Alex Foxen Ties All-Time PGT Record With 13th Title at the 2026 U.S. Poker Open
Alex Foxen has claimed the $210,000 first-place prize in Event #7: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em at the 2026 U.S. Poker Open (USPO), topping a 70-entry field at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
The victory moves Foxen to 13 career PokerGO Tour (PGT) titles — second all-time behind only Sam Soverel, who extended the record to 14 titles at the PGT PLO Series in March.
Foxen Dominates From Start to Finish
Five players returned for the final day, with Foxen holding roughly 55% of the chips in play and Jeremy Ausmus the only other player with a workable stack.
Michael Berk was the first to go, his ace-queen run down by Aram Zobian’s king-jack after a king hit the river. Zobian’s momentum was short-lived, though, as Qinghai Pan doubled through him with pocket jacks the very next orbit, leaving Zobian with dust, and he surrendered to Foxen shortly after.
Three-handed, Ausmus cracked Foxen’s kings to double up and keep himself alive, and Pan doubled twice in quick succession to stay in the mix. Neither move troubled Foxen’s lead. Pan made his final stand with ace-queen against Foxen’s seven-six offsuit; a six on the turn ended Pan’s tournament, and Foxen took a 4:1 chip lead into heads-up play.
Ausmus Falls at the Final Hurdle
Heads-up lasted exactly one hand. Ausmus limped in with eight-five, Foxen checked behind with seven-three suited. The flop missed Ausmus completely while Foxen picked up a gutshot. Ausmus fired the flop, turn, and river anyway — a triple-barrel bluff into a player who rivered bottom pair. Foxen called, his seven good, and the tournament was over.
For Ausmus, it was a third runner-up finish at this year’s USPO; three deep runs that have kept him in the series leaderboard race, though still without a title to show for it.
Consistency Built the Record-Tying Run
Foxen already led the PGT all-time lists in cashes and career earnings before this event. Speaking after the win on the PokerGO broadcast, he attributed his sustained performance to narrowing the gap between his best and worst play, focusing less on results and more on the consistency of his decision-making.
On variance specifically, Foxen described a deliberate reframe rather than any attempt to tune it out.
“You can re-frame things in a way that makes them a little more positive, and a little bit easier to deal with,” he said, noting the approach applies as much to life off the felt as it does at the table.
A Strong Series for the Foxen Household
The win caps a productive stretch at the USPO for the Foxen family. Three days earlier, Kristen Foxen defeated Ausmus heads-up in Event #4 to claim her fifth career PGT title — handing Ausmus his second runner-up of the series in the process.
Between them, Alex and Kristen are one of two couples to combine for multiple titles this series. Brock Wilson and Cherish Andrews entered Event #7 with three wins between them — Andrews taking Event #3 and Wilson claiming Events #1 and #6 — making the 2026 USPO as much a two-couple rivalry as an individual leaderboard race.
The PGT Record and What Comes Next
The 2026 U.S. Poker Open runs through April 22 at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, with three events still to play. The series closes with a $25,000 NLH finale, which carries the heaviest leaderboard points weighting and will likely settle the series title.
The overall winner takes home the Golden Eagle trophy and a $25,000 PGT Passport. The Poker Masters is next on the PGT calendar once the USPO wraps.
Image: Courtesy of pgt.com