The Potomac Summer Poker Open 2026 featured an unusual ending in one of the main tournaments of the series. After a deal among the five finalists of the US$ 500 Monumental Stack, the American Andrew Chang won the first trophy of his career, even with the smallest chip stack among the players who remained in the competition.
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Thus, the deal guaranteed the largest prize for Jack Arnal, who was leading the tournament at the time of the negotiation. The player pocketed US$ 22,882, while Andrew Chang received US$ 16,600. However, the champion was decided by a high card draw.
In this way, Chang revealed that he had always encountered variance during previous decisions. “I have had the lead in heads-up, but the variance is simply very large”, the player said after the victory.
Additionally, the champion refused a curious proposal made by Jack Arnal. The opponent offered a bonus of US$ 500 to keep the trophy and participate in the official photo. Still, Chang preferred to compete for the title and celebrate winning the first trophy of his career.
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Check out the final table payouts:
| Position | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Andrew Chang | US$ 16,600* |
| 2nd | Jack Arnal | US$ 22,882* |
| 3rd | Rick Aasen | US$ 20,546* |
| 4th | Valentin Lita | US$ 19,747* |
| 5th | Yonnas Banteamlak | US$ 16,897* |
| 6th | Timothy Conrow | US$ 6,871 |
| 7th | Linda Swears | US$ 5,195 |
| 8th | James Freeman | US$ 3,854 |
| 9th | Kyle Dishongh | US$ 3,184 |
*deal
The champion’s journey had twists during the final table
However, at the start of the decision, Andrew Chang was leading in chips and increased the advantage by eliminating Linda Swears in seventh place. Nevertheless, the scenario quickly changed, and the player began managing the smallest stack among the five finalists.
Meanwhile, Day 2 started with 52 players qualified out of the 403 entries registered in the tournament. The competition distributed a total prize pool of US$ 167,245, while several well-known names were eliminated before the final table was formed.
Finally, Chang has not yet confirmed if he will continue in the festival. “Maybe I will play the Main Event tomorrow, but I will also attend a bachelor party this weekend. I haven’t decided yet”, explained the player, who ended a long wait by winning the much-desired trophy.
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