Shannon Shorr Takes Down USPO Event #5, Aram Zobian Cashes Again
The action keeps coming in Las Vegas as the 2025 U.S. Poker Open (USPO) is proving a profitable one for a PokerStake player, and an all-American final table played out at ARIA. The 2025 USPO features eight events, with PokerStake players selling action to each and every one of the them. In Event #5, it was Shannon Shorr who bested the opposition while in Event #6, PokerStake’s Aram Zobian cashed yet again as he looks to retain his 2024 U.S. Open title with three events to conclude.
Rheem Runs Deep Again
The fifth event of the 2025 USPO featured 76 entries, and paid 11 players as some of the best in the business took to the purple felt at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA in Las Vegas. It was Daniel Negreanu who bubbled the event in 12th place to leave with nothing as the GGPoker Global Ambassador lost his stack to Eric Blair. Kid Poker, who starred in the recent PGT PLO Series, winning an event for over $182,000, was short in the cutoff when he raised to two-thirds of his stack with 
. Eric Blair called with 
and on a flop of 
, the chips went into the middle, Negreanu missing both turn and river to put the remaining 11 in the money.
Cashes for Stephen Chidwick (11th), Cary Katz (10th) and Jim Collopy (9th) followed as each of that talented trio cashed for $22,800. Out in eighth place was Darren Elias, who cashed for $30,400 when his pocket fours were committed pre-flop against Shannon Shorr’s 
only for a board of 
to break Elias’ heart on the turn.
Chino Rheem has made a terrific showing of himself in PokerGO Tour events in recent years, also winning a PGT PLO title last week. He fell short of the last day here, but made the final seven, only to run 
into Isaac Haxton’s 
, with no help coming to save Rheem, who also cashed for $30,400.
Shorr Thing as Heroic Haxton Fades Away
With six men left, it was an all-American final table with Haxton leading after his elimination of Rheem. That lead grew when Haxton took out David Chen in sixth place for $38,000 and some more valuable PGT Points, which contribute to the annual leaderboard and qualification for the season-ending million-dollar freeroll Championship event.
Chen was all-in with 
on a board of 
for a rivered flush but sadly for him, Haxton had an even better flush holding 
and that reduced the field to five with Haxton on a stack of 3.97 million, some way clear of his closest challenger, Shannon Shorr, on 2.05m. When play got underway on the final day, Brock Wilson was very short and he ran his 
into Eric Blair’s 
to bust, a five coming on the flop for a sweat but no further help arriving for the luckless Wilson, who went home with $53,200).
Having been the hero that led the players into the final day, it all went wrong for Haxton, who plummeted as Blair rose, and it was fitting that the latter got Haxton’s chips, 
no good for the overnight leader when Blair’s – the same hand that had seen Haxton win with flush over flush before – making five diamonds by the turn to send Haxton home with $72,200.
Shannon Shorr Takes Title, Aram Zobian Cashes in Event #6
After Eric Blair took out Yifu He in third place for $102,600, the final two went into the heads-up battle with almost the same stack sizes. The chips were all-in on several occasions, but on each one of them, the at-risk player doubled up. The crucial double came when Shorr’s was up against Blair’s 
with Shorr in peril. The board of 
fell to give Shorr the double and a lead of 2:1 in chips.
In the next all-in hand, Shorr shoved with 
and Blair was correct to call with . The flop of 
kept Blair ahead and even gave him flush outs, reducing Shorr’s outs from three to two. But one of those two available queens landed on the turn and after a ended the board, it was all over, Shorr the champion for $220,400, Blair the runner-up for $144,400.
Over on the outside tables, the action was far from over, as PokerStake player Aram Zobian’s bid to go back-to-back and retain the USPO title he won so dramatically in 2024 gathered pace. Zobian actually led the field with seven players left but busted in eighth place for $58,800 after Sean Winter hero-called with just ace-high to deny Aram a place in the final. With two events to go, Aram’s consistency at the felt still leaves him in with a chance of overall victory should he grab one of the two titles remaining to him.
| PokerGO Tour U.S. Poker Open $10,100 Event #5 Final Table Results: | |||
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Shannon Shorr | United States | $220,400 |
| 2nd | Eric Blair | United States | $144,400 |
| 3rd | Yifu He | United States | $102,600 |
| 4th | Isaac Haxton | United States | $72,200 |
| 5th | Brock Wilson | United States | $53,200 |
| 6th | David Chen | United States | $38,000 |
| 7th | Chino Rheem | United States | $30,400 |
Photograph courtesy of PokerGO, the home of the 2025 U.S. Poker Open and the forthcoming 56th annual World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.