The next Championship Event of the 2023 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas has kicked off and it was yet another strong turnout for the high-stakes action in Sin City. Throughout ten levels in Event #25: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, a field of 188 unique players has emerged and 102 contenders advanced.
The attendance of the previous year, which drew a field of 196 entries, has been all but reached and may very well be surpassed as the late registration remains open until the start of Day 2 on Sunday, June 11, at 1 p.m. local time in the Purple Section of the Grand Ballroom at the Paris Hotel.
Defending champion and 2022 WSOP Player of the Year Daniel Zack entered during the later stages and bagged up 77,000 in chips, which puts him in the bottom half of the Day 1 survivors. Connor Drinan secured the top spot with 340,000 in chips followed by Damjan Radanov (299,000) and David Williams (293,000) while the overnight top ten also include Bryce Yockey (270,000) as well as Event #10: $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship third place finisher Zachary Freeman.
Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 1
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connor Drinan | United States | 340,000 | 85 | 43 |
| 2 | Damjan Radanov | United States | 299,000 | 75 | 37 |
| 3 | David Williams | United States | 293,000 | 73 | 37 |
| 4 | Jason Daly | United States | 286,000 | 72 | 36 |
| 5 | Bryce Yockey | United States | 270,000 | 68 | 34 |
| 6 | Kyle Ray | United States | 255,000 | 64 | 32 |
| 7 | Steve Chanthabouasy | United States | 237,000 | 59 | 30 |
| 8 | Zachary Freeman | United States | 231,000 | 58 | 29 |
| 9 | Alan Sternberg | United States | 225,000 | 56 | 28 |
| 10 | Ilkka Heikkila | Finland | 211,000 | 53 | 26 |
In a field filled with some of the biggest names of the international and mixed games poker scene, notables such as Erik Seidel (162,000), John Hennigan (161,000), Brad Ruben (137,000), David "Bakes" Baker (134,000), and Brandon Shack-Harris (103,000) all advanced. Furthermore, the likes of Sam Farha (139,000), Todd Brunson (100,000) and Jen Harman (47,000) made a rare appearance and advanced to Day 2.
Among the well-known casualties were Frankie O'Dell, Joao Simao, Brian Yoon, Robert Mizrachi, Eli Elezra, Yueqi Zhu, Elior Sion and Phil Hui to name all but a few. The WSOP bracelet winners Anthony Zinno and Anson Tsang saw their chips scooped up in consecutive hands on the same table, whereas John Monnette and Tom Koral saw their chips vanish in multi-way action, too.
Late entrants have until 1 p.m. local time on June 11 to enter the fray and will start their journey with 60,000 in chips. That represents 15 big blinds and 7.5 big bets in level 11, which features blinds of 2,000-4,000 and limits of 4,000-8,000. As of Day 2, the level duration increases to 90 minutes each with a break every level. It is expected that the second of four tournament days will get close to or even beyond the money bubble.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be back on the floor until a winner has been determined within the next three tournament days, which are set to include numerous split pots, three quarters, and scoops en route to crowning a champion.
