Event #66: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship (8-Handed) | 2024 World Series of Poker (2024)

Four-card aficionados from near and far headed to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas to join the latest bracelet event of the 2024 World Series of Poker. It turned out to be a massive field that emerged in Event #66: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, as Day 1 produced a total of 726 entries. That is just five entries shy of the attendance one year ago and late registration remains open for another two levels on Day 2 to likely smash that figure.

When the ten levels of 60 minutes each were completed, the field was nearly cut into one-third as just 245 players advanced. Sitting at the top of the leaderboard is PLO cash game specialist James Chen, who won his first gold bracelet earlier this year in Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8-or-Better. Chen increased his starting stack more than tenfold and ended the night with 675,500 with three-time WSOP bracelet winner Jim Collopy on 636,500, trailing by only a handful of big blinds .

Shawn Stroke is in third place with 546,500 and another two players surpassed half a million in chips including Nino Pansier (514,500) and Daniel Barriocanal (505,500). Likewise, Josh Arieh (410,000) and Michael Mizrachi (405,000) also had a smooth ride at the tables as they finished in the overnight top ten.

End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts

Other notables with big stacks include Richard Gryko (398,000), Juha Helppi (376,500), Xixiang Luo (376,500), Maxx Coleman (361,000), Danny Tang (315,000), Kahle Burns (290,500) and David Williams (257,500).

Defending champion Lou Garza started his title defense with a solid performance at the tables and advanced with 287,000. In contrast, last year's runner-up Arthur Morris is ahead of that with 335,500. The third-place finisher from 2023, Ukraine's Stanislav Halatenko, won't be able to repeat his result as he bowed out very early on in level four.

One participant in particular who was not expected to join this tournament was Justin "Boosted J" Smith. He has not participated in a WSOP event in nine years, but showed that his skills have not diminished throughout the years. In Level , he cracked pocket aces when he flopped a set of kings, and Smith ended the night with a respectable 197,000 in chips.

One of the first players to bust was China's Yingui Li, who ran out of chips in the first level. Other big names on the rail were Barny Boatman, Farid Jattin, Tommy Le, Brandon Shack-Harris, Jason Mercier, Anson Tsang, Ben Lamb, Shaun Deeb, Jesse Lonis, Viktor Blom, and Robert Mizrachi to name just a few out of a field filled with notables of the international poker scene. Since this tournament offers no reentry option, they will all have to try again in a different WSOP tournament.

The $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship continues with Day 2 on Thursday, June 27, at 1 p.m. local time in the Gold and Silver sections of the Horseshoe Event Center. Recommencing blinds will be 1,500-3,000 with a big blind ante of 3,000. All those who have not registered for this event can do so during the first two sixty-minute levels and the following break until 3.15 p.m. local time.

Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team will be back on the floor to provide as many key hands as possible.

Tags:Anson TsangArthur MorrisBarny BoatmanBen LambBrandon Shack-HarrisDaniel BarriocanalDanny TangDavid WilliamsFarid JattinJames Chen (US)Jim CollopyJosh AriehJuha HelppiJustin SmithKahle BurnsKazuhiko YotsushikaLou GarzaMichael MizrachiNino PansierRichard GrykoShaun DeebShawn StrokeStanislav HalatenkoTommy LeXixiang LuoYingui Li

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
James Chen (US)	675,500 45,500	45,500
Jim Collopy	636,500 -3,500	-3,500
Shawn Stroke	546,500 36,500	36,500
Nino Pansier	514,500 514,500	514,500
Daniel Barriocanal	505,500 65,500	65,500
Fahredin Mustafov	455,000 125,000	125,000
Cuba Levenberry	421,000
Josh Arieh	410,000 120,000	120,000
Michael Mizrachi	405,000 275,000	275,000
Kazuhiko Yotsushika	400,500 105,500	105,500
Mark Ioli	400,000 400,000	400,000
Richard Gryko	398,000 28,000	28,000
Marco Witt	391,500 391,500	391,500
Eelis Parssinen	390,000 130,000	130,000
Juha Helppi	384,000 54,000	54,000
Xixiang Luo	376,500 156,500	156,500
Raj Vohra	370,500 370,500	370,500
Marcello Del Grosso	365,500 365,500	365,500
Maxx Coleman	361,000 21,000	21,000
Abdalla Ali	357,500 357,500	357,500
Joshua Adkins	355,000 355,000	355,000
Arthur Morris	335,500 30,500	30,500
Filippos Stavrakis	332,000 332,000	332,000
Firas Kashat	329,000 29,000	29,000
Stephen Hubbard	329,000 329,000	329,000

Leia tudo

Out of a field of 726 entries, fewer than 256 players have bagged up for the night. Assorted chip counts are to follow, the full counts of all survivors and a recap of today's action will be published soon as well.

During the final hands of the night, Miltiadis Kyriakides was all-in with a short stack and tabled the 10♦9♠8♥7♥. He was up against A♦A♣8♦3♥ and was in rough shape after the J♥5♦3♠ flop. However, the 10♥ turn provided plenty of outs and the 10♣ river improved him to quads.

Tags:Miltiadis Kyriakides

The tournament director has just announced that four more hands will be played before the survivors bag up for the night.

James Chen had built a large stack, using his usual piles of ten and was spotted in action when he check-raised the A♣6♣3♠ flop from 5,000 to 25,000. Once his opponent called from two seats over, they headed to the 7♠ turn. Chen now bet the pot and that won it uncontested.

Tags:James Chen (US)

On the three-way turn of 9♥5♣3♥J♦, Vivian Saliba was one of three players to invest 20,500 each. She then checked the A♦ on the river and so did her two opponents. Saliba tabled the A♣J♣9♦4♥ for the top two pair and won the pot.

Tags:Vivian Saliba

Jim Collopy opened to 8,000 from under the gun and was called by Guofeng Wang in middle position, Ludovic Geilich in late position and a player in the big blind.

All four players checked through the 7♦9♥J♥ flop to the 4♠ turn at which point the big blind bet 21,000. Collopy called while Wang responded by potting to 123,500. That forced Geilich and Collopy out of the hand but the big blind called off for less.

Big Blind Player: J♦9♠10♠7♠
Guofeng Wang: A♣10♣8♦2♠

Wang had flopped a straight to leave his opponent drawing thin. The river changed nothing to send the big blind out of the tournament while awarding Wang a large pot to go along with the knockout.

Tags:Guofeng WangJim CollopyLudovic Geilich