button in Safari
Event #1: $5,000 NLH
Day 1 Completed
2026 U.S. Poker Open
Event #1: $5,000 NLH
Day: 1
Event Info
2026 U.S. Poker Open
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
Buy-in
$5,000
Prize Pool
$465,000
Total Entries
93
Level
22
Blinds
75,000 / 125,000
Ante
125,000
Entries
5
Players Left
5
Players Left 1 / 93
Filter
Level 18
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
The first day of the first event of the 2026 U.S. Poker Open in Las Vegas reached its conclusion tonight with five players remaining, and leading the way is high-stakes pro Jeremy Ausmus, who bagged nearly half of the chips in play.
Also in contention in Event #1: $5,000 NLH, which drew 93 runners for a prize pool of $465,000, are longtime grinders Justin Zaki and Rodger Johnson, as well as California's Natalie Ferguson and recent PokerGO Cup champion Brock Wilson.
A lineup of poker stars were eliminated late in the evening as Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel, reigning GPI Female Player of the Year Kristen Foxen and red-hot Chino Rheem all fell in the final hours of play.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | 5,305,000 | 106 |
| 2 | Justin Zaki | United States | 2,215,000 | 44 |
| 3 | Rodger Johnson | United States | 2,035,000 | 41 |
| 4 | Brock Wilson | United States | 1,280,000 | 26 |
| 5 | Natalie Ferguson | United States | 790,000 | 16 |
Exciting Open to USPO
In addition to being an accomplished pro, Ausmus is also a talented musician and Ween fan. He has sung about the cruelty of the mighty poker gods, but they were on his side today as he hit a few crucial rivers.
Ausmus recently became poker's highest-stakes vlogger, and it's a good thing after the clips he got today.
The PokerGO Studio sets itself apart from other venues in part because of the camaraderie, conversations and banter between players.
That was certainly the case on Day 1, which was highlighted by Ausmus slow rolling an opponent for the first time in his 22-year career. That opponent was Jeremy Becker in a hand that Ausmus declared is "going to go viral."
Later, Foxen surveyed the room about their WSOP Main Event experiences. She first asked Cary Katz about when he first played the Main Event — "I was basically in high school back then!" Foxen said when he heard Katz' answer — before asking Rheem about his seventh-place finish in 2008.
Foxen then turned her attention to Seidel, who finished second to Johnny Chan 20 years earlier in a Main Event heads-up match made famous by Rounders.
Zaki eliminated Thomas Winters on the money bubble not long after a rollercoaster hand where Winters turned Broadway before Zaki hit a full house on the river to double up.
After that, the likes of Neil Warren and Clemen Deng were eliminated, as well Darren Rabinowitz, who took a tough beat as he was two-outed with one card to come in a suck-out that he said he felt coming.
Seidel and Foxen were two of the next out ahead of the seven-handed final table, which saw Ausmus hitting a river to knock out Utah's Kent Stephens before Rheem ran into the aces of Ween's biggest fan in poker.
In addition to Ausmus, Wilson is one to keep an eye on tomorrow after winning two events at last month's PokerGO Cup. But don't expect Wilson to make any out of line plays on Day 2. "I'll just wait until I have it. Phil Hellmuth-style," he joked toward the end of the night.
Day 2 will pick up at 11:45 a.m. local time with 18 minutes remaining of Level 18 with blinds of 25,000/50,000/50,000. The event will play to a winner, who will win the first trophy of the series and top prize of $120,900.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $120,900 |
| 2 | $76,725 |
| 3 | $55,800 |
| 4 | $41,850 |
| 5 | $32,550 |
Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team will be back on-site tomorrow to see out Event #1 of the 2026 U.S. Poker Open. Check out the live reporting hub in the meantime.
*Photos courtesy of PokerGO and Antonio Abrego
Level 18
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Level 18
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Day 1 has ended with five players remaining at 18 minutes left on Level 19.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the day's action.
Level 18
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Chino Rheem bet 400,000 for most of his stack in the cutoff and Jeremy Ausmus called in the small blind.
Ausmus led out on the 8♥7♠4♥ and Rheem lamented that he didn't have anything before calling off with crumbs.
Chino Rheem: Q♣2♣ 
Jeremy Ausmus: A♠A♥
Rheem had run into aces and couldn't improve as the board finished out 5♥9♣ to mark his elimination in sixth place for $23,250.
But it wasn't all bad news for Rheem. Earlier in the tournament, he declared that he needed to finish in eighth place or better to break even on the day.
Level 18
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Chino Rheem opened to 100,000 in the cutoff and Jeremy Ausmus three-bet jammed in the small blind. Kent Stephens then called off in the big blind as Rheem got out of the way.
Kent Stephens: 10♦10♥
Jeremy Ausmus: A♥K♣
It looked like a double up was coming to the player from Utah as the board began J♥5♥4♠J♠. But the river brought the K♦ to give Ausmus the winner as Stephens was sent to the rail in seventh place for $18,600.
Level 18
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Level 18
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | 2,200,000 | 44 |
| 2 | Kent Stephens | United States | 1,400,000 | 28 |
| 3 | Justin Zaki | United States | 2,700,000 | 54 |
| 4 | Rodger Johnson | United States | 1,700,000 | 34 |
| 5 | Natalie Ferguson | United States | 500,000 | 10 |
| 6 | Chino Rheem | United States | 1,200,000 | 24 |
| 7 | Brock Wilson | United States | 1,200,000 | 24 |
Level 18
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
David Decker was all in against Brock Wilson across the table.
David Decker: 8♦8♣
Brock Wilson: Q♦Q♣
Decker couldn't pull ahead as the board ran out 6♣4♠9♠A♣A♦ to send him out on the final table bubble, marking the end of Decker's mission and leaving him like an empty bottle.
Level 18
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Kristen Foxen was all in for a short stack against Kent Stephens across the table.
Kristen Foxen: A♥10♠
Kent Stephens: 4♦4♥
Foxen couldn't pull ahead as the board ran out 8♣6♥K♥6♠3♠ to mark the high-stakes pro and reigning GPI Female Player of the Year's elimination.
