Sean Winter Wins Event #12 for $756,000 and USPO Championship
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
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Sean Winter | United States | $756,000 |
| 2 | Masashi Oya | Japan | $504,000 |
| 3 | Zhuang Ruan | United States | $336,000 |
| 4 | Vikenty Shegal | United States | $231,000 |
| 5 | Shannon Shorr | United States | $168,000 |
| 6 | Dan Smith | United States | $105,000 |
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
| Rank | Player | Country | Points |
| 1 | Sean Winter | United States | 718 |
| 2 | Tamon Nakamura | Japan | 588 |
| 3 | Alex Foxen | United States | 488 |
| 4 | Chino Rheem | United States | 481 |
| 5 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | 464 |
| 6 | Shannon Shorr | United States | 441 |
| 7 | Erik Seidel | United States | 428 |
| 8 | Dylan Weisman | United States | 414 |
| 9 | Masashi Oya | Japan | 414 |
| 10 | Adam Hendrix | United States | 356 |
Watch the U.S. Poker Open Event #12 Final Table on PokerGO.com at 6 p.m. ET
The final table of Event #12: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em of the 2022 U.S. Poker Open is set and will be airing on PokerGO.com at 6 p.m. ET.
Watch the Event #12 final table on PokerGO.com here!
Zhuang Ruan finished Day 1 as the chip leader with 2,810,000 in chips ahead of Masashi Oya, Shannon Shorr, Dan Smith, Vikenty Shegal, Sean Winter, and Jake Schindler. Only the final six are in the money with $105,000 set aside for sixth place, while all eyes remain on the $756,000 first-place prize. The 2022 U.S. Poker Open championship is still up for grabs for both Winter and Shorr. Winter needs to win Event #12, while Shorr needs to outlast Winter and finish in the top two. Any other result will see Japan’s Tamon Nakamura win the $50,000 championship bonus and Golden Eagle Trophy.
Event #12: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Final Table |
|||
| Seat | Name | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Jake Schindler | United States | 155,000 |
| 2 | Masashi Oya | Japan | 1,570,000 |
| 3 | Sean Winter | United States | 845,000 |
| 4 | Shannon Shorr | United States | 1,090,000 |
| 5 | Dan Smith | United States | 1,005,000 |
| 6 | Zhuang Ruan | United States | 2,810,000 |
| 7 | Vikenty Shegal | United States | 935,000 |
When play resumes, Level 13 will begin with blinds at 15,000/30,000/30,000 and the button will be on Shannon Shorr.
Connect with PokerGO.com on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Use code “ USPO22WEB” for $20 off an annual PokerGO subscription now!
Zhuang Ruan Leads Final Table of $50k U.S. Poker Open Finale; Shannon Shorr and Sean Winter in Contention for Golden Eagle Trophy
The final event of the 2022 U.S. Poker Open, Event #12: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em, took center stage at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the 42-entrant field created a prize pool of $2,100,000.
Zhuang Ruan bagged the chip lead with just over a third of the total chips in play, partially propelled by a hand where he shot up the leaderboard in an aces versus kings cooler which eliminated Nick Schulman late in the day. The players behind him in the counts are Masashi Oya, Shannon Shorr, Dan Smith, Vikenty Shegal, Sean Winter, and Jake Schindler.
Tamon Nakamura currently sits atop the 2022 U.S. Poker Open leaderboard with 588 points. Shorr and Winter are the only players who have an opportunity to overtake him to win the Golden Eagle trophy and $50,000 championship bonus which comes with the 2022 U.S. Poker Open champion title. Nakamura will likely be rooting for fellow Japanese poker player Masashi Oya, as he could deny Shorr and Winter the points needed to surpass him.
Shorr currently has 340 points and Winter has 264 points. Winter will finish on top of the leaderboard only if he wins the final event. Shorr will finish on top of the leaderboard if he wins the final event, although he can also win the 2022 U.S. Poker Open champion title with a runner-up finish, provided Winter doesn’t win.
Event #12: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Final Table |
|||
| Seat | Name | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Jake Schindler | United States | 155,000 |
| 2 | Masashi Oya | Japan | 1,570,000 |
| 3 | Sean Winter | United States | 845,000 |
| 4 | Shannon Shorr | United States | 1,090,000 |
| 5 | Dan Smith | United States | 1,005,000 |
| 6 | Zhuang Ruan | United States | 2,810,000 |
| 7 | Vikenty Shegal | United States | 935,000 |
When play resumes, Level 13 will begin with blinds at 15,000/30,000/30,000 and the button will be on Shannon Shorr.
Ali Imsirovic, Nick Schulman, and Chino Rheem made deep runs but were eliminated short of the final table. Phil Hellmuth was in contention for the Golden Eagle trophy, although he lost the rest of his stack against Ruan in a blind versus blind battle.
Justin Young was also eliminated by Ruan shortly after when he lost a flip, and Ruan won another crucial flip against Daniel Negreanu a bit later, knocking Negreanu out of contention for both the tournament and the Golden Eagle trophy.
Seven players remain and only six will earn themselves a piece of the prize pool. Once the bubble bursts, the players will be guaranteed $105,000, but all eyes will be on the $756,000 first-place prize.
The final seven players will return to the PokerGO Studio on Monday, March 28, at 2 p.m. PT with the final table airing on PokerGO.com at 3 p.m. PT.
Connect with PokerGO.com on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Use code “ USPO22WEB” for $20 off an annual PokerGO subscription now!
End-of-Day Chip Counts
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Zhuang Ruan | 2,810,000 |
210,000  |
| Masashi Oya | 1,570,000 |
-30,000  |
| Shannon Shorr | 1,090,000 |
-90,000 |
| Dan Smith | 1,005,000 |
-90,000 |
| Vikenty Shegal | 935,000 |
-25,000 |
| Sean Winter | 845,000 |
-185,000 |
| Jake Schindler | 155,000 | - |
Set for Masashi Oya
Zhuang Ruan opened to 40,000 from middle position and Masashi Oya called on the button.
The flop came [ahqhtd] and Ruan check-called a 65,000 bet. Both players checked the [5s] turn.
The [8h] completed the board, Ruan checked, and Oya bet 150,000. Ruan used a time extension and eventually called.
Oya tabled [thts] to claim the pot, as Ruan mucked.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Zhuang Ruan | 2,600,000 |
50,000 |
| Masashi Oya | 1,775,000 |
225,000 |
Dan Smith Adds to Stack
Shannon Shorr opened to 40,000 from the cutoff and Dan Smith three-bet to 125,000 on the button. Action folded back to Shorr who called.
The dealer spread the [qh4s3c] flop and Shorr check-called for 100,000.
On the [tc] turn, Shorr check-folded to a bet of 160,000.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Shannon Shorr | 1,180,000 |
-120,000 |
| Dan Smith | 1,095,000 |
155,000 |
Daniel Negreanu Eliminated in 8th Place
Zhuang Ruan opened to 40,000 in the cutoff and Daniel Negreanu jammed for 280,000 on the button. Action folded back to Ruan who called.
Negreanu: [8c8h]
Ruan: [acjs]
The [as3d2h] flop vaulted Ruan ahead, and the [7c] and [9s] completed the board to eliminate Negreanu in ninth place. Negreanu expressed his displeasure at the negative result of the crucial flip as he exited the studio.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Zhuang Ruan | 2,670,000 |
330,000
|
| Daniel Negreanu | Busted |
-380,000 |
Justin Young Eliminated in 9th Place
Justin Young got his remaining short stack in against Zhuang Ruan.
Young: [9s9c]
Ruan: [asqs]
The board ran out [js8s3dqc6h] and Ruan paired his queen on the turn to eliminate Young in 10th place.
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Zhuang Ruan | 1,850,000 |
60,000 |
| Justin Young | Busted |
-240,000 |
Final Table Seating Draw and Chip Counts
Seat 1: Jake Schindler
Seat 2: Justin Young
Seat 3: Masashi Oya
Seat 4: Sean Winter
Seat 5: Shannon Shorr
Seat 6: Dan Smith
Seat 7: Zhuang Ruan
Seat 8: Daniel Negreanu
Seat 9: Vikenty Shegal
| Player | Chips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Zhuang Ruan | 1,790,000 | - |
| Masashi Oya | 1,570,000 |
-30,000 |
| Shannon Shorr | 1,300,000 |
15,000 |
| Sean Winter | 1,025,000 |
-240,000 |
| Dan Smith | 940,000 |
15,000 |
| Vikenty Shegal | 610,000 |
-90,000 |
| Jake Schindler | 560,000 |
135,000 |
| Daniel Negreanu | 380,000 |
-40,000 |
| Justin Young | 240,000 |
10,000 |
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