Jesse Lonis, a poker pro from Little Falls, New York, has once again proven his prowess on the felt.
The recent 2024 U.S. Poker Open Event #2: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em tournament witnessed Lonis’s masterclass performance, as he breezed ahead of a field of tough competitors to claim victory. Starting the final table with a dominant chip lead, Lonis closed out the day with a straight flush to take home the $252K pot.
Lonis has career earnings of $8.06 million, according to poker database Hendon Mob. The $252,000 might not be much in comparison to his career best cash of $2.3 million, but it’s not a bad payday by most standards.
That $2.3 million cash came at the World Series of Poker $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller tournament in 2023.
This most recent U.S. Poker Open win is Lonis’s third tournament victory of 2024.
The Tournament
The Poker Go Tour U.S. Poker Open 2024 is currently being held at Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. It kicked off on April 9 and is scheduled to end on April 17.
On April 10, Event #2 attracted 99 players, including eventual victor Lonis. At a $10,100 buy-in, that made for a $999,900 prize pot.
Out of those, 15 players made cash finishes, and seven players made the final table.
Out of those survivors, Lonis was comfortably the player with the most experience and the highest previous career earnings.
The Final Table
Nevertheless, the final table action was intense. Lonis started by granting a double-up to short stack Sean Winter in the early stages, but quickly regained momentum by flopping a Broadway straight against Winter’s pocket fours. That sent Winter to a seventh-place finish for $39,600.
Lonis’ momentum only grew stronger as the final table progressed. He faced off against formidable opponents, including Kristina Holst, who briefly held the chip lead. However, her run came to an end when Lonis’ king-ten outkicked her king-six, securing his place in heads-up play.
Despite facing a resilient opponent in Aram Zobian, Lonis maintained control and ultimately clinched victory with a straight flush, leaving Zobian to collect a respectable second-place prize of $163,350.
With this latest victory, Lonis has surged to second place in the 2024 Player of the Year standings, trailing only Punnat Punsri by a mere 70 points.
The Poker action continues this week at Aria Las Vegas.
| 1 | Jesse Lonis | United States | $252,450 |
| 2 | Aram Zobian | United States | $163,350 |
| 3 | Kristina Holt | United States | $113,850 |
| 4 | Rodger Johnson | United States | $89,100 |
| 5 | Joey Weissman | United States | $64,350 |
| 6 | Victoria Livschitz | United States | $49,500 |
| 7 | Sean Winter | United States | $39,600 |
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
