Ali Imsirovic Wins U.S. Poker Open Event #5 ($442,500)

At his first U.S. Poker Open final table, Ali Imsirovic came, saw, and conquered! The Bosnian-born American washed way his slow start to this series by taking down Event #5 – $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $442,500. With the win, the reigning Poker Masters champion also jumps into the top five for the overall leader board and is in contention for the added $100,000 which is designated for the top spot at the end of the USPO.

Imsirovic entered the day as the chip leader and never came close to relinquishing it. Heads up, Imsirovic took a commanding lead after third-place finisher Dan Shak ($206,500) four-bet shoved against him, drawing to two outs. After that, he made quick work of Cary Katz (2nd place, $295,000) when he called Katz’s all in with a pair and dodged a flush draw to secure the victory.

“Today just went so fast,” Ali Imsirovic said with a big smile, “As first the two short stacks doubled up but then I had back-to-back bust outs against Nick Petrangelo and Dan Shak, and the heads up with Cary didn’t last too long either. If he had doubled up, however, we might’ve been here a while longer.”

Comparatively speaking, Imsirovic has only been around for a short time but this is already his fourth big outright victory including back-to-back Poker Masters victories. About that, Imsirovic said, “I’m much less risk-averse than other players and I’m more aggressive, so I might make fewer final tables but when I do I usually have a lot of chips and perhaps a little better chance of getting the win.”

The day started with Joseph Cappello ($88,500), making his second 2019 USPO final table appearance, coming in as the short stack. He got it in with the best of it against Nick Petrangelo, but Petrangelo rivered broadway to send Cappello to the rail early.

Then Kristen Bicknell was eliminated by Shak when she shoved all in on the button with and Shak reraised all in with two nines. Bicknell couldn’t hit one of her two overs and was eliminated in fifth place ($118,500).

Petrangelo hit the rail in fourth place after three-betting pocket jacks from the big blind into an Imsirovic button open with pocket aces. Both players hit a set and Petrangelo was left drawing to only quads. He couldn’t catch up and took home $147,500.

This finish puts Imsirovic within striking range of the top spot on the USPO leaderboard behind Sean Winter who, after making four final tables in a row, claimed the top spot over defending champion Stephen Chidwick.

After his win, Imsirovic was very excited about the upcoming events and his chances of competing for the $100,000 first prize.

“This win now gives me a chance with the $100,000 tournament still to come,” Imsirovic said, while there are still three more chances for him to get points aside from that.

“Both Sean and Stevie have a lot of points, but at least I’m live now even though I probably have to get points in at least two more events.”

“It would be insane to win the U.S. Poker Open after the Poker Masters and I even had a shot at winning Super High Roller Bowl. These are some of the most prestigious events possible and I’m just running good in the right events.”

There are still more events to come as the USPO draws to a close, including the $100,000 Main Event which will be worth 350 points for the winner. You can to watch the conclusion of the USPO and event replays of past events like the Super High Roller Bowl, Poker Masters, and the World Series of Poker. As always you can follow the updates right here on PokerCentral.com.