The second event of the 2019 US Poker Open is in the books, and a World Poker Tour (WPT) Champions Club member leads the way after taking down Event #2: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO).
At the end of 20-levels of fiery four card action, Jordan Cristos fought through a field of 64-entrants to earn the right to start Day 2 with the chip lead, and what a lineup the former WPT Champion led.
Final Table Seat Draw
Seat 1: Sean Winter – 760,000
Seat 2: Manig Loeser – 1,295,000
Seat 3: Cary Katz – 1,525,000
Seat 4: Adam Hendrix – 900,000
Seat 5: Jordan Cristos – 2,445,000
Seat 6: Martin Zamani – 1,180,000
Sean Winter and Martin Zamani enjoyed a beautiful January in The Bahamas with both players collecting wins in $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em events at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA).
Manig Loeser and Cary Katz had prosperous times at the Aussie Millions with Loeser losing an all-in blind hand to finish runner-up to Toby Lewis in the AUD 50,000 Challenge, and Katz won the AUD 100,000 Challenge.
At the top of Day 2, two players could replace Stephen Chidwick at the top of the series standings. Winter had finished runner-up to Chidwick in the opening event, and Cristos finished 11th.
As it turned out the experiences of Winter and Cristos were the polar opposite.
Winter was the first to fall, and it was Cristos who pushed him. With blinds at 30k/60k/60k, Cristos opened to 200,000 on the button, holding KcTs8d7s, and Winter called with KhJcTd7h. The flop fell AsJsTc, Winter bet 275,000 and then called for 375,000 after Cristos put him all-in. The Qc gave both players Broadway, but the Qs on the river gave Cristos a flush, and Winter was out.
Cristos eliminated Katz in fifth place.
With blinds at 40k/80k/80k, Katz opened the button to 280,000 holding AsAdKcTc, and Cristos defended the big blind with Th6c5h3s. The flop of Kd6s5c gave Cristos the lead with a two pair hand. Cristos put Katz all-in, and the call came. The turn was the 6d, giving Cristos a boat, and Katz aces and sixes. Katz needed an ace on the river, but it never came, and the Poker Central founder was out.
Adam Hendrix quickly followed Katz to the rail, and once again Cristos took the role of hatchet man. The action folded to Hendrix in the small blind, and with blinds at 40k/80k/80k, he opened to 240,000 and then called when Cristos put him all-in from the big blind.
Cristos: 8d7s3s3c
Hendrix: AcJdTc6s
Board: Kh9h3d6hAd
Cristos flopped a fatal set of treys, and Hendrix was out.
We entered heads-up play with Cristos holding a 100% final table knockout record after eliminating Zamani in third place. The pair got it in during a blind on blind battle.
Cristos: Ts7c5c5d
Zamani: 9s4s3h2c
Board: Jc7h7dJd6h
Once again Cristos flopped a huge hand, this time with trip sevens, and Zamani was drawing dead.
Cristos entered the heads-up fight with Loeser with a 3:1 chip lead, but Loeser doubled into the lead when his turned two pair cracked Cristos’s aces. The couple would exchange the lead twice more before the final hand played out.
With blinds at 150k/300k/300k, Cristos opened to 750,000, holding Kc9s6h5c, and Loeser called holding QdTc7d4c. The flop was Qc7c5d giving Loeser two pairs, and a whole bunch of draws for Cristos. The couple got it in with Cristos the mathematical favourite and eventually won with a stronger two pair hand when the K2 hit the turn.
“There were 50 players in the field, and I was probably the 44th best player, honestly.” Said Cristos after his win.
It’s the seventh time Cristos has won a live tournament, the second at ARIA, and the first win since taking down a 3,755-entrant WSOPC side event at the Bike in 2016. He has earned $2.5m in lifetime earnings and takes the early lead in the US Poker Open race, but I doubt you will see him competing in the big buy-in events.
Final Table Results
1. Jordan Cristos – $179,200 (200 points)
2. Manig Loeser – $128,000 (140 points)
3. Martin Zamani – $83,200 (100 points)
4. Adam Hendrix – $64,000 (80 points)
5. Cary Katz – $51,200 (60 points)
6. Sean Winter – $38,400 (40 points)
Here are the other ITM finishes: Brent Roberts (7th), Dan Shak (8th), Ben Yu (9th) and Anthony Alberto (10th).
2019 US Poker Open Championship Standings
1. Jordan Cristos – 240 points
2. Stephen Chidwick – 200 points
3. Sean Winter – 180 points
4. Manig Loeser – 140 points
5. Joseph Cheong – 100 points