Negreanu & Co. Return for Final Day of Event #3: $25,000 No Limit Hold'em
The Super Bowl Sunday allowed players to wind down from the immense action at US Poker Open but the high stakes heroes return to the grind today. Six players come back to the Aria Resort and Casino at noon local time to battle it out in the Event #3: $25,000 No Limit Hold'em.
The first of three $25k NLH tournaments slated for the inaugural US Poker Open kicked off Saturday, February 3, drawing a total of 44 entries. Canadian superstar and Las Vegas resident Daniel Negreanu hardly skips any high stakes action that takes place in his backyard and the all-time winningest player once again stole the spotlight coming into the series.
Just like at the 2017 Poker Masters, Negreanu offered to bet $50,000 on himself against anyone in a must-win leaderboard title race. Negreanu found customers in Benjamin Pollak and Bryn Kenney and while he bricked the first two events, he's ready to take the pole position in Event #3. Whoever wins the tournament is set to claim a $374,000 first prize along with a provisional lead in the hunt for the US Poker Open Trophy.
Negreanu is in great shape to doing so as he lies in second place with 1,700,000 in chips, on the heels of the chip leader Keith Tilston who is on 1,734,000.
USPO - Event #3: $25,000 NLH final table:
| Seat | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brent Hanks | United States | 213,000 |
| 2 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | 1,700,000 |
| 3 | Jake Schindler | United States | 999,000 |
| 4 | Seth Davies | United States | 335,000 |
| 5 | Keith Tilston | United States | 1,734,000 |
| 6 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | 519,000 |
Interestingly, Negreanu was the first player to bust the tournament but he gained traction after firing his second bullet, finishing the day with huge piles in front of him. Negreanu was responsible for breaking the bubble, cracking Dan Shak's kings with deuces to force him out in eighth place. Tilston then dispatched Nick Schulman in seventh to establish himself as the chip leader for the six-handed final table.
While there's a decent cushion between the two biggest stacks and the remaining finalists, it won't be a cakewalk for Tilston and Negreanu. They will face off against a highly talented competition. Pennsylvania's all-time top-earning player, 2017 Super High Roller Bowl runner-up Jake Schindler sits in third with 999,000, followed by Stephen Chidwick (519,000) and Seth Davies (335,000). Brent Hanks is the only finalist in possession of a sub 20-big blind chip-stack. He returns to 213,000.
Payouts:
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $374,000 | ||
| 2nd | $242,000 | ||
| 3rd | $165,000 | ||
| 4th | $110,000 | ||
| 5th | $88,000 | ||
| 6th | $66,000 | ||
| 7th | Nick Schulman | United States | $55,000 |
With 30-minute levels and a 30-second action clock in play, we can expect a fast-paced tempo full of dramatic moments. Importantly, you can watch the final table on PokerGO with the broadcast starting at 1:00 P.M. PST with the hole cards up. PokerNews will bring you hand-for-hand coverage following the stream so come back for the live updates from the US Poker Open as the brand new high roller series continues.