Stephen Chidwick Captures Third US Poker Open Title; Takes Down Event #1 for $216,000
There are nine completed events in the history of the United States Poker Open and the UK��s Stephen Chidwick has won three of them. After winning back-to-back events last year on his way to becoming the 2018 USPO champion, Chidwick returned to the 2019 edition and topped a 90-entry field to win Event #1: $10,000 NLH for $216,000.
Chidwick is out to an early lead in the 2019 USPO race, which will see the series winner claim an extra $100,000 courtesy of PokerGO.
��I kept running as I did last year, this is my favorite place to play in the world by far, and I came in focused and ready to play my best,�� Chidwick told USPO officials after the win. ��I think the Poker Central team and ARIA are doing an amazing job and part of the increase is probably due to the $100,000 that��s been added for the series champion. I think people really like playing at the PokerGO Studio and they��re telling their friends about it. I think the fields are just going to keep getting bigger and bigger.��
Event #1: $10,000 NLH Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | $216,000 |
| 2 | Sean Winter | United States | $157,500 |
| 3 | Joseph Cheong | United States | $112,500 |
| 4 | Joseph Cappello | United States | $90,000 |
| 5 | Lazaro Hernandez | United States | $72,000 |
| 6 | Joseph Orsino | United States | $54,000 |
Final Table Action
Joseph Cheong began the final table as chip leader and he scored the first knockout when he raised holding ace-ten and Joseph Orsino defended his big blind with queen-ten. Both players flopped two pair, the chips went in, and Orsino hit the rail in sixth place for $54,000.
Not long after, Chidwick and Lazaro Hernandez, who had taken over the lead, played a big pot where the former flopped the nuts with a ten-high straight and Hernandez jammed with an open-ender to chop. Chidwick made an easy call and doubled into the chip lead, which he wouldn��t relinquish.
��I could��ve gone either way with that hand between calling or raising with Sean being short in the big blind,�� said Chidwick. ��If he wakes up with something I would��ve had decent equity against him and I was obviously not too happy with the re-raise by Laz but I got a good price to call.��
He added: ��I just smashed the flop and luckily it was one where he kinda had to get his money in too and that hand put me in a great position to win more pots after that.��
Chidwick finished off Hernandez a short time later �C ace-jack holding against ace-ten all in preflop �C and Joseph Cappello bowed out in fourth place losing ace-deuce to Chidwick��s ace-four.
Cheong and Sean Winter managed to each double through Chidwick to close the gap, but then the former picked a bad time to three-bet jam with ace-deuce suited. Chidwick called with Big Slick and held to send Cheong out the door in third place for $112,500.
Heads-up play didn��t last long as Chidwick turned a gutshot straight, a card that also gave Winter a set. The chips went in and Winter failed to fill up on the river. He earned $157,500 for finishing as runner-up.
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.