Elezra, Negreanu also in contention in Event #6
Many of the world’s top tournament pros consider the $50,000 Poker Players Championship at the World Series of Poker as the most prestigious event of the series.
A deep run in that tournament requires mastery of multiple poker variants, and only the world’s most well-rounded players even bother registering for the event.
Event #6 in the 2021 U.S. Poker Open might be considered the “Players Championship” of that series. The $10,000 buy-in, 8-Game Mix tournament played down to a final table Tuesday night, and the remaining seven players represent some of the most well-versed of the world’s poker pros.
The name at the top of the chip counts certainly stands as one of poker’s most respected all-around players. David “ODB” Baker ended Day 1 as the tournament chip leader, and he goes into today’s final table with a shot at his first U.S. Poker Open tournament title.
U.S. Poker Open Event #6: $10,000 8-Game final table chip counts
| Place | Player Name | Chip Count |
| 1 | David “ODB” Baker | 2,170,000 |
| 2 | Eli Elezra | 1,950,000 |
| 3 | Steve Zolotow | 1,605,000 |
| 4 | Erik Sagstrom | 905,000 |
| 5 | Nick Guagenti | 895,000 |
| 6 | Daniel Negreanu | 810,000 |
| 7 | Richard Sklar | 160,000 |
Elezra, Negreanu still in the hunt in the $10,000 8-Game Mix
Event #6 drew 68 entrants, with a significantly different player lineup versus what we’ve seen in the other U.S. Poker Open tournaments so far.
A trio of poker legends sits among a lineup of some of poker’s most well-traveled players at the final table. Baker, Eli Elezra, and Daniel Negreanu all look to claim their first career U.S. Poker Open tournament win.
Before Tuesday’s Day 1 action began, Negreanu tweeted about the roster of mixed-game specialists filing into the PokerGO Studio:
“Completely shocked how big the 8 Game field is for USPO $10k,” Negreanu tweeted. “None of the NLH regulars, but a room full of mixed game players itching to play. Awesome!”
Three of Baker’s top seven career cashes have come in mixed-game events. He finished third at the 2015 WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship, securing a $515,926 payday.
The player known as “ODB” doesn’t have an easy road ahead of him to clinch the 8-Game championship at the U.S. Poker Open. You can catch the final table on a short delay on PokerGO, beginning at 5:30 pm EDT.
Joey Weissman spins up a short stack and wins U.S. Poker Open Event #5
Joey Weissman sat on just 5.5 big blinds when play went four-handed in Event #5: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em. He then managed to get to heads-up play against Adam Hendrix, with Hendrix holding a six-to-one chip advantage.
Nothing could stop Weissman from pulling off one the most remarkable comebacks of the 2021 live poker circuit so far. Weissman ended up as the tournament champion, winning Event #5 for a $204,000 payday.
U.S. Poker Open Event #5: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em final table results
| Place | Player Name | Prize |
| 1 | Joey Weissman | $204,000 |
| 2 | Adam Hendrix | $144,500 |
| 3 | Joe McKeehen | $102,000 |
| 4 | Cary Katz | $85,000 |
| 5 | Frank Funaro | $68,000 |
| 6 | Brock Wilson | $51,000 |
| 7 | Vincent Bosca | $42,500 |
Hendrix (2nd - $144,500), Joe McKeehen (3rd - $102,000), and PokerGO founder Cary Katz (4th - $85,000) rounded out the top four in the latest $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the U.S. Poker Open.
The PokerGO Tour major continues through June 15, with seven tournament titles still hanging in the balance at the U.S. Poker Open. McKeehen leads the U.S. Poker Open Championship Standings through five completed events, with 302 points.
Jake Daniels (219 points), Weissman (204), and Sam Soverel (195) trail McKeehen on the U.S. Poker Open leaderboard.
Featured image source: PokerGO
