The 2025 U.S. Poker Open (USPO) follows hot on the heels of the PokerGO Tour’s recent PLO Series. With the four-card game taking a back seat, the USPO action is going to be hotter than ever, and PokerStake’s finest are in the mix. With events running for the next fortnight at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA in Las Vegas, we’ve taken a look at all the action on sale so you can pick your champion and stake them to victory.

The Reigning Champion

There’s no doubting who starts as favorite in Las Vegas – last year’s winner, PokerStake player Aram Zobian. Aram is selling to Events #1 – #8 inclusive and at a markup of between 1.05 and 1.11, remarkable value given his incredible success in this tournament series just 12 months ago.

It was in April 2024 that Aram’s stunning run to becoming USPO champion began, as he finished runner-up to Jesse Lonis in Event #2 of the series. Lonis, who won the PGT PLO Series over the weekend, along with almost $800,000 in series winnings, took that title but while Aram then came third in the fourth event of the series, he broke his duck in Event #6, winning it outright for $264,290 – one of PokerStake buyers’ biggest ever results.

When Aram cashed in Event #6, that ended up being enough to see him home as the 2024 U.S. Poker Open champion, earning him – and some PokerStake buyers – well over $610,000. We spoke to Aram in detail about his past year on the circuit as USPO champion, and what he’s looking to achieve in this year’s series last week. You can read all about the player who is Ahead of the Game right here.

Minimal Markup, Massive Value

With an extraordinary record in PokerGO events, Jonathan Little represents excellent value in the forthcoming USPO events. Little is also selling to all eight events of the series, and at a markup of between 1.00 and 1.05, with most events available (for either the first or second bullet, or both) for no markup at all (1.00).

Jonathan Little cashed 10 times in 2024 in PokerGO events, winning an amazing $1.1 million in the process, as well as claiming trophies in both Poker Masters and PokerGO Cup events. He was simply one of the best players in the room at one of the toughest venues to survive in, where poker’s finest gather to play the biggest tournaments.

Another terrific player – and one who offers all of their action at ‘spot’ – is Victoria Livschitz. Since the former tech leader and mountaineer switched her attentions to poker, she has amassed $2.3 million in poker winnings, rising to the brink of the top 1,000 players on The Hendon Mob’s All-Time Money List. The co-founder of Octopi Poker, ‘Trekker’ has cashed for over $225,000 in six events in Las Vegas in 2025 already and is a great pick to continue that trend in the USPO Starting this week.

Other Big Names to Back

With eight events taking place in the 2025 USPO, we’ve picked three more players who could have a big impact on your own profit column if you stake your champion from home via PokerStake. Cherish Andrews isn’t the Global Poker Award winner for Female Player of the Year for nothing. The popular PokerStake player is selling at between 1.02 and 1.10 to Events #2 through #8 and has met with real success at the buy-in level of between $10,000 and $25,000 at which she often plays. Well capable of winning tournaments, her final table play is outstanding.

David Chen is selling one bullet only to each of the eight events, with his action on sale at between 1.04 and 1.10. David has cashed seven times in PokerGO Events in 2025 already and also crushed in Jeju, making the money to the tune of over $200,000 in results out in South Korea in March.

Finally, but by no means least, the Russian-American chess grandmaster and poker author Maria Konnikova takes on Event #1 with the possible view of selling to more events if it goes well. The Brooklyn, New York author behind masterpieces such as The Biggest Bluff and The Confidence Game could be celebrating in Las Vegas this week as she puts her words into practice.