Seiver Leads Final Four in $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
Scott Seiver emerged as the man to beat with just four players remaining in Event #10: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship following an additional seven levels of play. The four-time bracelet winner bagged up just shy of four million in chips (3,945,000) by the day's end here at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, with Canadian pro Jonathan Cohen sitting close behind with 3,670,000. Calvin Anderson, who also has four WSOP bracelets to his name, sits a distant third after ending with 2,515,000 and Paul Zappulla ended as the short stack with 1,695,000.
Seiver, who has long been a staple in the poker community, has yet to win an Omaha event at the WSOP but is sitting in pole position to add a fifth bracelet to his collection and add to his more than $25 million in live tournament earnings.
Seiver faces stiff competition, however, as his opponents also have impressive poker results. Cohen holds a bracelet and has over $1 million in live tournament earnings, while Zappulla holds a circuit ring and has many cashes in mixed-game events. As mentioned, Anderson holds four bracelets and boasts over $5 million in live tournament earnings.
Final Day Seat Assignments
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FT | 1 | Jonathan Cohen | Canada | 3,670,000 | 18 |
| FT | 2 | Calvin Anderson | United States | 2,515,000 | 13 |
| FT | 3 | Paul Zappulla | United States | 1,695,000 | 8 |
| FT | 4 | Scott Seiver | United States | 3,945,000 | 20 |
Day 3 Action
Eliminations came fast and furious right out of the gate, which was no surprise given that play on Day 2 ended shortly after the money bubble burst with several short stacks about.
By the end of the day's first level, a third of the field had already been eliminated to set up the two-table redraw. Among the early casualties were Ray Henson (24th - $20,309), Shaun Deeb (21st - $20,309), Dario Sammartino (19th - $21,325), and John Hennigan (17th - $21,325) — who took down his seventh bracelet just a couple of days ago in Event #7: $1,500 Dealer’s Choice.
Mixed-game legend and four-time bracelet winner Benny Glaser found himself down to just a couple of big bets in the early going, but managed to win a few key hands in quick succession to get back to a healthy stack, including a hand against Igor Zektser wherein Glaser flopped Broadway and got paid on every street.
Bracelet winner and 2010 Main Event Runner-up John Racener was unable to gain much momentum throughout the day and eventually bowed out in 11th place ($29,362). Zektser suffered a similar fate and fell in tenth ($29,362) not long after to set up the unofficial final table of nine.
It took nearly two levels before another elimination would occur, with a few players getting short but managing to double up. Patrick Moulder was the first to go, followed by Jared Bleznick, who suffered from a bad run of luck to go from nearly chip-leading at one point to busting out in eighth.
Three eliminations quickly followed Bleznick as escalating blinds forced the action. Jake Schwartz and Glaser made their exits in seventh and sixth, respectively, while Sami Saad El-Dein, despite entering the final table as the short stack, managed to double up several times before finally bowing out in fifth.
The final four players are set to reconvene on Tuesday at 1 p.m. local time and play for the bracelet and $426,744 first-place prize.
Be sure to stick with PokerNews for all the action leading to the next Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship champion!