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Isaac Kempton Wins 2023 U.S. Poker Open Event #6 ($279,000)
Michael Wang is the first player to win a Stairway To Millions title at two different venues. After winning Event #5: $15,000 No-Limit Hold'em at ARIA Resort & Casino in January of this year, Wang topped Event #5: $1,640 No-Limit Hold'em at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas to win $22,986 and a $5,350 seat into Event #8 on Thursday.
Wang now joins Nick Petrangelo and Chance Kornuth as the only players with multiple Stairway To Millions titles, while he and Petrangelo are the only players with four cashes in Stairway To Millions events. Wang now sits with more than $4.46 million in lifetime tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. His Event #5 victory is also his third win of 2022 in addition to winning his second WSOP bracelet in Event #87: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'em which takes him to just shy of $1.3 million in earnings for 2022.
Event #5: $1,640 No-Limit Hold'em of the 2022 Stairway To Millions series attracted a field of 73 entrants, creating a prize pool of $109,500. The final 11 finishers all secured seats into a future Stairway To Millions event, while Jim Agate, Philip Shing, Michael Rossitto, Maria Konnikova, and Victoria Livschitz all fell short of Day 2 but earned an Event #7: $2,740 No-Limit Hold'em seat to go along with the prize money they collected.
The final day of play saw just six players return, and it would be WPT at Venetian champion Qing Liu returning as the chip leader at his second final table of the series. Liu didn't get off to a good start on Day 2 as his pocket kings were cracked by Wang's ace-queen when an ace fell on the flop. Liu turned the tide by eliminating Charles Capobianco in sixth place when his pocket sixes improved to a set against the ace-eight of Capobianco.
Wang then began to wield his big stack as he pressured several players, including Josue Aguirre. After Aguirre folded the river in one hand, there would be another where he had flopped top pair and bet the river. Wang shoved, and after using several time extensions, Aguirre called all-in. Wang had rivered a set of fours, and Aguirre was eliminated in fifth place. Sitting at his second final table of the series, Mikael Andersen doubled through Liu when he turned a broadway straight as Liu would fall next. Liu was all-in against Wang, and both players flopped a pair but it would be Wang going runner-runner flush to eliminate Liu.
Holding a huge chip lead three-handed, Wang would double Ryan Laplante and Andersen. Laplante, however, would exit in third place after three-bet shoving ace-ten but was called by Wang who held pocket queens. Wang entered the heads-up match with Andersen holding greater than a six-to-one chip lead over, but after doubling Andersen several times the chips were back to even. Following a break in play, the final hand played out which saw Wang min-raise the button with king-queen and Andersen called with seven-six suited. Both players checked through the turn where Andersen had improved to a straight and flush draw and proceeded to move all-in. Wang had flopped second pair, and after using his final two time extensions, he called to put Andersen at-risk. The river fell safe for Wang, and as he eliminated Andersen in second place, Wang was crowned the Event #5 champion
Stairway To Millions Event #5 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Michael Wang | United States | $22,986 |
| 2nd | Mikael Andersen | United States | $14,355 |
| 3rd | Ryan Laplante | United States | $9,340 |
| 4th | Qing Liu | United States | $6,342 |
| 5th | Josue Aguirre | Mexico | $4,502 |
| 6th | Charles Capobianco | United States | $3,349 |
2022 Stairway To Millions Schedule
| Date | Event | Type | Buy-In | Fee (On-time) | Fee (Late/Reentry) | Starting Stack | Prize Pool Guarantee |
| 9/14/22 | Stairway To Millions #7 | NLH | $2,500 | $240 | $240 | 100,000 | $100,000 |
| 9/15/22 | Stairway To Millions #8 | NLH | $5,000 | $350 | $350 | 100,000 | $100,000 |
| 9/16/22 | Stairway To Millions #9 | NLH | $10,000 | $200 | $400 | 125,000 | $200,000 |
| 9/17/22 | Stairway To Millions #10 | NLH | $15,000 | $400 | $800 | 125,000 | $300,000 |
| 9/18/22 | Stairway To Millions #11 | NLH | $25,000 | $500 | $1,000 | 150,000 | $500,000 |
| 9/19/22 | Stairway To Millions #12 | NLH | $50,000 | $1,000 | $2,000 | 200,000 | $600,000 |
Currently underway from The Venetian Resort Poker Room is Event #6 of the Stairway To Millions with Wednesday set to raise the stakes once more with the $2,740 buy-in of the series. Follow along with all the live updates from the entire Stairway To Millions which will be provided by the PGT.com Live Reporting Team.
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Isaac Kempton Wins 2023 U.S. Poker Open Event #6 ($279,000)
