Shannon Shorr Wins The Kickoff Event At The 2022 U.S. Poker Open

Shannon Shorr won his first title at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA in the very first event of the 2021 Poker Masters series, a $10,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em event. On Thursday, Mar. 17 he secured his second PokerGO Tour title in another kickoff event. This time around, he defeated a field of 93 entries to win the 2022 U.S. Poker Open $10,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em event for $213,900. The score increased the 36-year-old poker pro’s lifetime earnings to just shy of $9.9 million.

“It was a blast,” Shorr told PokerGO reporters when asked about topping a tough final table to win this event. “All of these events inside the PokerGO Studio are so much fun, and the names at the final table – Joseph Cheong, Erik Seidel, Daniel Negreanu – they speak for themselves. It was a blast to be here and I’m glad I could come out on top."

In addition to the title and the money, Shorr also earned plenty of rankings points as the champion of this event. The 540 Card Player Player of the Year points he took home saw him climb within reach of the top 100 in the 2022 POY race. This was his second POY-qualified final-table finish of the year, having placed seventh in the kickoff event at the PokerGO Cup in February for $38,500 and 105 points.

Shorr also scored 214 PokerGO Tour points for the win. He now sits in 26th place in the PGT points race.

The final day of this event began with six players remaining and Shorr in second chip position behind Masashi Oya. Bracelet winner Joseph Cheong was the first to fall, with his Q-J losing a preflop all-in showdown against the A-9 suited of Oya in a battle of the blinds. Cheong earned $55,800 and 180 POY points for his fifth final-table finish of the year. He now sits in 16th place in the standings with 1,524 total points and $775,920 in year-to-date POY earnings. The 56 PGT points he earned moved him to 14th on that leaderboard.

Nine-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel was the next to hit the rail. He got all-in with pocket sevens racing against the A-K of Oya. An ace in the window left Seidel in rough shape, and he found no help on the turn or river. Seidel earned $74,400 as the fifth-place finisher, increasing his lifetime earnings to $39,766,695 in the process.

Six-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu’s run in this event came to an end when he three-bet all-in with K-Q over the top of Ren Lin’s under-the-gun open with A-6. Lin made the call and made threes and sixes with an ace kicker to lock up the pot. Negreanu earned $93,000 for his latest deep run. The 2021 PokerGO Cup champion now has just shy of $45.2 million in career tournament cashes.

Three-handed play continued for about 50 minutes before the next elimination hand came along. Oya had limped in from the button for 80,000 with Q3 and Shorr made it 325,000 total from the big blind with 1-6 after Lin called in the small blind. Oya called and Lin got out of the way. The flop came down AQ6. Shorr bet 225,000 and Oya called. The turn was the 10, giving Shorr tens up. Shorr bet 850,000 and Oya called. The river was the 4. Shorr checked and Oya moved all-in for around 2.2 million. Shorr called to take down the pot, giving him a sizable lead going into heads-up play with Lin. Oya earned $111,600 as the third-place finisher.

The final two battled it out for roughly two hours, with Lin mounting a big comeback early to take the lead. The pair exchanged the advantage multiple times after that, but Shorr was ultimately able to regain the lead and then extend it in time for the final hand of the tournament. With blinds of 75,000-150,000 and a 150,000 big blind ante, Lin raised to 425,000 from the button with KJ. Shorr three-bet all-in with AK and Lin made the call after some thought. The board ran out A876Q to secure the pot and the title for Shorr. Lin earned $148,800 as the runner-up finisher. This was his third final-table showing of the year, having also made two top-three finishes during the Wynn Millions.

Here is a look at the payouts and rankings points awarded to the official final table:

Winner photo credit: Enrique Malfavon / PokerGO.

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