button in SafariEvent #9: $15,000 NLH
Day 1 Completed
2026 U.S. Poker Open
Event #9: $15,000 NLH
Day: 1
Players Left 6 / 61
Filter
Final Table
Level 16
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
The penultimate event of the 2026 U.S. Poker Open (USPO) is one step closer to awarding a winner after Day 1 of Event #9: $15,000 NLH.
Leading the way is Aram Zobian at his third straight USPO final table with a stack of 2,665,000, ahead of fellow American high-stakes pros Brandon Wilson, Chino Rheem, Nicholas Seward and Clemen Deng, as well as German pro Marius Gierse.
The event drew 61 runners for a prize pool of $915,000 — which are the exact same numbers of the previous tournament, Event #8: $15,000 NLH.
Event #9 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aram Zobian | United States | 2,665,000 | 89 |
| 2 | Brandon Wilson | United States | 2,535,000 | 85 |
| 3 | Chino Rheem | United States | 825,000 | 28 |
| 4 | Marius Gierse | Austria | 560,000 | 19 |
| 5 | Nicholas Seward | United States | 550,000 | 18 |
| 6 | Clemen Deng | United States | 495,000 | 17 |
Day 1 Action
Rheem is typically the clairvoyant one (he has put on dizzying hand-reading skills in the PokerGO Studio and elsewhere), but German grinder Gierse took a note from American pro's book early on Day 1.
"Where's Chino? It's awfully quiet in here," Gierse asked seconds before Rheem walked in the room, leading Kristen Foxen to declare that "we are living in a sim."
It was fitting, then, that Gierse and Rheem both it to the final table hours later. But it was a slow grind to the money as the field gradually dropped from 14 players down to nine.
This series has been all poker power couples, but not in this event. Two-time winner Brock Wilson bowed out early, Cherish Andrews followed suit as she had kings cracked, and Kristen Foxen followed later in the evening.
Alex Foxen then fell on the final table bubble as his ace-queen was out-flopped by the eight-five of Deng.
Action picked up from there as California businessman Bill Klein went out in ninth place at the hands of Deng.
Natalie Ferguson was the first to go at the final table, followed by entrepreneur Vinny Lingham, who was eliminated in the final hand of the evening that saw Seward rivering a two-outer.
Day 2 will kick off at 11:45 a.m. local time on Level 17 with blinds of 20,000/40,000/40,000. The final table action will be streamed by PokerGO, and PokerNews will provide updates on a delay.
Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team will be back tomorrow to see out Event #9. Check out the live reporting hub in the meantime.
*Photos courtesy of PokerGO
Level 16
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Day 1 has wrapped up with six players remaining.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the day's action.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,665,000
1,365,000
|
1,365,000 |
|
||
|
2,535,000
265,000
|
265,000 |
|
825,000
275,000
|
275,000 |
|
||
|
560,000 | |
|
550,000 | |
|
||
|
495,000
305,000
|
305,000 |
Level 16
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Vinny Lingham was all in against Nicholas Seward to his immediate right.
Nicholas Seward: 10♥10♦ 
Vinny Lingham: K♦J♦
Lingham took the lead on the flop of J♥5♥2♠, but the board finished out 7♠10♣ as Seward hit a ten on the river to send Lingham out in seventh place in the final hand of the evening.
"Vinny, Vinny, not no more," Lingham said glumly.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
550,000 | |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 16
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
In a blind versus blind pot, Marius Gierse checked on the flop of 2♠10♠8♥ and Vinny Lingham bet 60,000. Gierse called.
Both players then checked on the 3♥ turn. Gierse checked once more on the 6♥ river and Lingham bet 70,000. Gierse called.
Lingham could only show K♥7♠ for king-high as Gierse rolled over A♦K♦ to take the pot with ace-high.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
400,000
125,000
|
125,000 |
|
|
200,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
Level 16
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Brandon Wilson opened to 60,000 from middle position and Aram Zobian called in the small blind before Clemen Deng three-bet jammed for around 650,000 in the big blind.
Both opponents folded.
The next hand, Chino Rheem could be heard getting angry after Brandon Wilson checked back the river by saying "I check and lose" before the two chop the pot.
"You can't say 'I check and lose' and then chop. Just muck your hand," said Rheem.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,800,000
700,000
|
700,000 |
|
|
1,300,000
800,000
|
800,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
800,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
Level: 16
Blinds: 15,000/30,000
Ante: 30,000
Level 15
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon Wilson | United States | 2,100,000 | 84 |
| 2 | Nicholas Seward | United States | 550,000 | 22 |
| 3 | Marius Gierse | Austria | 275,000 | 11 |
| 4 | Vinny Lingham | United States | 400,000 | 16 |
| 5 | Aram Zobian | United States | 2,100,000 | 84 |
| 6 | Clemen Deng | United States | 1,000,000 | 40 |
| 7 | Chino Rheem | United States | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
2,100,000
1,250,000
|
1,250,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,000,000
900,000
|
900,000 |
|
|
550,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
400,000 | |
|
|
275,000
225,000
|
225,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Nicholas Seward open-jammed on the button and was called by Natalie Ferguson in the small blind with less.
Natalie Ferguson: 6x6x
Nicholas Seward: K♣J♥
The flop landed 3♣10♠K♥ to put Seward in front as the board finished out 9♠2♣ to mark Ferguson's elimination on the final table bubble.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
550,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 15
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Clemen Deng was all in for around 460,000 in the cutoff against Brandon Wilson in the big blind.
Clemen Deng: Q♠J♠
Brandon Wilson: 6♥6♦
The board ran out 4♣7♣10♣Q♦A♣ as Deng paired his queen to double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,000,000
700,000
|
700,000 |
|
|
100,000
1,100,000
|
1,100,000 |
