Shannon Shorr Wins 2025 U.S. Poker Open After Amazing Finale in Las Vegas

The PokerGO Studio at ARIA in Las Vegas was the scene of a dramatic climax of the 2025 U. S. Poker Open (USPO) last night. Shannon Shorr triumphed in the eighth and final event of the USPO series to clinch a top prize of over half a million dollars, as well as the $25,000 PokerGO Tour Passport and the Golden Eagle trophy, denying two greats of the game by doing so.

Holst Achieves Rare Back-to-Back Bubble

The PokerGO Studio has seen millions of dollars won in the past fortnight and once again, the $25,000-entry Championship Event was no different. With the leaderboard victory on the line, Matthew Wantman was in the clubhouse with the lead. Not making the money in the final event, Wantman needed any winner other than Nacho Barbero or Shannon Shorr to win.

With 73 total entries in the final event of the series, the money bubble was burst by the unlucky player who bubbled Event #7 too! Kristina Holst lost to Alex Foxen in Event #7 to leave with nothing and one event on, suffered the same fate, albeit at the hands of Justin Saliba this time, as he won a coinflip to eliminate her in Event #8 in 12^th place with 11 places paid.

Once everyone remaining was in profit, Shannon Shorr doubled up to stay alive in the event when his pocket jacks held against the ace-king of Nick Petrangelo. Eliminations followed soon afterwards for Eric Blair (11^th), Isaac Haxton (10^th) and Masato Yokosawa (9^th), all of whom took home $54,750 and the final table was formed when Dylan Weisman cashed for $73,000 in eighth place, his king-nine losing to Nacho Barbero’s queen-ten in dramatic circumstances.

A flop of T-4-4 saw Barbero pair his ten but a king on the turn gave Weisman hope. Only a ten would send him home but a ten on the river did just that,  handing Barbero the chip lead as the final table began, with the Argentinian knowing that he only had to see off six players with fewer chips than him to take the Championship.

Laskowitz is Out of Luck

Seven players remained, and Barbero’s chip lead with 3.28 million was a little clear of Shannon Shorr’s 2.08m, who sat third in chips. With everyone except those two challengers and Landon Tice on below a million chips, Clemen Deng busted in seventh place after starting with just 440,000 chips. Losing with ace-eight to Justin Saliba’s winning hand of ace-queen, Deng took home $73,000.

Sam Laskowitz was next to go and in an unlucky fashion. All-in with pocket queens, he lost to Nick Petrangelo’s king-ten of spades after a flop of A-K-9 with two spades saw the at-risk Laskowitz reduced to one out post-flop. A six and five were no help and Laskowitz headed to the cash desk to collect $91,250.

Justin Saliba was still short after taking out Deng and shoved himself soon after with ace-ten. Called by Shannon Shorr with pocket fours, an ace on the flop was followed by a four in the window and no help came for Saliba, who lost to Shorr’s flopped bottom set for $127,750 in fifth place.

A Champion Comeback

With four players left, Nick Petrangelo called off his stack with third pair, losing to Shannon Shorr’s rivered flush, meaning that the field was down to three and Matthew Wantman could only be awarded the leaderboard prize if Landon Tice claimed the Event #8 title. Petrangelo’s exit – worth $173,375 – saw Tice as short stack but he did take the lead, only to throw it away again

Tice drifted to short stack again and lost his chips when a board of T-8-3-K-2 saw Nacho Barbero shove with king-three. Tice called with ten-nine but two pair was more than enough to beat one and Tice headed home with $246,375 as Matthew Wantman’s hopes of winning the 2025 USPO ended.

Heads-up, Barbero held the most marginal of chip leads with 5.6m to Shorr’s 5.35m but Shorr moved in front and on a board showing T-6-2-Q-7 shoved with ten-six for two pair. Barbero, perhaps assuming that Shorr either had the goods or a complete bluff, called with just ace-high hoping it was the latter but he was wrong and as a result lost the Championship, as well as Event #8 to his American rival. Winning Event #8 for $529,250, Shannon Shorr had sneaked past Wantman to be crowned the 2025 U.S. Poker Open champion, taking home the $25,000 PGT Passport and the Golden Eagle trophy at the death.