The 2026 PokerGO Tour kicked off its latest stop inside the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino on April 10. The U.S. Poker Open features 10 no-limit hold’em events, with buy-ins ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. The first two tournaments are already in the books, with some of the stars of the game having started their series in style.
U.S. Poker Open #1 – $5,000 NLH
Brock Wilson has been on fire so far in 2026, particularly in PGT events. The 31-year-old poker pro captured his third PGT title of the year on April 11, coming out on top in the kickoff event of the USPO. Wilson bested 93 entries in the $5,000 no-limit hold’em affair to earn $120,900 and the latest addition to his growing trophy collection.
All three of Wilson’s PGT victories have come since the start of March, beginning with his triumph in event no. 4 at the PokerGO Cup. He beat out 104 entries in that $5,000 NLH tournament to earn $112,720. Just five days later, he emerged victorious in event no. 6 at the same festival, topping 70 entries in that $10,000 buy-in to secure $210,000. Wilson then final tabled the $15,000 finale to lock up series champion honors.
With this latest win, Wilson earned 181 PGT points to bring his total on the season to 905. He now sits in second place in the 2026 PGT rankings, trailing top-ranked Yuri Dzivielevski by just 29 points.
In between his second triumph at the PokerGO Cup and this latest win, Wilson also took down a $10,000 high roller at the World Poker Tour Rolling Thunder stop at Thunder Valley for another $77,360.
In addition to the title, money, and PGT points, Wilson also added 432 Card Player Player of the Year points with his win at the USPO. He now has three titles and six POY-qualified final-table finishes. His 2,127 total points are currently good for 19th place in the overall standings presented by CoinPoker.
Closing Out The Win
Several big names joined Wilson in making the money in this event, including Clemen Deng (12th), Erik Seidel (10th), Kristen Foxen (9th), Chino Rheem (6th), Justin Zaki (3rd), and Jeremy Ausmus (2nd).
Wilson mounted a big comeback during the heads-up match after starting with 1,300,000 to Ausmus’ 10,300,000. He found an early double and then picked off a bluff attempt with fourth pair to nearly even things up. Wilson soon overtook the lead and stretched it, holding better than a 6:1 advantage ahead of the final hand. Wilson hit trips with 10♥3♥ on a 9♥3♠3♣ flop. Ausmus, who held 9♣5♦, check-raised Wilson’s 150,000 stab to 350,000. Wilson called and the two contenders checked through a J♦ turn. The 6♥ on the end saw Ausmus fire 600,000. Wilson raised enough to put his opponent all in. Ausmus called and was eliminated in second place, earning $76,725 for his efforts. The six-time bracelet winner now has more than $29.3 million in lifetime scores after this latest deep run.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Brock Wilson | $120,900 | 432 | 181 |
| 2 | Jeremy Ausmus | $76,725 | 360 | 115 |
| 3 | Justin Zaki | $55,800 | 288 | 84 |
| 4 | Natalie Ferguson | $41,850 | 216 | 63 |
| 5 | Rodger Johnson | $32,550 | 180 | 49 |
| 6 | Chino Rheem | $23,250 | 144 | 35 |
| 7 | Kent Stephens | $18,600 | 108 | 28 |
U.S. Poker Open #2 – $5,000 NLH
Like Wilson, Clemen Deng also notched a notable third early at the USPO. For Deng, he secured his third career PGT title as the last player standing from a field of 98 entries in event no. 2. Deng earned $127,400 as the champion of the second of three $5,000 buy-in events at this festival.
Deng took down the kickoff event of the PGT Last Chance series in January, earning $277,950 in that $10,000 affair. His first PGT triumph came all the way back in 2022, when he took down a Seminole Tampa $10,000 high roller for $158,778.
While only this latest title counts towards the current PGT season for Deng, both of his wins in 2026 qualify for the POY standings. With those two titles and four final-table finishes, he now sits inside the top 60.
The top 14 finishers earned a share of the $490,000 prize pool in this tournament, with stars like Alex Foxen (14th), Jeremy Ausmus (12th), Sam Laskowitz (11th), Ebony Kenney (10th), and Erik Seidel (9th) hitting the rail late on day 1 inside the money.
Deng Scores Four Knockouts In A Row On His Way To Victory
Just five players advanced to day 2, with Michael Rossitto leading the way. The 2023 Wynn Millions champion went on to finish third for $58,800. Deng eliminated both Yifu He (5th – $34,300) and Justin Vaysman (4th – $44,100) in the early going to take the lead. Rossitto then lost a flip with pocket nines against J-10 suited for Peter Mugar to be left quite short. Deng then outraced Rossitto’s pocket fours with K-10, making tens full to enter heads-up play with nearly a 3:1 chip advantage.
Mugar battled back and overtook the lead for a bit, but Deng quickly bounced back and began to pull away again. In the final hand, his A♦7♦ held against Mugar’s A♥4♣. The board came out 10♠7♠7♦5♣K♣ to give Deng trip sevens and the title. Mugar earned $80,850 for his second-place finish. He also finished 13th in the kickoff event for $11,625.
Deng took the lead in the series points race with this win. His 208 points give him a 27-point advantage over Wilson. Deng also moved to seventh in the tour’s season-long ranks.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Clemen Deng | $127,400 | 432 | 191 |
| 2 | Peter Mugar | $80,850 | 360 | 121 |
| 3 | Michael Rossitto | $58,800 | 288 | 88 |
| 4 | Justin Vaysman | $44,100 | 216 | 66 |
| 5 | Yifu He | $34,300 | 180 | 51 |
| 6 | Vlastimil Pustina | $24,500 | 144 | 37 |
| 7 | Aaron Messmer | $19,600 | 108 | 29 |
Photo credits: PGT / Antonio Abrego.
