Nicholas Seward opened to 200,000 and Clemen Deng three-bet to 360,000 in the small blind. Seward called called off to be at risk.
Nicholas Seward: A♠4♠ 
Clemen Deng: 6♠6♦
The board ran out 9♦4♦7♠A♥2♦ as Seward made two pair for a small double.
Chino Rheem open-jammed for 565,000 in the small blind and Brandon Wilson called in the big blind.
Chino Rheem: A♦J♦
Brandon Wilson: 3♣3♠
The board ran out 8♥K♥Q♠J♠5♠ as Rheem paired his jack on the turn to double.
Cards are in the air in Day 2 of Event #9: $15,000 NLH.
Level: 17
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 40,000
Just six players remain in the penultimate event of the 2026 U.S. Poker Open (USPO) as Aram Zobian looks for his first title of the series after final table finishes in the previous two events.
The American pro, who finished fourth in Event #7 for $70,000 and fifth in Event #8 for $68,625, will be joined by former rapper Brandon Wilson, German wizard Marius Gierse, rising pros Nicholas Seward and Clemen Deng, and elder statesman Chino Rheem.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aram Zobian | United States | 2,665,000 |
| 2 | Brandon Wilson | United States | 2,535,000 |
| 3 | Chino Rheem | United States | 825,000 |
| 4 | Marius Gierse | Austria | 560,000 |
| 5 | Nicholas Seward | United States | 550,000 |
| 6 | Clemen Deng | United States | 495,000 |
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, kicking off at 1 p.m.
Each returning player is guaranteed at least $50,325, while $292,800 and the trophy await the eventual champion.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $292,800 | ||
| 2 | $183,000 | ||
| 3 | $128,100 | ||
| 4 | $91,500 | ||
| 5 | $68,625 | ||
| 6 | $50,325 | ||
| 7 | Vinny Lingham | United States | $36,600 |
Despite Sam Soverel's comments on Day 1, the fields have not been soft at the USPO. The series will close out with Event #10: $25,000 NLH, which kicks off today at noon local time.
Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team will be back on-site today to see out Event #9. Check out the live reporting hub beforehand.
*Photos courtesy of PokerGO
Event #9: $15,000 NLH
Day 2 Started
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