David Peters rocks U.S. Poker Open

SMP EditorEditor-in-Chief

Updated: 2026.10.16

Another big buy-in tournament series is in the books, the 2019 U.S. Poker Open.

The 10-event series with an average buy-in of just over $30,000, that had kicked off on 13th February at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas concluded on 23rd February 2019

The U.S. Poker Open is one of the three events that make up the High Roller Triple Crown.

All events were 2-day events and had their first entry rake free, if it was registered on time.

The Return of the Chidwick

Last year’s winner, Stephen Chidwick, came in with guns blazing and went ahead to win the first event of the series for $216,000. This $10,500 No-limit Hold’em event kicked off the race for the overall leaderboard right away with Sean Winter being the runner-up, bagging $157,000 after his 9-high straight were beat by Chidwick’s trips in the final hand.

Sean Winter got the glory in USPO #4, the $10,500 Short Deck event for $151,200 with David Peters, who came into the final day as chip leader, coming second for $100,800.

But Stephen Chidwick, being who he is, answered by taking down another event, USPO #06, the $26,000 Pot-limit Omaha, for $351,000.

Winter is here

Chidwick accumulated four cashes over the series. Sean Winter however, topped this result by one. Before the Main Event, both players had 540 leaderboard points with Winter taking top position due to having five cashes total.

And while there was actual winter outside the PokerGO Studios with some rare snowfall in the desert, 33 players found their way into USPO #10, the $103,000 Main Event for some hot action.

Sean Winter made the final table, but could not cash and fully lock in his overall lead. He got knocked out in 8th and announced in the bust-out interview with teary eyes that he and his wife had a baby on the way. All he needed now, was David Peters not to win. Only an outright win could get Peters to come from behind, with a total of 550 points, and top the overall leaderboard for this series.

Peters gets it

And this is exactly what happened. Peters beat Christopher Hunichen heads-up to become the 2019 U.S. Poker Open champion, winning $1,320,000 and the overall leaderboard for an additional $100,000.

He had to win and he did! @dpeterspoker17 comes up clutch to take down the $100K Main Event and the #USPO Championship title!

Relive the entire series on-demand only on PokerGO!

▶ https://t.co/5rUlItcHWc pic.twitter.com/G1by8B1ySh
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) February 24, 2019

2019 U.S. Poker Open Winners

Event	Entries	Winner	Prize
USPO #1: $10,000 NLH	90	Stephen Chidwick	$216,000
USPO #2: $10,000 PLO	64	Jordan Cristos	$179,200
USPO #3: $10,000 NLH	91	Lauren Roberts	$218,400
USPO #4: $10,000 Short Deck	42	Sean Winter	$151,200
USPO #5: $25,000 NLH	59	Ali Imsirovic	$442,500
USPO #6: $25,000 PLO	39	Stephen Chidwick	$351,000
USPO #7: $25,000 NLH	60	Bryn Kenney	$450,000
USPO #8: $25,000 8-game Mix	20	Nick Schulman	$270,000
USPO #9: $50,000 NLH	41	Koray Aldemir	$738,000
USPO #10: $100,000 Main Event	33	David Peters	$1,320,000

2019 U.S. Poker Open Overall Leaderboard

Position	Player	Cashes	Points	Prize Money
1	David Peters	3	550	$1,584,000
2	Sean Winter	5	540	$747,900
3	Stephen Chidwick	4	540	$705,950
4	Nick Schulman	2	410	$390,000
5	Brandon Adams	3	365	$314,750
6	Koray Aldemir	2	340	$897,200
7	Cary Katz	3	340	$580,200
8	Bryn Kenney	2	240	$477,000
9	Lauren Roberts	2	240	$263,400
10	Jordan Cristos	2	240	$206,200
11	Ali Imsirovic	1	200	$442,500
12	Ben Yu	3	200	$262,800

About the Editor

SMP EditorEditor-in-Chief

The SMP Editor covers international poker and iGaming for SoMuchPoker, providing news, tournament coverage, and industry insights. With a focus on accuracy, clarity, and relevance, the editor helps readers stay informed about developments across the global poker community.