First US Poker Open event comes to a close

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The 32-year-old pro Justin Bonomo beat a field of 68 entries in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament to claim the win in the first ever U.S Poker Open event. The final table included 2016 Player of the Year David Peters and the U.K.'s second-highest grossing player in live tournaments, Stephen Chidwick. Bonomo now holds a big lead in the early goings of the 2018 Player of the Year race and puts himself in pole position for the U.S Poker Open Championship honors.

The U.S. Poker Open comprises of eight high-stakes tournaments ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, including a Pot-Limit Omaha and Mixed Game event. The player who grosses the most during these eight events will be crowned U.S. Poker Open Champion, taking home a one-of-a-kind trophy.

"It's pretty sweet!" Bonomo said after securing the victory and reflecting on his lead in both the U.S. Poker Open and Player of the Year standings.

"The prestige is not the number one reason why I play, but it's definitely a nice bonus. My parents love watching me play in these tournaments and are huge supporters of me. I know it means a lot to them, so I get to make my parents proud, and that's a huge benefit."

Bonomo came into the final table with the chip lead, followed closely by his eventual heads up opponent Boutros Nadim. Sam Soverel was the first to get eliminated, finishing sixth for $40,800, after seeing his pocket sevens fail to survive against the ace-jack of Chidwick.

Despite sending Soverel to the rail, Chidwick was next to go in fifth place. Chidwick collected $54,400 after running king-jack into the king-queen of David Peters. Justin Young finished in fourth place for $68,000 when ace-seven proved no match for Bonomo's king-queen suited, as the hit a king on the flop.

The three-handed battle saw numerous chip lead changes, but right after Peters took the lead, it was Bonomo who took down the biggest pot of the day. Bonomo received a full double up, courtesy of Peters when his river shove got called by a king-jack on a board showing ten-three-four-jack-six without flush possibilities. Bonomo tabled six-five of spades, and with trips, he took a commanding lead.

Shortly after losing this crucial pot, Peters busted in third place for $88,400. Holding king-seven, Peters shoved, and Bonomo came over the top, forcing Nadim to fold. Bonomo's jack-ten suited hit two tens along the way, giving him a near 3:1 chip lead at the start of heads-up play. The roller coaster one-on-one battle lasted nearly two hours, with Bonomo coming out on top.

"That was just crazy," Bonomo sighed in relief after winning the tournament. "What were there, ten all-ins? It definitely felt like anything could happen at that point. I was joking that we'd go for more hours although the levels were only 30 minutes. Fortunately, it didn't go for four more hours.

"Some players love the swings they love the variance, and they love the all-ins. For me, it's just pure stress. It's not why I play this game. I do not enjoy those situations. All that being said, being at the final table, the pressure of the competition, the decisions, I like that part."