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The six finalists in the 2018 US Poker Open #04 - $25,000 Mixed Game Championship return to action this afternoon at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Isaac Haxton will kick things off as the chipleader chased by Chris Vitch, Stephen Chidwick, Dan Shak, Benjamin Pollak, and Phil Hellmuth.
Impressively, this is Chidwick's second final table in as many days. On Monday afternoon, Chidwick defeated the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Jake Schindler, and runner-up Kieth Tilson en route to a win in the USPO # 03 - $25,000 No-limit Hold'em event for $374,000.
Final Table Lineup:
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benjamin Pollak | France | 656,000 |
| 2 | Chris Vitch | United States | 1,399,000 |
| 3 | Isaac Haxton | United States | 2,317,000 |
| 4 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | 1,080,000 |
| 5 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | 372,000 |
| 6 | Dan Shak | United States | 926,000 |
Haxton came into the unofficial final table with a slight chip lead but quickly pulled away from the field when the game switched to Pot-Limit Omaha. Haxton bet pot after pot icing his opponents and forcing their hands into the muck. Play ended for the night on Day 1 when Haxton eliminated Daniel Negreanu in seventh place.
Haxton is an accomplished all-around poker player with almost $16 million in career tournament earnings including a third-place score of $595,812 in the 2017 WSOP $50,000 Poker Player's Championship.
Vitch also has a stellar resume in mixed games. With a cash today, Vitch will cross over the $1 million mark in career tournament earnings that include two WSOP bracelets. Vitch's first coming in a 2-7 Triple Draw event in 2016 followed up by a Stud Hi-Lo title in 2017.
Chidwick currently leads the 2018 USPO money race and will extend his lead with a cash this afternoon. Chidwick is another staple of the high roller scene boasting over $10 million in earnings and also has an Eight-Game mix title already under his belt capturing a victory at the 2016 Aussie Millions.
Dan Shak and Benjamin Pollak are the only other players at the final table who have a cash in the USPO festival thus far. Both earned a notch in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event finishing seventh and eighth respectively. Shak has piled up over $9 million in tournament earnings and does have some results in non-hold'em disciplines. Pollak comes in just behind Shak with $8.5 million in cashed of his own including a third-place finish in the 2017 WSOP Main Event for $3.5 million.
The shortest stack coming into play today needs no introduction. Few players in the world have as much recognition as Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth sits ninth on the all-time money list with over $22,000,000 in career tournament earnings including 14 WSOP gold bracelets. In fact, Hellmuth has won a title in every game in the Eight-Game mix and finished runner-up in the 2011 WSOP Poker Player's Championship.
Here's what the players have left to fight for this afternoon:
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $382,500 | ||
| 2 | $247,500 | ||
| 3 | $168,750 | ||
| 4 | $112,500 | ||
| 5 | $90,000 | ||
| 6 | $67,500 | ||
| 7 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $56,250 |
Current 2018 US Poker Open Standings
| Position | Player | Country | Total earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | $428,400 |
| 2 | Keith Tilston | United States | $242,000 |
| 3 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $221,250 |
| 4 | Justin Bonomo | United States | $190,400 |
| 5 | Mike Gorodinsky | United States | $179,200 |
Some of the game's best are clashing at this final table of the $25,000 Mixed Game Championship at the US Poker Open, starting at 4pm ET on PokerGO. Live updates will be provided by PokerNews in case you can't watch it all, but if you have the time, sign up for PokerGO and see the first big televised mixed game final table of the year!