If ever there’s a time to be a river rat, it’s with a tournament victory on the line
Shannon Shorr added another highlight to his already strong run this year by winning Event #5 of the US Poker Open, taking home $220,400 and the event’s Golden Eagle trophy. The victory adds to his recent momentum after a win at the WSOP Circuit Main Event at Horseshoe Las Vegas, just a few weeks prior. With the World Series of Poker season right around the corner, the timing couldn’t be better for Shorr to catch fire.
The final table saw Shorr go head-to-head with Eric Blair in a dramatic back-and-forth match. Blair, who’s been a model of consistency throughout the series, had cashed in every event so far, making this his second final table appearance of the 2025 PGT USPO. He earned $144,400 for his runner-up finish, and the points from this result pushed him to the top of the 2025 US Poker Open Player of the Series race, as well as the PGT leaderboard.
During the heads-up battle, Blair took an early 4-to-1 lead and even had Shorr all-in with the better hand. But the river came to Shorr’s rescue, giving him a flush and flipping the chip lead in his favor. The swings didn’t stop there—Blair regained the lead, only for Shorr to answer back again.
A stunner on the river! @ShannonShorr finds a winner for the $220,400 score. 🏆
Not the win he wanted, but @Blizair1 is now atop both the USPO and PGT leaderboards.
The U.S. Poker Open presented by @official_glp is streaming now on PokerGO.
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— PokerGO (@PokerGO) April 15, 2025
The final hand perfectly captured the energy of their duel. Blair flopped trips with jack-six on a board that looked safe. But Shorr, holding nine-five, hit a miracle nine on the river to make a full house and seal the win.
Shorr now joins previous USPO event winners Kristen Foxen, Kazuomi Furuse, Michael Rossitto, and Matthew Wantman. With three tournaments left, the leaderboard remains tight, and Blair’s consistent performance keeps him just ahead of Yifu He, Wantman, Furuse, and Rossitto in the points race.
