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Event #9: $15,000 NLH
Day 2 Completed
2026 U.S. Poker Open
Event #9: $15,000 NLH
Day: 2
Event Info
2026 U.S. Poker Open
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
$15,000
Prize Pool
$915,000
Total Entries
61
Level
23
Blinds
75,000 / 150,000
Ante
150,000
Entries
6
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 61
Filter
Level 23
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
Aram Zobian entered Day 2 of Event #9: $15,000 NLH as the chip leader at his third straight 2026 U.S. Poker Open final table. After finishing fourth in Event #7 for $70,000 and fifth in Event #8 for $68,625, the Armenian-American pro closed out today to win $292,800 and his latest PokerGO title as he defeated heads-up opponent Brandon Wilson.
The penultimate event of the 2026 USPO drew 61 runners for a prize pool of $915,000. The final table included rising American pros Clemen Deng (6th - $50,325) and Nicholas Seward (5th - $68,625), German wizard Marius Gierse (4th - $91,500), and elder statesman Chino Rheem (3rd - $128,100).
"I'm getting very lucky and am very grateful for it," Zobian told PokerNews in a winner's interview. "I'm also making some good reads, also grateful to be flowing and have my nervous system be in a good place."
Event #9 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aram Zobian | United States | $292,800 |
| 2 | Brandon Wilson | United States | $183,000 |
| 3 | Chino Rheem | United States | $128,100 |
| 4 | Marius Gierse | Austria | $91,500 |
| 5 | Nicholas Seward | United States | $68,625 |
| 6 | Clemen Deng | United States | $50,325 |
| 7 | Vinny Lingham | United States | $36,600 |
Playing for a Cause
Zobian, who describes himself as an "Armenian Orthodox Mystical Christian," wears his influences on his sleeves — or, in this case, on his head. He was draped in a checkered garb at the final table and waved a silver Ethiopian cross as he posed for winner's photos.
He also wore a shirt repping the Natna Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit he co-founded after visiting the Tigray region in Ethiopia, which suffered a genocide as part of the Tigray war from 2020 to 2022.
Zobian said his Armenian heritage, another country that has been reeled by human rights abuses, makes him feel connected to Ethiopia.
"There's a lot of need," Zobian said. "We're doing mutual aid, we distribute food, we're working in the educational sector and setting up programs for education and psychosocial support to help the kids process trauma and get back to a good place."
Though he was coming off two close calls in previous events, Zobian said he didn't feel any extra pressure to close out at today's final table.
"I try to not put that pressure on myself. I try to just make the objective play and have a lot of gratitude and try to just thank God continually, pretty much. Praise God and play my best."
Zobian, whose final table run included knocking out fourth-place finisher Gierse, got to heads-up play with a serious chip deficit to Wilson, who himself has made two USPO final tables. Zobian eventually took a slight lead before a final confrontation where his king-six out-flopped Wilson's ace-nine.
That wraps up PokerNews' coverage of Event #9 at the USPO. Head to the live reporting portal to see coverage of other events.
Level 23
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
Aram Zobian entered Day 2 of Event #9: $15,000 NLH as the chip leader at his third straight 2026 U.S. Poker Open Final Table. After finishing fourth in Event #7 for $70,000 and fifth in Event #8 for $68,625, the Armenian-American pro closed out today to win $292,800 and his latest PokerGO title as he defeating fellow American pro Brandon Wilson.
Stay tuned for a full recap and winner's interview.
Event #9 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aram Zobian | United States | $292,800 |
| 2 | Brandon Wilson | United States | $183,000 |
| 3 | Chino Rheem | United States | $128,100 |
| 4 | Marius Gierse | Austria | $91,500 |
| 5 | Nicholas Seward | United States | $68,625 |
| 6 | Clemen Deng | United States | $50,325 |
| 7 | Vinny Lingham | United States | $36,600 |
Level 23
: 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
Brandon Wilson limped in on the button and called with his stack of 3,575,000 as Aram Zobian moved all in in the big blind.
Aram Zobian: K♣6♥ 
Brandon Wilson: A♥9♠
The flop landed 2♣9♦K♦ to give Zobian a big lead and the board finished out J♣6♦ to mark his elimination in second place for $183,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
7,625,000
3,575,000
|
3,575,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level: 23
Blinds: 75,000/150,000
Ante: 150,000
Level 22
: Blinds 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
In a limped pot that checked through on the flop of 3♣7♥2♣, Brandon Wilson checked again on the K♠ turn and Aram Zobian bet 325,000. Wilson called.
Wilson checked again on the 4♦ river and Zobian bet 1,100,000. Wilson called and saw the bad news.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,050,000
2,900,000
|
2,900,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
3,575,000
2,900,000
|
2,900,000 |
Level 22
: Blinds 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
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Level 22
: Blinds 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
In a limped pot, Aram Zobian checked on the flop of 4♥Q♠A♦ and Brandon Wilson bet 125,000. Zobian called.
Zobian checked again on the J♦ turn and Wilson checked back. Zobian then bet 500,000 on the 9♦ river and Wilson called to win the pot with his two pair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,475,000
1,375,000
|
1,375,000 |
|
|
1,150,000
1,375,000
|
1,375,000 |
|
|
||
Level 22
: Blinds 75,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
Aram Zobian called on the button with Q♦8♠ and Brandon Wilson raised to 475,000 with 9♠6♣. Zobian called.
Wilson bet 400,000 on the flop of K♦5♠7♠ and Zobian laid it down.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,100,000 | |
|
|
2,525,000 | |
|
|
||
Level: 22
Blinds: 75,000/125,000
Ante: 125,000
