Brandon Wilson Continues Breakout Success With U.S. Poker Open Win

Brandon Wilson recorded his first six-figure live poker tournament score in the spring of 2023, finishing third in a $10,000 event at that year’s U.S. Poker Open for $111,600. Since then, the rising high-stakes star from Illinois has cashed for more than $5.2 million on the circuit, adding 14 more six-figure paydays.

Wilson’s latest addition to that tally came during this year’s iteration of the USPO, where he started this tear. Wilson defeated a field of 98 entries in the first of two $15,000 no-limit hold’ems on the schedule.

He earned $382,200 for topping the largest PokerGO Studio field for this price point. Wilson’s career earnings grew to more than $5.7 million.

This was Wilson’s third title and eighth final table of 2025. He received 648 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win and now only trails Jeremy Ausmus on the leaderboard.

The final day of this event began with seven contenders remaining and Sean Winter in the lead. All-time World Poker Tour titles leader Darren Elias was the first to hit the rail, when his pocket queens lost a three-way all-in against Winters pocket 10s of Winter and the K-7 suited of two-time bracelet winner Martin Zamani.

Elias had just over six big blinds, but was well-positioned to triple up. The flop brought one king and the turn another. Zamani forced Winter out of the pot on the turn and made quads on the end to eliminate Elias in seventh place. The $58,800 payout pushed Elias’ career earnings to nearly $14 million.

Lights out! Martin_Zamani</a> rivers quads to eliminate <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrenElias?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">DarrenElias in 7th.

https://t.co/dTHG5hl7Qv pic.twitter.com/dCulAQjNAj

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) April 15, 2025

2024 POY race runner-up David Coleman soon followed thanks to a classic preflop race. His A-Q was in a fair fight against Zamani’s 44, but found no help on a king-high runout. Coleman settled for $73,500 as the sixth-place finisher. This was his second final table of 2025 after making 24 last year.

Three-time bracelet winner Alex Foxen took his final stand QJ. He committed most of his stack with a raise from the cutoff, then called the remainder when Matthew Wantman three-bet shoved from the small blind with AK. The flop came down Q105 to give Foxen top pair and the lead, but the J turn improved Wantman to the nut straight.

Foxen had outs to a full house, but the river instead brought the 9 to eliminate him in fifth place ($102,900). This was Foxen’s seventh final table of the year. With 2,890 points, he now sits in seventh place in the POY rankings.

Zamani’s early hot streak saw him overtake the chip lead, but he lost a crucial confrontation against Winter during five-handed play that saw him plummet back down the leaderboard. The same two contenders squared off to result in the next knockout. Zamani raised to 420,000 from the small blind preflop with AQ after Winter had limped in for 80,000 with 98. Winter called and the flop came down 863. Zamani fired 330,000 and Winter raised to 775,000. Zamani three-bet shoved his ace high for 2,620,000 total and Winter called with his top pair. The J and K river kept Winter in front to send Zamani home in fourth place ($132,300).

Shocking elimination! Sean Winter and Martin Zamani battle in the biggest pot of the day.

https://t.co/dTHG5hl7Qv pic.twitter.com/FskDvrS32i

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) April 15, 2025

Winter was left on fumes after losing an effective all-in with A-5 against Wilson’s A-8. He had just a single 25,000 chip remaining after checking it down and losing at showdown.

He was forced all-in on the next hand and found K-Q, but was up against Wantman’s pocket 10s and Wilson’s A-5, who also got all in against Wilson, creating a side pot.

Wilson flopped an ace to take the lead briefly, but Wantman nailed a set of tens on the turn and held from there to eliminate Winter and overtake the chip lead. Winter earned $176,400 as the third-place finisher, enough to bring his lifetime haul to north of $35 million.

Wantman sat with 7,625,000 compared to the Wilson’s 4,625,000 when heads-up play began. That gap had been narrowed before the next big clash.

Wantman shoved on the button with A-4 and Wilson called all-in with A-K suited and held to take a better than 5:1 lead of his own. Not long after that, Wilson moved all-in from the button with 54 and Wantman called with J9. The board came down AQ573 and Wilson made a flush to lock up the pot and the title.

Wantman netted $242,550 as the runner-up. He now has 512 PGT points from three cashes at this series, including one win and this second-place showing. As a result, he sits atop the series-long points standings, with Wilson’s 335 points good for second.

Wantman now has nearly $8.6 million in career cashes, with his largest being the $443,475 he earned for taking down the 2019 World Poker Tour Aria Summer Championship.

Final Table Results

Photo credits: PokerGO.