Aram Zobian Crusades to Victory in U.S. Poker Open Event

The competition was fierce in Las Vegas last night as the penultimate event of the 2026 U.S. Poker Open came to a conclusion at the PokerGO Studio. ARIA on the Sin City Strip was the place to be as legends of the game such as Chino Rheem, Nick Seward and runner-up Brandon Wilson all tried in vain to stop Aram Zobian but at his third final table in three days, the Armenian-American professional took the title and Golden Eagle trophy.

Foxen Falls on the Bubble

With 61 total entries, each costing $15,000, reaching the money places was a matter of importance to everyone in the room. Never more so than with two tables of five remaining, with 10^th place earning nothing. As it turned out, the winner of Event #7 and a 13-time PokerGO Tour event winner, Alex Foxen, was the man to miss out.

Almost all-in pre-flop and committing on the 8-2-2 flop with ace-queen, Foxen needed help against the eight-five belonging to fellow leaderboard rival Clemen Deng. A deuce and trey on turn and river were of no help at all, and Foxen bowed out, just short of the result he needed to put pressure on the overall series leader Brock Wilson, who won two events in the first six.

Once inside the money places, two more players needed to bust to form a final table. The first of those was Bill Klein. The amiable businessman, known in PokerGO events for his personality as much as his prowess at the poker felt, donates much of his poker winnings to charity and $27,450 more made it into his philanthropic poker pot when his king-seven was denied by Deng’s ace-jack.

Last to leave before the final seven were formed was Natalie Ferguson, who was busted by Nick Seward in eighth place for $36,600. All-in with pocket sixes, Ferguson needed to hold against the king-jack of the WSOP bracelet winner Seward. That didn’t happen, as a king arrived on the flop and no help came to save Ferguson from the chop.

Deng’s Race is Done

With seven players left, both Brandon Wilson and Aram Zobian had 2.1 million chips and were joint chip leaders. The shortest stack was the Austrian Marius Gierse, but he was to survive the early levels of the final table with some astute poker moves. Vinny Lingham was the first player to bust, the American all-in with king-jack against the tens of Seward. A flop of J-5-2 looked to have handed Lingham a way back into contention but after a safe seven on the turn, the river of a two-outer ten was a disaster and sent Lingham home with $36,600.

Clemen Deng needed a big result to put pressure on Brock Wilson near the top of the series leaderboard but could only manage sixth place for $50,325. All-in with ace-seven, his hand was no match for Seward’s pocket nines, as Deng’s tournament ended on the turn with Seward making a full house.

When Seward himself dropped short, he might have hoped that his run of staying alive through all-ins would survive his first at risk in some time. Sadly for him and his supporters, that wasn’t the case. Pocket nines were his downfall as Rheem’s pair managed to hold against the king-queen belonging to Seward across a paint-free board with the chips committed pre-flop.

Wilson Misses Out as Zobian Takes Gold

“I try to just make the objective play and have a lot of gratitude and try to just thank God.”

After Seward’s exit in fifth for $68,625, Marius Gierse lost a couple of big pots to slide down the rankings. All-in for 19 big blinds with ace-queen, the Austrian player was dominating Aram Zobian’s ace-nine but a gut-wrenching board of J-T-8-QJ saw Gierse eliminated in cruel fashion for $91,500.

On a board of 8-4-2-Q by the turn, Chino Rheem shoved with ace-four but was quickly called by Brandon Wilson with more chips and queen-six. Rheem couldn’t hit his redraw as a jack landed on the river and play moved heads-up, with Rheem cashing for $128,100 in third place, and Wilson sneaking into a marginal lead.

The final duel was a good one, with Wilson initially battling into a 5:1 chip lead but Zobian bouncing off the canvas to come back and win. Getting the chip lead took time but once he had it, Zobian won in no time at all. Shoving with king-six, he got fortunate to get over the line, overtaking Wilson calling hand of ace-nine across a board showing K-9-2-J-6. Zobian’s two-pair was good enough by far and he claimed the $292,800 top prize, with Wilson winning $183,000 as runner-up.

Zobian celebrated the victory after winning the third final table he’d played in three days and dedicated his win to the Natna Children’s Foundation, a charity Zobian himself co-founded after visiting Tigray in Ethiopia, which suffered a genocide between 2020 and 2022. After the event, he told reporters what it was all about.

“We’re doing mutual aid, we distribute food, we’re working in the educational sector and setting up programs for education and psychosocial support to help the kids process trauma and get back to a good place,” he said. “I try to not put that pressure on myself [in poker]. I try to just make the objective play and have a lot of gratitude and try to just thank God continually, pretty much. Praise God and play my best.”

With his skills at the felt and a good heart off it, Aram Zobian is doing the best work he can in all areas.