Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better
Paul Sokoloff moved in for his last 50,000 on the button and Igor Zektser raised to 210,000 in the small blind to isolate. Ren Lin folded his big blind and Sokoloff was at risk.
Paul Sokoloff: 
Igor Zektser: 
The board came 
with Zektser's pair of fives good enough for the win.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
890,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
|
Busted |
The final 23 players are underway.
Once two are eliminated there will be a redraw for the final three tables.
Level: 26
Limit Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Limits: 40,000/80,000
Pot-Limit Blinds: 10,000/20,000 Ante: 20,000
Saturday’s final 23 of WSOP Event #72: $1,500 Mixed Omaha provides a wide-ranging and eclectic bunch of players that could make for one of the most entertaining and exciting final tables of the entire 53rd World Series of Poker.
On one hand, there’s the crew of poker veterans like Barny Boatman (2nd – 2,480,000), Men “The Master” Nguyen (3rd – 1,630,000) and Mel Judah (10th – 815,000), who bring 11 bracelets on their collective resumes to the table, with the most recent WSOP win of that group coming from Boatman in 2013, while Nguyen’s last win came in 2010 and Judah’s in 1989.
Then there’s the new establishment of bracelet winners and mixed game stars led by five time-bracelet holder and three-time $10,000 Dealer’s Choice champion Adam Friedman (7th – 1,190,000). Last year's third-place finisher in this event Scott Abrams (8th – 890,000), is also poised to make another run at the final table.
There’s also two-time bracelet winner Rami Boukai (15th – 385,000) who almost fits in the middle of these groups as his previous wins came in the 2019 $1,500 8-Game and in 2009’s $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em / Omaha mix.
Saturday’s field isn’t short on entertaining characters as well, with the exuberant Stanley “Stan Diego” Krimerman (4th – 1,620,000) and the fun-loving Ren Lin (18th – 260,000) among the final 23. Lin may have to invoke one of his trademark catchphrases “no gamble, no future” if he’s to make a run Saturday as he comes in with one of the shorter stacks in play.
Last but certainly not least to mention is chip leader Mark Erickson (2,580,000), who comes in as a true wild card and potential Cinderella story. He enters Day 3 with just one previous WSOP cash for just over $10,000 in a 2008 $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event, but you don’t get to the Day 3 chip lead of a WSOP event without showing plenty of skill to that point.
This is going to be a final day to watch, with someone taking home $195,565 and a prestigious World Series of Poker gold bracelet. It all gets underway at 2 p.m. in the green section of the Paris Ballroom.
PokerNews will have all the action, so keep your browsers locked here for all the excitement from this and every WSOP event from its new home at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas.
| Casino | Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 263 | 2 | Igor Zektser | United States | 810,000 |
| Paris | 263 | 3 | Ren Lin | United States | 260,000 |
| Paris | 263 | 4 | Qinghai Pan | United States | 370,000 |
| Paris | 263 | 5 | Barny Boatman | United Kingdom | 2,480,000 |
| Paris | 263 | 6 | Michelle Roth | United States | 160,000 |
| Paris | 263 | 7 | Paul Sokoloff | United Kingdom | 50,000 |
| Paris | 264 | 2 | Anthony Nguyen | United States | 855,000 |
| Paris | 264 | 3 | Mel Judah | United Kingdom | 815,000 |
| Paris | 264 | 4 | Stanley Krimerman | United States | 1,620,000 |
| Paris | 264 | 5 | Mark Erickson | United States | 2,580,000 |
| Paris | 264 | 6 | Peter Neff | United States | 495,000 |
| Paris | 265 | 1 | Men Nguyen | United States | 1,630,000 |
| Paris | 265 | 3 | John Zable | United States | 245,000 |
| Paris | 265 | 4 | Adam Friedman | United States | 1,190,000 |
| Paris | 265 | 5 | Rami Boukai | United States | 385,000 |
| Paris | 265 | 6 | Shawn Carter | United States | 225,000 |
| Paris | 265 | 7 | Scott Abrams | United States | 890,000 |
| Paris | 266 | 2 | Jarod Minghini | United States | 1,515,000 |
| Paris | 266 | 3 | Paul Lenkeit | United States | 370,000 |
| Paris | 266 | 4 | Bradley Anderson | United States | 805,000 |
| Paris | 266 | 5 | William Slaght | United States | 1,565,000 |
| Paris | 266 | 6 | Youcef Zalagh | China | 220,000 |
| Paris | 266 | 7 | James Chen | United States | 470,000 |
Event #72: $1,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Day 3 Started
