It is arguably the pinnacle event on the PokerGO Tour (save for the PGT Championship in December), and the battle for the 2025 U.S. Poker Open overall title is already a tight one. Halfway through the eight-tournament schedule, Matthew Wantman has taken firm advantage of his victory in Event #4 to hold a slim lead over Japan’s Kazuomi Furuse. There is still a long way to go, however, until the final results are in for the 2025 USPO.
Challengers Down the Overall Leaderboard
Wantman picked up most of his points through winning Event #4, the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em event that featured a 103-entrant field. Wantman was able to outlast Yifu He and the inaugural USPO champion, Stephen Chidwick, to pick up 263 points towards the overall championship. Even though Wantman is staked to this lead, it could change as soon as today.
Event #5 has worked its way to the final table, with two players there poised to jump over Wantman for the overall lead. Currently in second place in chips in Event #5, Eric Blair, should he win the tournament, would be able to pass Wantman for the overall lead. He is the other player that Wantman needs to worry about, as He is also at the Event #5 final table; a deeper run is all He will need to move past Wantman, albeit He is down the leaderboard in fifth place.
At the halfway pole, here is how the overall leaderboard for the 2025 U.S. Poker Open stands:
1. Matthew Wantman, 318 points
2. Kazuomi Furuse, 285
3. Michael Rossitto, 278
4. Jim Collopy, 244
5. Yifu He, 216
6. Jose ‘Nacho’ Barbero, 194
7. Eric Blair, 187
8. Stephen Chidwick, 174
9. Kristen Foxen, 158
10. Andrew Moreno, 156
Highlights of the First Half of 2025 USPO
The presence of Chidwick at the 2025 USPO sparks conversation about a feat that occurred last month. At the 2025 PGT PLO Series, Daniel Negreanu achieved a milestone in winning Event #3. Now winning is always nice, but this one was particularly special for Negreanu as it was his eleventh PGT title, pushing him past Chidwick for that honor. Chidwick, as to be expected, is back in the saddle looking to retake what was once his, and he is not far off from pulling the feat off.
The impressive news, however, must be the continued emergence of Kristen Foxen as a force on the “high roller” tables. Foxen won Event #1 of the 2025 U.S. Poker Open, taking down a $158,025 prize over the 129 entrants in the tournament. ‘KrissyB’ was able to vanquish a final table that included two-time USPO winner David Peters and eventual runner-up Ping Liu to take that crown, which is cementing her place on the PGT circuit.
Foxen’s victory was her third on the PGT, and no other woman has more than one on their resume. The victory at the 2025 USPO pushed her over the million-dollar mark in earnings for the year and has firmly staked her on top of the Global Poker Index Women’s Player of the Year race (one she has won multiple times). In the annals of poker history, Foxen has also eclipsed some of the legends, including Kathy Liebert, Liv Boeree, and Maria Ho, on the all-time earnings list for women (Foxen is only behind Vanessa Selbst).
Could Foxen get another title on her resume this week? There is no reason that she can’t and, if she does, it would push her into the overall lead for the 2025 USPO and give her another notch on her belt as the only woman to ever win an overall PGT title. There are four events left, including the $25,000 Main Event, so there is plenty of time for Foxen, or anyone else, to make their moves.
(Photos courtesy of PokerGO)
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