Michael Rossitto Leads Final Five in Event #2: $5,000 NLH
The 2026 U.S. Poker Open continued today here at the PokerGo Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino with Event #2: $5,000 NLH. The second of three $5,000 events this series drew 98 entries, creating a $490,000 prize pool. After just over 18 levels of play, just five players remain in contention for the trophy and $127,400 top prize.
Michael Rossitto ended the day atop the counts with 3,455,000, good for nearly 60 big blinds going into the second and final day. Rossitto started to emerge as one of the bigger stacks in the room during the money bubble, before firmly establishing himself as chip leader at the final two tables after flopping a set to eliminate Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel. Rossitto will be chasing his second PokerGo title in this event, having won his first in a $10,000 event at last year's U.S. Poker Open.
Clemen Deng also ended the day with a big stack and has momentum on his side after cashing the first event of the series yesterday.
Event #2 Final Table Seating Positions and Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemen Deng | United States | 2,410,000 | 40 |
| 2 | Justin Vaysman | United States | 2,755,000 | 46 |
| 3 | Yifu He | United States | 1,520,000 | 25 |
| 4 | Peter Mugar | United States | 2,110,000 | 35 |
| 5 | Michael Rossitto | United States | 3,455,000 | 58 |
Day 1 action
The event featured a mix of top pros and local grinders looking to take a shot at bigger buy-ins. Notable players to fall before the money today include Kristen Foxen, Brad Owen, and Andrew Lichtenberger.
Brock Wilson also hopped in today shortly after defeating Jeremy Ausmus to claim his third PokerGo title in just one month. Wilson couldn't find similar success in this event, and was eliminated after losing a preflop race with ace-jack against Chino Rheem's queen-nine suited shortly after registration closed.
Alex Foxen took the chip lead as the money bubble approached, and during hand-for-hand play he applied relentless pressure to his opponents to extend his lead further. Clemen Deng stopped Foxen's momentum dead after two massive hands, first holding top two pair against a smaller two pair from Foxen, before pulling off a gutsy hero-call with queen-high against Foxen's missed straight draw. Those hands saw Foxen go from massive chip leader to short-stack and at risk of bubbling himself.
Foxen managed to outlast Vinny Lingham, who earned the unfortunate title of bubble boy after his king-ten suited failed to overcome Rossitto's pocket jacks. Foxen was out soon after, earning a min-cash for his efforts.
Others to make the money but fall before the end of the night include Jeremy Ausmus (12th - $12,500), Ebony Kenney (10th - $14,700), and Erik Seidel (9th - $14,700).
Play will resume at 11:45 a.m. local time on Monday, with the final five returning with 30:00 left on Level 19 (30,000/60,000 (60,000)). Stay tuned to PokerNews for full coverage of the 2026 U.S. Poker Open, including live updates, chip counts, and highlights.