USPO #6 - $25,000 PLO
Day 2 Completed
2019 US Poker Open
USPO #6 - $25,000 PLO
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2019 US Poker Open
Buy-in
$25,000
Prize Pool
$975,000
Entries
39
Level
24
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
120,000
Level 24
: 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Stephen Chidwick’s success in the US Poker Open is astonishing.
Last year, he won two of eight events on his way to becoming the 2018 US Poker Open champion. He also had fifth, third and second place finishes for a 2018 total of $1,256,650 in earnings.
This year, he’s final tabled four of the first six events, won two of them and finished second, third, and sixth in the others for $705,950 in winnings. That includes $216,000 for winning Event #1: $10,000 NLH, and on Tuesday night $351,000 for topping a 39-entry field to win Event #6: $25,000 PLO.
“It does seem to be going pretty humorously well this week, I’m kind of expecting to wake up at some point, and winning is definitely not getting old. This is a lot of fun,” Chidwick said after his win. “It feels kinda similar, pretty unbelievable both times and I couldn’t have expected it to go any better.”
Prior to the tournament, Chidwick trailed Sean Winter in the 2019 USPO high roller points race, but he’s now reclaimed the lead with 540 points and four events left to go.
"It would be very special to win it again," Chidwick told USPO officials. "This, in my eyes, is the most prestigious thing you can win. To me, this is kind of like the $50,000 Poker Players Championship but stretched out over a week-long series. Competing with the best in the world in a variety of games would definitely be a career highlight to come out on top again."
He continued: "I don't want to get ahead of myself, there's still four events left to be played and a lot of points up for grabs in the $100k. It would be very special to win it again. This, in my eyes, is the most prestigious thing you can win. To me, this is kind of like the $50,000 Poker Players Championship but stretched out over a week-long series. Competing with the best in the world in a variety of games would definitely be a career highlight to come out on top again."
Event #6: $25,000 PLO Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | $351,000 |
| 2 | Cary Katz | United States | $234,000 |
| 3 | Tom Marchese | United States | $156,000 |
| 4 | Ben Lamb | United States | $97,500 |
| 5 | Sean Rafael | United States | $78,000 |
| 6 | Anthony Zinno | United States | $58,500 |
Final Table Action
Chidwick began the final table as a massive chip leader, but most of the action actually belonged to Cary Katz, who was at his third final table of the series after previously finishing fifth in Event #2: $10,000 PLO for $51,200 and runner-up to Ali Imsirovic in Monday’s Event #5: $25,000 NLH for $295,000.
First, Katz cracked the aces of Anthony Zinno, winner of the $25K PLO event at the 2015 World Series of Poker, all in preflop after hitting a runner-runner flush. Not long after, Chidwick dispatched the short-stacked Sean Rafael, an accomplished online PLO cash game player. Chidwick flopped trip sixes and held against his opponent’s big cards.
Katz and Ben Lamb then played a big pot in which the former flopped two pair and the latter a wrap. The chips went in and Katz boated up to win the pot and send Lamb out the door in fourth place.
With three players remaining. Tom Marchese potted with queens down and Katz defended with double suited black cards. Marchese committed himself on a jack-high flop and Katz called with both straight and flush draws. He hit his club flush on the turn and Marchese was left drawing dead.
Heads-up play was a back-and-forth affair with the chip lead exchanging hands several times. At one point it looked as if Katz was destined for victory, but then Chidwick got a double to put himself back in contention. Eventually, the duo got it in with Katz holding top pair and Chidwick a pair and flush draw. He rivered the said flush and took a commanding lead. Soon thereafter, Katz got his short stack all in preflop with jacks down but Chidwick wound up turning a wheel to close things out.
Katz now sits third in the 2019 US Poker Open points race with Winter sitting between him and Chidwick.
PokerNews coverage of the 2019 USPO continues now with live updates from Event #7: $25,000 NLH, which you can follow here.
Remember, you can watch all USPO final tables exclusively on PokerGO. Subscribe to PokerGO for just $10 a month or $99 a year to watch nine straight days of U.S. Poker Open final table action plus PokerGO’s full catalog of programming.
Level 24
: 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Stephen Chidwick potted to 360,000 and then called when Cary Katz raised all in dark for 410,000 total.
Chidwick: 
Katz: 
The 
flop gave Chidwick a bunch of outs, and he made a wheel on the 
turn. Katz needed a four on the river just to chop, but he didn't get it as the 
bricked the river. Katz has to settle for another second-place finish, this one good for $234,000.
It marked Katz’s third cash of the 2019 USPO after finishing fifth in Event #2: $10,000 PLO for $51,200 and runner-up to Ali Imsirovic in yesterday’s Event #5: $25,000 NLH for $295,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
5,850,000
710,000
|
710,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 24
: 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Stephen Chidwick potted to 360,000 holding the 
and Cary Katz, who had retaken the chip lead, repotted to 1.2 million with 
.
Chidwick called and then called off when Katz bet the 
flop. The 
turn meant Chidwick was drawing to a monster 21 outs, and the 
river was one of them as he made a flush to double big.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,140,000
2,030,000
|
2,030,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
710,000
-2,030,000
|
-2,030,000 |
|
|
||
Level 24
: 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
After winning several "small" pot, some of which were potted pre but failed to get past the flop, Stephen Chidwick has reclaimed the chip lead by a slim margin.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,110,000
620,000
|
620,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,740,000
-620,000
|
-620,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 24
Blinds: 60,000/120,000
Ante: 120,000
Level 23
: 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
Stephen Chidwick raised the pot to 300,000 with 
and Cary Katz defended with the 
.
The 
flop saw Katz check-call a bet of 225,000 from Chidwick, who had flopped the nuts.
Action then went check-check on the 
turn and the 
river gave Katz a boat. He check-called a bet of 575,000 and won the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,385,000
700,000
|
700,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,465,000
-700,000
|
-700,000 |
|
|
||
Level 23
: 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
Cary Katz raised the button to 250,000 holding the 
and Stephen Chidwick defended holding the 
.
Action went chec-check on the 
flop and then Katz fired out 500,000 on the turn. Chidwick folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,685,000
775,000
|
775,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,165,000
-775,000
|
-775,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 23
Blinds: 50,000/100,000
Ante: 100,000
Level 22
: 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
The final two players are now on a short break.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,940,000
445,000
|
445,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,910,000
-445,000
|
-445,000 |
|
|
||