The most expensive Pot-Limit Omaha of the 2024 World Series of Poker has kicked off at the Paris and Horseshoe Casino Las Vegas, attracting some of the biggest names of the international poker scene. Among them were many specialists in the four-card variant, as can be expected for the elevated price tag in Event #79: $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha.
Thanks to 131 entries so far, the event has already generated a prize pool in excess of $6 million but both figures are subject to change due to the extended late registration. For the time being, the attendance is significantly lower than the record-breaking edition one year ago, which drew a staggering field of 200 entries.
Upon completion of 12 levels of 40 minutes each, the field was cut into more than half as just 61 players bagged up chips for the night. After a tumultuous final stage, the leaderboard saw several last-minute changes, and Jason Mercier climbed to the summit of the leaderboard with a stack of 1,575,000. He is followed by Jared Bleznick (1,470,000) and Santhosh Suvarna (1,360,000) with the trio all being involved in multi-way all-in showdowns at the end of the night.
Top Ten Chip Counts After Day 1
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Mercier | United States | 1,575,000 | 105 |
| 2 | Jared Bleznick | United States | 1,470,000 | 98 |
| 3 | Santhosh Suvarna | India | 1,360,000 | 91 |
| 4 | Michael Moncek | United States | 1,290,000 | 86 |
| 5 | Tim Van Loo | Germany | 1,280,000 | 85 |
| 6 | Isaac Kempton | United States | 1,250,000 | 83 |
| 7 | Chase Steely | United States | 1,240,000 | 83 |
| 8 | Jonathan Azoulay | United States | 1,235,000 | 82 |
| 9 | Veselin Karakitukov | Bulgaria | 1,185,000 | 79 |
| 10 | Bryce Yockey | United States | 1,135,000 | 76 |
Other notables with big stacks at their disposal when Day 2 begins include Michael Moncek (1,290,000), Bryce Yockey (1,135,000), David Benyamine (980,000), Jim Collopy (800,000), Richard Gryko (720,000), Noah Schwartz (705,000) and Isaac Haxton (665,000).
Defending champion Jesse Lonis endured a rollercoaster ride at the tables after starting his title defense from the very start of the tournament. He dropped to fewer than half the starting stack before knocking out Tomer Daniel. From there on, the two-time bracelet winner bounced back and advanced with 600,000. For the 2022 champion Robert Cowen, it was an even rougher day at the tables as he reentered and made it through with a short stack of just 180,000.
Mercier's rise to the top came in the final level of the night when he came out on top of a three-way all-in to send Evan Krentzman and Sam Soverel to the rail. This hand came just moments after Suvarna's stack skyrocketed to seven figures in yet another explosive three-way all-in.
Daniel Negreanu was ousted during the final level as well. One table over, Michael Moncek dealt a heavy blow to the previously healthy stack of Eric Garma to shake up the leaderboard at the very end.
Further notable casualties throughout the day include Eelis Pärssinen, Ren Lin, Stephen Chidwick, Phil Ivey, Artur Martirosian, Dylan Weisman and the 2024 WSOP Player of the Year contender Jeremy Ausmus. Current Player of the Year leader Scott Seiver advanced with 585,000 after securing a double-up in the final level of the night.
The late registration for this high-stakes contest remains open for the next 40-minute level on Day 2, which is set to resume at 1:00 p.m. local time in the purple section of the Paris Casino Ballroom. Recommencing blinds will be 10,000-15,000 with a big blind ante of 15,000 to give all late entrants 20 big blinds worth of ammunition.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the four-card action en route to crowning another champion in the following two days at the 2024 WSOP in Las Vegas.
