Chen Grabs a Large Lead; Farha Bags Big in Day 1 of $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Eight or Better
The first mixed game event of the 2024 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas kicked off with a bang as 928 entrants came out to play Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Eight or Better. The prize pool of $1,238,880 will be divided up tomorrow once the field reaches 140 players, each one securing a minimum payout of $3,003 with all eyes on the $209,350 and WSOP gold bracelet given to the eventual winner.
Leading the way is James Chen (US), who bagged a massive stack of 386,000. The Omaha specialist, who hails from Pittsburgh, PA, has amassed quite the resume over the past 13 years. His largest cash came from the 2023 WSOP, where he finished runner-up to Ben Lamb for $304,571 in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Eight or Better. With this massive stack today, he looks to put himself in a prime position for a deep run in another Omaha field at the WSOP.
End of Day Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Chen | United States | 386,000 |
| 2 | Upeshka De Silva | United States | 240,500 |
| 3 | Christopher Battenfield | United States | 240,000 |
| 4 | Igor Zektser | United States | 231,000 |
| 5 | Jeff Shulman | United States | 213,500 |
| 6 | Patrick Moulder | United States | 213,000 |
| 7 | Jeremy Heartberg | United States | 211,000 |
| 8 | Scott Adaska | United States | 206,000 |
| 9 | Robert Tanita | United States | 204,500 |
| 10 | Jared Hemingway | United States | 196,500 |
Bracelet winner Sammy Farha found a strong start to his summer as he finished his day with 172,000. Farha spent much of the day hovering in the higher echelon of the chip counts and will look for his first bracelet in 14 years.
Others made it through in the star-studded field, like Robert Mizrachi (189,000), Felipe Ramos (175,000), David To (170,000), John ��Miami�� Cernuto (166,500), Jamie Kerstetter (149,000), Mike Matusow (106,000), Brian Rast (99,500), and Eli Elezra (88,000). Each one of them is looking to add a WSOP bracelet to their decorated resumes.
Fortune did not smile on all in the Omaha/8 streets. Former champion Nathan Gamble could not build any momentum today and found himself on the wrong side of the rail. He joined many other mixed game regulars like Ryan Leng, John Esposito, Alex Livingston, Shannon Shorr, Amnon Filippi, and WSOP Main Event Champion Daniel Weinman. Their quests for a bracelet this summer will rest on their success in the following tournaments these next few weeks.
Players played a full 15 levels today, meaning that players will return tomorrow at 1 p.m. on Level 16 with blinds at 2,500/5,000 and betting limits at 5,000/10,000. The blind lengths will be upped to 60 minutes with intentions to play a full ten levels.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all updates regarding the WSOP.