The final event of the 2025 U.S. Poker Open (USPO) had it all. Two players battled to the end to win not just the top prize of $529,250 but the overall USPO title, the $25,000 PokerGO Tour Passport and the Golden Eagle trophy. In the end, Shannon Shorr came from behind to beat Nacho Barbero to the last event title, the overall leaderboard and the glory that came with it at ARIA in Las Vegas.

Weisman Lucks Out on Final Table Bubble

The PokerGO Studio has been the scene of much poker drama over the past few years and in this USPO series too. With eight events, millions of dollars have been won and the best leaderboard race for years came to an end on Thursday night in Las Vegas. With the title on the line and Matthew Wantman in the clubhouse with the overall lead, all he could hope for was that either Nacho Barbero or Shannon Shorr didn’t win. In the end, both those men were heads-up… with everything on the line.

There were 73 entries in the final event of the series, and by the time the final table had been reached, the money bubble had burst on Day 1. Kristina Holst lost out for the second consecutive event, after Alex Foxen denied her profit in Event #7, Justin Saliba won a coinflip to eliminate her for nothing in Event #8.

Inside the money places, Shannon Shorr required a double-up to stay alive in the event, getting it when his pocket jacks held against the ace-king of Nick Petrangelo. Eliminations for Eric Blair (11^th), Isaac Haxton (10^th) and Masato Yokosawa (9^th) followed, with each man earning a payout of $54,750.

The final table ‘Bubble Boy’ was Dylan Weisman, who cashed for $73,000 in eighth place when his king-nine fell to Nacho Barbero’s , which flopped   before Weisman got what seemed like a reprieve on the turn. Only a ten would take him out but a came on the river to give Barbero the chip lead as he went into the final table knowing victory would land him the Championship title.

Saliba Slides Out

With seven players left, Argentina’s Nacho Barbero had the chip lead with 3.28 million playing Landon Tice’s stack of 2,685,000, with Shannon Shorr third in chips on 2.08m. Everyone else started with less than a million chips, including seventh place finisher Clemen Deng. The American began with just 440,000 chips, and soon had the roundest number of all when his was dominated by Justin Saliba’s winning hand of for a finish worth $73,000. Soon, the rail had another former player on it, as Sam Laskowitz unluckily joined Deng in defeat. Laskowitz, so often the hero inside the PokerGO Studio, was all-in with but lost to Nick Petrangelo’s as a flop of left Laskowitz with a single out to turn and river. A and runout did nothing to help Laskowitz and he hit up the cash desk to collect $91,250.

Saliba was still short stacked despite taking out Deng and was at-risk himself soon after Laskowitz’s bust-out, holding to Shannon Shorr’s . A board of gave it to Shorr from the window card and Saliba crashed out for $127,750 in fifth place.

Shannon Shorrs It Up

With four players left, it was a nightmare scenario for Matthew Wantman, who only had to avoid Barbero or Shorr taking the title in Event #8 to be crowned the 2025 USPO champion. Both of the two men were in the top two positions, and when Petrangelo went into the tank with third pair, eventually calling against Shorr’s rivered flush, the field was down to three. Petrangelo won $173,375 and Wantman needed the short stack, Landon Tice, to claim the title in order to be crowned series winner.

Amazingly, Wantman almost got his wish, but despite taking the lead, he drifted down the pecking order again and lost his stack when a board of saw Barbero shove with and Tice call with just for top pair on the flop but second pair by the river.

Heads-up, Barbero had the chip lead with 5.6m to Shorr’s 5.35m but it was marginal, and the lead quickly changed hands as Shorr snuck in front. In the final hand, a board of landed with only a few chips in the pot. Shorr moved all-in with and Barbero pondered the call with . Ace-high was good enough for the Argentinian, who called off a river bet of 3 million chips to his doom, finishing second for $346,750 and missing the chance to become champion.

Winning Event #8 for $529,250, Shannon Shorr had just enough points to become the 2025 U.S. Poker Open champion, taking home the $25,000 PGT Passport and the Golden Eagle trophy after an astonishing late surge to the title.

PGT 2025 U.S. Poker Open $25,000 Event #8 Final Table Results:
Place	Player	Country	Prize
1st	Shannon Shorr	United States	$529,250
2nd	Nacho Barbero	Argentina	$346,750
3rd	Landon Tice	United States	$246,375
4th	Nick Petrangelo	United States	$173,375
5th	Justin Saliba	United States	$127,750
6th	Sam Laskowitz	United States	$91,250
7th	Clemen Deng	United States	$73,000