David Peters won his first U.S. Poker Open title in 2018. He followed that up in 2019 by winning his second career U.S. Poker Open title on his way to topping the series leaderboard. Like the rest of the poker world, Peters wasn’t able to add a third title in 2020 with the series postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday night, the former GPI Player of the Year defeated Jared Jaffee heads up to win the largest event in the three-year history of the U.S. Poker Open. The 99 entries in Event #7 ($10,000 NLHE) beat the previous record by nine runners and produced a prize pool of $990,000. Peters eliminated five of the last six opponents on his way to collecting $217,800.

After John Riordan was eliminated in ninth and Kristina Holst in eighth, the David Peters show began in earnest. Peters raised to 160,000 from middle position with . Dan Shak looked down at and moved all in for 650,000 from the cutoff. Action folded back around to Peters and he called. The flop came to give Peters control of the hand. Neither the turn nor the river was enough for Shak to wrestle control back and he was eliminated in seventh place.

Twenty minutes later, a blind vs blind battled allowed Peters to score another elimination. Action folded to Peters in the small blind and he moved all in for 4,830,000 with . Ivan Zufic, down to just over 10 big blinds, called with . The flop came to once again put Peters in the driver’s seat. The turn gave Zufic some extra outs but the river sealed his sixth place finish.

It took a half hour wait and another battle of the blinds to send the next player home. Everybody else folded, giving Alex Foxen the chance to move all in from the small blind for 1,400,000 with . Unfortunately for Foxen, Jared Jaffee had him dominated with and instantly called. The runout gave Jaffee top pair and Foxen a Broadway sweat, but the two-time GPI Player of the Year was unable to survive and sent out in fifth place.

Peters waited just ten minutes before taking back his turn as the table executioner. Peters opened to 275,000 from the button with . Lichtenberger folded his small blind but Brock Wilson defended his big blind with . The flop came to give Wilson a pair of fives and Peters the nut flush draw. Wilson moved all in for his last 250,000 and Peters called. There was no delay in the ram as the turn completed Peters’ flush draw and spelled the end of the night for Wilson. The river completed the board and made Wilson’s fourth place finish official.

Three-handed play lasted 30 minutes before Andrew Lichtenberger ran into the buzzsaw that was David Peters on Thursday. Jaffee folded his button and Peters moved all in with and Lichtenberger called with his tournament life on the line with . That last gasp of life was all but snuffed out on the flop as Peters made a full house. The turn was no help for Lichtenberger and the river completed the board to send the tournament to heads up with Lichtenberger busting in third.

Peters had a 3-1 lead over Jaffee when heads up play began. Jaffee battled back and took the eventually took the chip lead for himself at one point. Unfortunately for him however, that lead lasted just one hand. Peters continued to chip up and eventually put the nail in the coffin to end Jaffee’s night. Peters moved all in for 9,800,000 with and Jaffee called off his last 2,100,000 with . The board ran out to eliminate Jaffee and give Peters his third career U.S. Poker Open title.

U.S. Poker Open Event #7 Final Table Payouts

1. David Peters – $217,800
2. Jared Jaffee – $158,400
3. Andrew Lichtenberger – $118,800
4. Brock Wilson – $89,100
5. Alex Foxen – $79,200
6. Ivan Zufic – $59,400
7. Dan Shak – $49,500