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 – ace-jack holding against ace-ten all in preflop – 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.
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