Time to Crown a Winner in Event #2: $5,000 NLH
The second event of the 2026 U.S. Poker Open plays down to a winner today here at the PokerGo Studio at ARIA Casino & Resort. Just five players remain from the 98-entry field to play for the trophy, the PGT leaderboard points, and the $127,400 top prize.
Leading the field going into the final day is Michael Rossitto, who is in a great position to win the second PGT title of his career after claiming his first in Event #3 of last year’s U.S. Poker Open. Rossitto is most closely followed by Justin Vaysman, who has secured his first PGT cash of the season in this event.
Final Table Seat Draw
| 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 |
Clemen Deng, Peter Mugar and Yifu He round out the final five. Deng is currently positioned highest on the PGT leaderboard from the remaining field, sitting in 9th place so far with 467 PGT points from his six cashes this season.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $127,400 | ||
| 2 | $80,850 | ||
| 3 | $58,800 | ||
| 4 | $44,100 | ||
| 5 | $34,300 | ||
| 6 | Vlastimil Pustina | Czechia | $24,500 |
| 7 | Aaron Messmer | United States | $19,600 |
Action resumes at 11:45 a.m. at the start of Level 19, with the blinds at 30,000/60,000 (60,00). Blinds increase every 30 minutes, and level lengths will be reduced at the tournament director’s discretion when three players remain.
Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team is on site and ready to see out the completion of Event #2. Check out the live reporting hub in the meantime.