This Poker Power Couple is Dominating the U.S. Poker Open

There’s a poker couple that’s completely dominating the 2026 U.S. Poker Open (USPO) in Las Vegas, and, although she gained Wednesday’s Occasion #4: $10,000 NLH, it is not Kristen and Alex Foxen. No, the couple that it in command of the sequence is Cherish Andrews and Brock Wilson, who each gained occasions, ran deep in Occasion #4, after which made the cash in Wednesday’s Occasion #5: $10,000 NLH.

Wilson, the champion of final month’s PokerGO Cup, began the day by ending fourth in Occasion #4 for $66,000 earlier than bowing out in ninth place in Occasion #5 for $24,000. In the meantime, Andrews, who completed eighth in Occasion #4 for $26,400, bagged the quick stack in Occasion #5 as she continues to show her “large unhappy downswing” right into a profession month.

The sequence leaderboard presently reveals Wilson and Andrews in second and third place behind Jeremy Ausmus, who has had two runner-up finishes. However there will definitely be a leaderboard shake-up as soon as the factors from Occasion #5 are factored in.

There are six gamers left on the last desk, together with current PokerGO Cup crusher Qinghai Pan, longtime professional Justin Zaki and rapper turned rounder Brandon Wilson, who bagged the chip lead.

Occasion #5 Closing Desk Chip Counts

Simply Beat It

The second $10,000 buy-in occasion of the sequence drew 80 runners for a prize pool of $800,000.

A lot of the banter on Day 1 targeted on a facet guess going between the likes of Jeremy Becker, Chino Rheem, Justin Zaki, and the Foxens.

“It is me and also you, Krissy!” Becker celebrated as he put Zaki on danger. Nevertheless it was an early celebration as his opponent had pocket aces to double up and keep in competition — each within the match and the facet guess.

Becker, who was carrying what Andrews described as Michael Jackson pants, might have jinxed himself and Foxen, who fell just a few spots off the cash. Becker then went out in eleventh place, leaving Zaki to gather on the facet guess.

One other spotlight of the day occurred on the cash bubble, when Jesse Lonis accurately guessed Anil Jivani’s hand and even gave a free poker lesson to the desk about his thought course of.

“That is why you are the gorilla,” Jivani informed him.

Eight is perhaps Nick Schulman’s new least favourite quantity. The Poker Corridor of Famer bowed out in eighth place on the ultimate desk bubble as his queens have been cracked by Zaki’s pocket eights, which have been greeted by an eight within the window.

After that, Lonis misplaced two straight flips to be left with crumbs earlier than a last confrontation with Zaki.

Day 2 motion will kick off at 11:45 a.m. native time on Degree 19 with blinds of 30,000/60,000/60,000. The motion will likely be streamed on PokerGO, and the stream and PokerNews dwell updates will each be on a one-hour delay.

*Photographs courtesy of PokerGO

Connor Richards is a Senior Editor U.S. for PokerNews and host of the Life Exterior Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for 3 World Poker Awards for his writing.