Almost everyone had already left the tournament area but there was still a hand going on over on table 136 between Isaac Kempton on the button and Shahar Levi in the big blind. It turned out to be the biggest pot of the tournament so far in which Levi check-called the Q♠9♦6♠ flop for 375,000 and check-raised the pot to 1,250,000 on the A♣ turn, Kempton called.
That created a pot of more than three million to the 8♥ river and Levi checked. Kempton now moved forward almost his entire stack as he kept one T-5,000 chip behind. The bet was for 850,000 and Levi went deep into the tank. He used seven of his eight available time banks before folding several minutes into the first break of the day.
The field is already down to the last six tables after frantic opening two hours and the latest players to fall included Tom-Aksel Bedell and Charlie Hook.
Bedell was all-in after the J♣10♥8♣ flop against Bryce Yockey with the A♠K♣J♠6♦ for top pair and a gutshot while Yockey had the K♦K♠Q♠8♦ for the overpair.
The 7♠ turn and 4♣ river were both blanks.
Soon after, Hook was all-in prior to the 8♣6♠5♣ flop and awaited his fate while Yockey and Jim Collopy checked to the 4♠ turn. Yockey bet 150,000 and Collopy called to see the 9♠ on the river.
Yockey used a time bank to check, and Collopy used a time bank to then bet 375,000. No call by Yockey followed and Collopy tabled the A♠J♠10♣9♣ for the nut flush in spades to send the next opponent to the rail from Table 142. Hook exposed his A♦Q♥10♦7♥ briefly and their table broke right after as the field was reduced to the last 48 hopefuls.
Eric Kurtzman and Phil Ivey had created a pot of 345,000 when a flop of Q♣A♠2♠ was fanned. Kurtzman checked from middle position to Ivey on the button, and the latter made a pot-sized bet.
Kurtzman called and check-called Ivey's all-in for 40,000 on the 7♦ turn as well.
Phil Ivey: A♥Q♦6♥3♦
Eric Kurtzman: A♣7♥6♣4♠
Ivey's top two pair held against the aces and sevens of Kurtzman on the 9♥ river, and he doubled up to climb to a seven-figure stack.
Just before, Erik Seidel had busted in the seat next to Ivey, with Martin Kabrhel replacing him.
Shahar Levi raised the button to 90,000 and Kabeelan Rajamurthy then repotted in the small blind. Levi pushed all in and Rajamurthy called for around 400,000.
Kabeelan Rajamurthy: A♦J♦J♠8♣
Shahar Levi: A♣A♥4♦2♥
The aces held on a board of Q♦6♣2♠10♥7♠ and that spelled the end for Rajamurthy. Several other notables have also vanished as of late.
Shortly after the action had resumed, two of the late entries got their chips into the middle in Nick Schulman and Tom Dwan. The former had the A♣A♥K♥7♠ and came out on top of the 9♣8♦2♣K♦4♠ runout despite Dwan having a straight and flush draw.
One table over, Anuj [Removed:550] potted to 195,000 from the big blind and Viktor Blom called on the button with 115,000 behind. The chips went in after the Q♣7♠5♠ flop.
Viktor Blom: 8♦7♦6♥4♦
Anuj [Removed:550]: A♦10♠4♠3♠
The 2♥ turn gave [Removed:550] even more outs but he could not get there with the Q♦ river.
Martin Kabrhel in the small blind checked on a turn of 2♠Q♠3♣5♦ and so did Michael Moncek under the gun. Kabrhel then bet 50,000 into 150,000 on the 8♥ river.
Moncek went into the tank and used two time banks. "If you raise me now, you're my new favorite player," Kabrhel told Moncek, "after me of course."
Instead, Moncek tossed in a call. Kabrhel showed K♠J♦10♥6♠ for king-high. Moncek tabled K♦9♥9♦8♣ for a pair of nines and took down the pot.
"Why did you slowroll me?" asked Kabrhel.
"I was thinking about raising for value," Moncek stated.
One hand later, Moncek was seen departing from the tournament.
Richard Gryko raised and then called a pot-sized three-bet by Lou Garza before they got it in on the 10♠6♥5♠ flop with Garza at risk for around 120,000.
Lou Garza: A♦Q♥5♥3♦
Richard Gryko: J♥J♠8♠7♣
The K♦ turn and 6♦ river were both bricks and Gryko earned the knockout.
Martin Kabrhel then reentered into Garza's former seat and Shaun Deeb also reentered.
Shahar Levi raised to 40,000 on the button before Martin Kabrhel made it 135,000 to go in the small blind. Levi made the call and a flop of 8♥6♥2♠ was spread.
Kabrhel committed the rest of newly acquired starting stack and Levi made the call.
Martin Kabrhel: K♠K♣9♦8♠
Shahar Levi: A♣Q♥8♦7♥
The 4♣ turn remained safe for Kabrhel's kings, but the 7♣ river gave Levi two pair to take the pot.
"Please go get a new stack so I can put my headphones away," Levi said to the talkative Kabrhel as he scurried off to the reentry desk.
A total of 131 entries were made on Day 1 of Event #79: $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha of the 2024 World Series of Poker. Out of them, 61 will return today to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas for the second day of the three-day tournament.
Among the players with the most chips in their bags is Indian businessman and high stakes regular Santhosh Suvarna. Suvarna won his second bracelet in the $250,000 No-Limit Hold'em Super High Roller just over one week ago and is looking to make strides in capturing his third one today.
Suvarna bagged up 1,360,000 chips on Day 1, good for 98 big blinds at the start of play. He sits in third place on the leaderboard, with six-time bracelet winner Jason Mercier occupying the top spot with a stack of 1,575,000. Following Mercier in the counts is sports cards enthusiast Jared Bleznick, who will start today with 1,470,000 chips in front of him.
Jason Mercier
Also in the top ten at the start of the day is $5,000 PLO bracelet winnerBryce Yockey (1,135,000), while Germany's Tim Van Loo (1,280,000) and Bulgaria's Veselin Karakitukov (1,185,000) provide some more international representation.
Top Ten Chip Counts
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
Of course, in a tournament of this caliber, many more notables found their way to Day 2. Old-school David Benyamine has known several deep runs already this year and bagged 980,000 chips. Isaac Haxton made it through with 645,000, while Joao Vieira and Joao Simao will have 645,000 and 635,000 chips waiting for them.
Also still in contention are defending champion Jesse Lonis (600,000), Player of the Year leader Scott Seiver (585,000), and fellow bracelet collectors Dash Dudley (370,000), Anthony Zinno (320,000), and Nick Schulman (180,000).
Scott Seiver
The prize pool has already exceeded $6,000,000, but the expectation is that that number will still grow today, as late registration will remain open for one more level. More four-card aficionados are expected to join the already stacked field, and those who get eliminated during the first 40 minutes of play will have two reentries available to them if they have not already used them.
The tournament will resume at 1 p.m. local time in Level 13: 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 big blind ante. The blind levels will last 40 minutes each throughout the tournament, with 15-minute breaks after every three of them and a 60-minute dinner break after Level 21, around 7:30 p.m. local time.
The action-packed Day 2 is scheduled to play down to five players, so make sure to keep refreshing PokerNews to find out who of the Omaha high rollers will find themselves among the elite five bagging up for Day 3.
