Leonard Leads the Field After Day 1 of $2,500 Mixed Omaha/Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better
After ten hour-long levels of play, Day 1 has concluded in Event #87: $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better; Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better at the 2023 World Series of Poker. Of those starters, 247 players have bagged and will be advancing to Day 2 and will look to take home their share of the $1,023,500 prize pool, with the champion taking home $221,733 and a coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
Some 460 entrants saw play today at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, easily eclipsing the 401 runners from 2019, the last time this event ran. That tournament was won by Yuri Dzivielevski, the first of what is now three bracelets for the Brazilian star. The first step to joining Dzivielevski and winning the title will be making the money. Only 69 players will cash and will earn a minimum of $4,053 for their efforts.
End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Leonard | United Kingdom | 211,500 | 42 |
| 2 | Scott Numoto | United States | 198,800 | 40 |
| 3 | Jude Arena | United States | 183,700 | 37 |
| 4 | Xixiang Luo | China | 181,100 | 36 |
| 5 | Maksim Pisarenko | Russia | 180,200 | 36 |
| 6 | Jason Stockfish | United States | 170,800 | 34 |
| 7 | Mike Thorpe | United States | 165,300 | 33 |
| 8 | Daniel Strelitz | United States | 165,200 | 33 |
| 9 | Nathan Gamble | United States | 148,000 | 30 |
| 10 | Ashish Gupta | Australia | 143,600 | 29 |
Sitting atop the leaderboard after the initial day of play is British pro Patrick Leonard, who bagged 212,000. "Pads," who won his maiden bracelet alongside Espen Jorstad in last year's tag team event, looks to continue on towards a second bracelet.
Also among the chip leaders is "Crazy Mike" Thorpe, who will take 165,500 with him into Day 2. Thorpe has six cashes so far this summer and hopes to create a memorable lucky number seven. Another player who is moving on is Vasu Amarapu (99,800), who built an early stack with not one, but two royal flushes in four hands.
Players failing to advance to Day 2 included Sam Farha, Martin Kabrhel, and Joao Vieira.
Day 2 kicks off on July 14 at 1:00 p.m. local time. Action resumes on Level 11, with blinds of 1,300-2,500 and limits of 2,500-5,000 in Omaha. Stud will have a 500 ante, 700 bring-in, 2,500 completion, and limits of 2,500-5,000. Players who survive ten one-hour levels will advance to Day 3 and move one step closer to being the champion. Keep it here with PokerNews as we find out who will set themselves up for a shot at the bracelet!