The 2024 U.S. Poker Open collection champion factors race got here right down to the ultimate desk of the final event on the schedule. Both Aram Zobian and Jesse Lonis had been in with a shot of securing the collection title relying on how they completed, however Zobian’s path was the far simpler of the 2. Lonis must not solely win the occasion but additionally have Zobian fail to make the highest 5.
When Lonis was knocked out in sixth place, that meant that Zobian had formally secured the USPO Golden Eagle trophy and the $25,000 PokerGO Tour passport. Zobian went on to complete fifth for $78,000 and 47 PGT factors. This was his fourth money of the eight-event collection. Along the best way, Zobian recorded a win in occasion no. 6, in addition to a runner-up exhibiting, a third-place end, and this deep run. All informed, he cashed for $613,540 throughout the USPO, essentially the most of any participant. He and second-ranked Stephen Chidwick ($597,850) had been the one gamers to accrue greater than half of one million in earnings throughout the collection.
This 12 months’s USPO awarded $7,350,000 in prize cash throughout its eight-event schedule, with 652 whole entries made all through the competition. There had been 48 gamers who recorded in-the-money finishes, with 26 gamers incomes a number of cashes throughout the collection. Nine gamers recorded 4 or extra cashes, with Victoria Livschitz and Rodger Johnson being the one contenders to make the cash in 5 occasions.
Zobian’s first deep run of the collection noticed him place second out of a 99-entry discipline in occasion no. 2, a $10,100 buy-in no-limit maintain’em affair. He took house $163,350 and 163 PGT factors because the runner-up. Two days later, he once more navigated his solution to the enterprise finish of a $10,100 buy-in in occasion no. 4. He ended up ending third from a discipline of 83 entries, including one other $107,900 and 108 factors.
Zobian’s title run got here in occasion no. 6, the primary of two $15,1000 buy-ins on the collection. He bested a discipline of 62 entries to earn $264,290 and 298 factors, giving him the lead within the series-long factors race heading into the ultimate two occasions.
His sixth-place end within the $25,200 buy-in finale for $78,000 and 47 factors cemented his win within the USPO factors race, giving him a 189-point margin over Chidwick (427 factors), who gained that final occasion, within the remaining standings. Lonis finally positioned third with 400 factors. Both Chidwick and Lonis gained a title and cashed 4 instances throughout the collection.
Zobian climbed to 3rd within the season-long PGT points race due to his success at this competition. Chidwick moved to sixth place and Lonis eighth place.
The $613,540 earned by Zobian on the USPO elevated his profession whole to almost $6.5 million in earnings. The World Series of Poker bracelet winner and 2018 WSOP foremost occasion sixth-place finisher has climbed to fifteenth within the Card Player Player of the Year, with 2,512 factors and $983,190 in POY earnings accrued throughout 9 final-table finishes to this point in 2024.
Here are the ultimate prime ten within the USPO factors race standings:
Rank | Player | Points | Titles | Cashes | Earnings |
1 | Aram Zobian | 616 | 1 | 4 | $613,540 |
2 | Stephen Chidwick | 427 | 1 | 4 | $597,850 |
3 | Jesse Lonis | 400 | 1 | 4 | $421,450 |
4 | Eric Afriat | 378 | 1 | 2 | $377,900 |
5 | Joey Weissman | 344 | 0 | 3 | $344,550 |
6 | David Coleman | 322 | 1 | 3 | $313,100 |
7 | Sam Laskowitz | 320 | 0 | 4 | $353,710 |
8 | Dan Smith | 313 | 1 | 2 | $365,200 |
9 | Rodger Johnson | 301 | 0 | 5 | $301,450 |
10 | Matthew Wantman | 269 | 1 | 2 | $268,900 |
Photo credit: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.