Shorr Leads from Hendrix after Packed U.S. Poker Open Weekend

A busy weekend of action in the U.S. Poker Open saw Shannon Shorr joined in the winner’s circle after his opening event win by players such as Justin Young and Tamon Nakamura as the next three U.S. Poker Open events went into the history books.

With the race for the title extremely close after four of the dozen scheduled events, there’s all to play for in Las Vegas. We’ve got the latest from the PokerGO Studio on the Strip.

Justin Young Wins Event #2 for $200,000

In Event #2, the $10,000-entry Pot Limit Omaha event saw 77 entries put 11 players in the money. It was popular pro Justin Young who took down the tournament, getting the better of Tommy Le heads-up. That’s no mean feat, with the super-talented Le having won two WSOP bracelets in PLO as recently as 2017 and 2021.

Also making the final table were players such as Alex Foxen (6^th for $46,200), Dylan Weisman (5^th for $61,600) and Damjan Radanov ($77,000), while Dan Shak made the podium but missed the final duel when he ran out of luck in third. Shak was ousted after Le hit the nut flush on the river with all the chip in the middle which gave Le a commanding lead into heads-up, but Young came from 3:1 down in chips to take the title.

“This means a million times more than anything I’ve ever done in this room, cash games or otherwise,” Young said. “Just to play with the best of the best in this room just means the world to me. “Everything in this PokerGO Studio was amazing,” Young said. “Everything PokerGO does, Cary Katz, hats off and a huge congrats to everything that’s done here.”

Adam Hendrix Bosses Event #3 for $211,000

The third event of the 2022 U.S. Poker Open saw even more players pitch up at the felt, with 88 entries producing 13 money places. Adam Hendrix triumphed as the winner of the event after defeating Jonathan Little heads-up. Hendrix’ victory was an impressive one, not just in the final duel, but coming back from having a short stack with 15 players left to rise up and top the lot in style.

The $10,000-entry event saw players such as Michael Lang (13^th for $17,600), Scott Seiver (12^th for $17,600), Alex Foxen (11^th for $26,400), Ben Miner (10^th ($26,400), Sean Perry (9^th for $35,200), Seth Davies (8^th for $35,200) and Rok Gostisa (7^th for $44,000) all make the money, but the final table took place with six players in seats.

Hendrix had only started the final nine in fourth place but started making his move with half a dozen players remaining. It was then that Jonathan Little managed to overtake Nitis Udornpim with all the chips in the middle, Little’s ace-ten hitting against Udornpim’s ace-king to reduce the field to five. Hendrix took out Seidel, before Shannon Shorr – the winner of the opening event – took his leave in fourth place.

After Jeremy Ausmus was eliminated in third place, Hendrix got the better of Little heads-up when he converted a 2:1 chip lead with pocket eights which beat Little’s ace-deuce.

Tamon Nakamura First Japanese Series Winner in Event #4 for $169,000

Tamon Nakamura got the better of Rok Gostisa heads-up to win Event #3 for $169,600 after 53 entries in the $10,000-entry Big Bet Mix event saw eight players paid. Jeremy Ausmus again got close but made a profit when he sneaked into the cash in 8^th place for $21,200. He was followed from the felt when Alex Livingston busted in seventh place for $26,500. That left six finalists, with Nakamura second in chips behind the legend that is Daniel Negreanu, who tweeted his admiration for Japanese players in general.

The Japanese poker players who have joined us for the US Poker Open in @PokerGO studio have been a breath of fresh air. So happy and always having a blast! I love these guys. https://t.co/QVulQUoUhc

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) March 20, 2022

Negreanu, who levelled out Tom Dwan in the third episode of the latest season of High Stakes Poker on PokerGO just last week, may have been chip leader with the final half-dozen gathering at the felt, but he couldn’t hold onto that lead. John Riordan (6^th for $31,800), Dylan Weisman (5^th for $42,400) and Stephen Chidwick (4^th for $53,000) all missed the podium, by which point the British player was down to ten big blinds and lost his final chips when he paired nines in 2-7 single draw to fall to the eventual champion.

Crashing out in third place, Negreanu played for two hours three-handed before queen-high sent him out in the same game format, this time to Rok Gostisa, who had ten-high. Despite winning that hand, however, the Slovenian remained well behind Nakamura, who had a rough lead of 3:1 in chips.

Nakamura had the advantage and put that to good use, winning in no limit hold’em to claim the top prize of $169,600 and claim his first U.S. Poker Open event, putting himself in a great position to challenge for the overall leaderboard victory and prestigious trophy.