Spades} on the button and Cary Katz defended holding the {k-Clubs}{5-Clubs}.

Katz checked his flush draw on the {6-Clubs}{q-Spades}{2-Clubs} flop and Imsirovic bet 140,000. Katz check-raised all in for 1.07 million and Imsirovic pondered for a bit before making the call.

The {5-Diamonds} turn gave Katz a couple more outs, but Imsirovic was confident it was "too many outs." Indeed it was as the {8-Hearts} bricked the river to send Katz out the door in second place.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ali Imsirovic ba
Ali Imsirovic
7,375,000
675,000
675,000
Profile photo of Cary Katz us
Cary Katz
Busted
$25K Fantasy

Tags: Cary KatzAli Imsirovic

Dan Shak Eliminated in 3rd Place ($206,500)

Level 21 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Dan Shak - 3rd Place
Dan Shak - 3rd Place

Ali Imsirovic raised under the gun and Dan Shak defended from the small blind. When the flop fell {9-Spades}{3-Spades}{2-Spades}, Shak checked and Imsirovic bet 75,000.

Shak called and then led out for 150,000 on the {3-Hearts} turn. Imsirovic raised to 550,000 and then snap-called when Shak three-bet all in for 1.92 million.

Shak: {9-Diamonds}{8-Spades}
Imsirovic: {k-Spades}{3-Diamonds}

Shak had two pair with a flush draw but was way behind Imsirovic's trip threes with a better flush draw. The {10-Clubs} river was no help to Shak and just like that he was sent to the rail in third place.

With that, Imsirovic begins heads-up play with a 10:1 chip lead over Cary Katz. The final two players are now on a short break.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ali Imsirovic ba
Ali Imsirovic
6,700,000
2,180,000
2,180,000
Profile photo of Cary Katz us
Cary Katz
680,000
-280,000
-280,000
$25K Fantasy
Profile photo of Dan Shak us
Dan Shak
Busted

Tags: Ali ImsirovicDan Shak

Nick Petrangelo Eliminated in 4th Place ($147,500)

Level 21 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Nick Petrangelo - 4th Place
Nick Petrangelo - 4th Place

Ali Imsirovic raised to 120,000 from the button and then snap-called when Nick Petrangelo three-bet all in for 1.16 million.

Imsirovic: {a-Spades}{a-Clubs}
Petrangelo: {j-Spades}{j-Clubs}

The {j-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds}{a-Diamonds} gave both players a set, while the {3-Spades} turn left Petrangelo looking for the one outer on the river. It wasn't in the cards though as the {2-Clubs} bricked instead.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ali Imsirovic ba
Ali Imsirovic
4,520,000
1,310,000
1,310,000
Profile photo of Nick Petrangelo us
Nick Petrangelo
Busted
WSOP 2X Winner

Tags: Nick PetrangeloAli Imsirovic

Remaining USPO Live Stream Schedule

Level 21 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Remember, you can watch US Poker Open final table action live streams exclusively on PokerGO. Click here to get access for just $10 a month or get an annual subscription for just $99.

Remaining 2019 USPO Live Stream Schedule

DateEventTime
Tuesday, February 19Event #6: $25,000 PLO17:00 ET/14:00 PT
Wednesday, February 20Event #7: $25,000 NLH17:00 ET/14:00 PT
Thursday, February 21Event #8: $25,000 8-Game Mix17:00 ET/14:00 PT
Thursday, February 21Event #9: $50,000 NLH Early Action20:00 ET/17:00 PT
Friday, February 22Event #9: $50,000 NLH17:00 ET/14:00 PT
Friday, February 22Event #10: $100,000 NLH Main Event Early Action19:30 ET/16:30 PT
Saturday, February 23Event #10: $100,000 NLH Main Event17:00 ET/14:00 PT

Kristen Bicknell Eliminated in 5th Place ($118,000)

Level 21 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Kristen Bicknell - 5th Place
Kristen Bicknell - 5th Place

Kristen Bicknell open-shoved for 755,000 from the button and Dan Shak jammed over the top for 1.035 million in the small blind. Ali Imsirovic folded and it was off to the races.

Shak: {9-Clubs}{9-Spades}
Bicknell: {q-Hearts}{j-Clubs}

Bicknell was looking to improve but that proved easier said than done as the board ran out an unhelpful {3-Spades}{6-Hearts}{5-Hearts}{k-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds}.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Dan Shak us
Dan Shak
1,910,000
630,000
630,000
Profile photo of Kristen Bicknell ca
Kristen Bicknell
Busted
WSOP 4X Winner
Chip Leader Coaching

Tags: Dan ShakKristen Bicknell

Level: 21

Blinds: 30,000/60,000

Ante: 60,000