Event #12: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em

Sean Winter Wins Event #12 for $756,000 and USPO Championship

Posted March 28, 2022 at 9:53 pm ET by Donnie Peters

It took every single hand if the 2022 U.S. Poker Open for Sean Winter to win the series championship, but he did it. After failing to cash in the first 10 events of the series, Winter stormed to the top of the mountain by winning the final two events. After he won Event #11: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $440,000, Winter reached the final table of Event #12: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em. Winter needed a victory to rip the Golden Eagle Trophy from Tamon Nakamura’s hands, and he pulled it off, defeating Nakamura’s good friend, Masashi Oya, in heads-up play to win the finale for $756,000 and become 2022 U.S. Poker Open champion.

“It means a lot,” WInter told PokerGO’s Jeff Platt after the victory. “I’m kind of speechless right now. I was just getting destroyed all series, obviously, and I was kind of grateful for that because it motivates me to do well and the buy-ins went up. I kind of just got lucky in that regard and good winning when I need to.”

Winter had previously finished runner-up in the U.S. Poker Open in each of the last two editions the series was held. Both times, David Peters won the series championship and Winter finished second. Not only did Winter take home the 60-pound Golden Eagle Trophy, but he was awarded the series’ $50,000 Championship Bonus. All told, Winter won $1,246,000 at the 2022 U.S. Poker Open.

Entering the final day of play, Nakamura had the points lead and was hoping to hold on to the top spot. Nakamura needed to fade Winter and Shannon Shorr, who could both overtake him if things broke right. Shorr went out in fifth place, leaving just Winter left to win it all. To do so, Winter needed first place and only first place. Winter pulled it off and became the 2022 U.S. Poker Open champion.

“Everyone was having a phenomenal series,” Winter said. “Hats off to [Tamon Nakamura]. At the start of yesterday’s tournament, I had to be one percent to win, less? I don’t know. I wasn’t even thinking about having a shot at all.”

What’s more, Winter has now gone back to back in the final event of the U.S. Poker Open. In the 2021 series, he topped the field of 42 entries to win $756,000.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” Winter said of the U.S. Poker Open series. “The whole atmosphere in here, it’s well run, Cary [Katz] does a great job here, and I just have the most fun of any form of poker playing these. I like to compete and it’s got a good mix of players.”

2022 U.S. Poker Open Event #12 Results

Event #12: $50,000 NL Hold’em generated a prize pool of $2,100,000 thanks to 42 entries. The top six spots reached the money. Seven players returned for Monday’s final table, with Jake Schindler busting on the money bubble. All players to cash earned both U.S. Poker Open and PGT leaderboard points.

2022 U.S. Poker Open Leaderboard Top 10