Jesse Lonis has claimed an early lead in the 2024 U.S. Poker Open race after capturing the title of Event #2: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em. Including re-entries, the event attracted 99 entrants, who created a $990,000 prize pool, and Lonis got his hands on $252,450 of that sum.
Lonis’ third PokerGO Tour (PGT) career title is also his third victory of 2024. On March 13, Lonis won a $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller at Wynn Las Vegas for $193,140 before coming out on top in a $320 No-Limit Hold’em WSOP Super Circuit Online event for $23,170 and his second WSOPC ring.
You may recall that Lonis won his second WSOP bracelet last year after taking down the $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller for a career-best $2,303,017.
Event #2: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesse Lonis | United States | $252,450 |
| 2 | Aram Zobian | United States | $163,350 |
| 3 | Kristina Holt | United States | $113,850 |
| 4 | Rodger Johnson | United States | $89,100 |
| 5 | Joey Weissman | United States | $64,350 |
| 6 | Victoria Livschitz | United States | $49,500 |
| 7 | Sean Winter | United States | $39,600 |
The top 15 finishers in this U.S. Poker Open tournament received a payout, so spare a moment’s thought for David Peters, the 16th-place finisher. Peters lost a coinflip with pocket tens against Brock Parker‘s ace-king and burst the money bubble.
John Riordan was the first player eliminated inside the money places. Anthony Hu, the aforementioned Wilson, Stephen Chidwick, Dan Shak, and Matthew Wantman also found themselves stood at the cashier’s desk with a payout slip in hand.
Two more eliminations happened before Day 1 ended. They arrived in the shape of Shannon Shorr, who suffered a similar fate to Peters, and Bill Klein.
Lonis sat down at the final table top of the tree, and Aram Zobian brought up the rear with an 880,000 stack. However, Zobian doubled almost immediately after the final table action commenced and would start Day 2 in the middle of the pack.
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Lonis Freezes Out Winter
As the blinds increase to 40,000/80,000/80,000a on Level 18, Sean Winter raised to 300,000 with pocket fours from under the gun, leaving a mere 355,000 chips behind. Lonis three-bet to 525,000 from the cutoff with king-jack, and called when Winter jammed for 655,000 in total. Lonis flopped Broadway, and Winter was drawing dead on the turn.
A couple of minutes later, Victoria Livschitz joined Winter on the sidelines after a clash with Lonis did not go her way. Lonis raised to 175,000 from the cutoff with ace-queen and called when Livschitz three-bet all-in for 1,100,000 from the small blind with what turned out to be the dominated ace-three. A queen on the flop left Livschitz drawing to a runner-runner, and the turn killed her hand stone dead.
He may have sat down at the final table as the shortest stack, but Joey Weissman managed to ladder up to fifth place. Any hopes of a zero-to-hero story were cut short by that man Lonis. Lonis called a 1,200,000 shove from Weissman, who was in the big blind, after he had opened to 175,000 from the button. Lonis revealed queen-jack, which was up against ace-five. The hot-running Lonis flopped trip queens and improved to a full house on the river.
The final four became three when Rodger Johnson became Lonis’ latest victim. Johnson, who cashed in the first event of the 2024 U.S. Poker Open that Erik Seidel won, found himself all-in for only 4.5 big blinds with pocket deuces after Lonis had opened with queen-three. Lonis put in the calling chips and claimed Johnson’s short stack when the board double paired and his queen-kicker played.
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Lonis Brushes Aside Anyone Who Stands Before Him
Lonis not only made big hands but also managed to fade plenty of outs, as Kristina Holst discovered. Lonis opened to 250,000 from the button with king-ten, Holts called in the big blind with king-six of spades, and the dealer fanned an all-black king-deuce-seven flop. Holst check-called a 275,000 continuation bet, leading to the three of spades on the turn, which put two spades out there. Holst checked again, Lonis made it 625,000 to go and instantly called when Holst check-raised all-in for 1,800,000. The nine of diamonds completed the board, meaning Holst had missed her flush, although the $113,850 she banked for finishing third will go some way to numbing the pain.
Understandably, after eliminating every finalist to this point, Lonis held a substantial chip lead over Zobian going into heads-up. Lonis had a 9,650,000 stack compared to the 2,725,000 at Zobian’s disposal.
The heads-up battle ended almost as soon as it began. Lonis limped in with nine-seven of diamonds, and Zobian checked with his queen-ten. A jack-eight-seven flop with two diamonds saw Zobian check-raise Lonis’ 125,000 bet to 475,000, prompting Lonis to use a tank extension. As that extra time ran dry, Lonis four-bet to 1,100,000, and Zobian called. The ten of diamonds landed on the turn, Zobian moved all-in, and Lonis snap-called, as would you have with a straight flush in your hand. With Zobian drawing dead, Lonis became the second champion of the 2024 U.S. Poker Open.
*Feature image courtesy of PokerGO.