Event #28: $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller
Day 1 Completed
2022 World Series of Poker
Event #28: $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
2022 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$50,000
Prize Pool
$5,074,750
Entries
106
Level
31
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Entries
106
Players Left
36
Joni Jouhkimainen Tops 36 Survivors on Day 1; Scott Seiver and Josh Arieh Bag Big Stacks
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The joint most-expensive non-Hold'em tournament of the 2022 World Series of Poker in its new home at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas has made yet another case for the strong start of the annual live poker festival of the year. In Event #28: $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, a field of 106 entries easily breezed past the attendance of the previous year and created a prize pool of $5,074,750.
Upon completion of 15 levels of 40 minutes each, the strong turnout was whittled down to 36 survivors and several specialists of the four-card variant can be found in the overnight top ten. Finnish poker pro Joni Jouhkimainen sits atop the leaderboard with a stack of 2,935,000 after storming to a big stack mid-way through the day. He is followed by six Americans with Aaron Mermelstein holding the second-biggest stack of 2,375,000. The WSOP bracelet winners Scott Seiver (1,835,000), Josh Arieh (1,825,000) and Aaron Katz (1,250,000) are among them.
Arieh has already cashed in three tournaments during the series so far including two third-place finishes in Event #8: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed and Event #19: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller for more than $1.2 million in cashes. With the fourth biggest stack after Day 1, he sits in prime shape for yet another deep run.
Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 1
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joni Jouhkimainen | Finland | 2,935,000 | 196 |
| 2 | Aaron Mermelstein | United States | 2,375,000 | 158 |
| 3 | Scott Seiver | United States | 1,835,000 | 122 |
| 4 | Josh Arieh | United States | 1,825,000 | 122 |
| 5 | Michael Heritsch | United States | 1,795,000 | 120 |
| 6 | Ap Garza | United States | 1,390,000 | 93 |
| 7 | Aaron Katz | United States | 1,250,000 | 83 |
| 8 | Manuel Stojanovic | Austria | 1,180,000 | 79 |
| 9 | Krasimir Yankov | Bulgaria | 1,120,000 | 75 |
| 10 | Veselin Karakitukov | Bulgaria | 1,110,000 | 74 |
Jason Mercier made a rare appearance at the 2022 WSOP at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas and he advanced with a stack of 1,070,000 after scoring a late double through George Wolff when he cracked a set of aces. Other notables that advanced with stack sizes just outside of the top 10 were the WSOP bracelet winners Robert Cowen, Chance Kornuth, and Ben Lamb, as well as Jared Bleznick, and Andjelko Andrejevic.
Defending champion Jeremy Ausmus jumped into the action shortly after securing his fourth WSOP bracelet in Event #23: $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-Handed but came up short of advancing to Day 2. Other casualties during the frantic final stages were Anthony Zinno, Sam Soverel, Sam Stein, Laszlo Bujtas and Matthew Wantman.
The GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu was also among the participants as well and fired the maximum allowed three entries, each to no avail. He first made a move with a dominated flush draw against John Riordan and then ran with kings and a flush draw into the aces of Parviz Razavian. Last but not least, the final attempt ended with two pair and a gutshot against the straight of Ap Garza.
While Negreanu was running cold, the exact opposite was the case for eventual chip leader Jouhkimainen. He became the first player with a seven-figure stack and then scored several knockouts in quick succession. Among others, Erik Seidel became one of his victims during a spell in which the Finn seemed unstoppable.
Other big names that came and left without anything to show for but an expensive day at the office were Alex Foxen, Bryce Yockey, Stephen Chidwick, Noah Schwartz, Daniel Zack, Phil Galfond, Phil Ivey, and football striker Max Kruse to name all but a few.
The remaining 36 players will return to their seats in the Paris Ballroom at 1pm local time on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Only the top 16 spots will get paid and the action resumes with blinds of 10,000-15,000 and a big blind ante of 15,000. During the penultimate tournament day, the money bubble will burst and Day 2 is set to play down to the final five contenders.
Follow along right here on PokerNews on who will make the next step in the pursuit of earning the coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
Day 2 Seat Draw
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
| Casino | Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 140 | 1 | Christopher Trang | United States | 885,000 | 59 |
| Paris | 140 | 3 | Ben Lamb | United States | 845,000 | 56 |
| Paris | 140 | 4 | Brandon Allen | United States | 325,000 | 22 |
| Paris | 140 | 5 | Michael Heritsch | United States | 1,795,000 | 120 |
| Paris | 140 | 6 | Josh Arieh | United States | 1,825,000 | 122 |
| Paris | 140 | 7 | Aaron Mermelstein | United States | 2,375,000 | 158 |
| Paris | 140 | 8 | Isaac Kempton | United States | 465,000 | 31 |
| Paris | 141 | 1 | Veselin Karakitukov | Bulgaria | 1,110,000 | 74 |
| Paris | 141 | 2 | Eelis Parssinen | Finland | 530,000 | 35 |
| Paris | 141 | 3 | Vasil Medarov | Bulgaria | 235,000 | 16 |
| Paris | 141 | 4 | Ben Yu | United States | 440,000 | 29 |
| Paris | 141 | 5 | Joni Jouhkimainen | Finland | 2,935,000 | 196 |
| Paris | 141 | 7 | Ronald Perkinson | United States | 215,000 | 14 |
| Paris | 141 | 8 | Aaron Katz | United States | 1,250,000 | 83 |
| Paris | 142 | 1 | Dash Dudley | United States | 510,000 | 34 |
| Paris | 142 | 2 | James Cavanaugh | United States | 675,000 | 45 |
| Paris | 142 | 3 | George Wolff | United States | 205,000 | 14 |
| Paris | 142 | 4 | John Beauprez | United States | 300,000 | 20 |
| Paris | 142 | 5 | Ap Garza | United States | 1,390,000 | 93 |
| Paris | 142 | 6 | Ben Diebold | United States | 190,000 | 13 |
| Paris | 142 | 8 | Chance Kornuth | United States | 895,000 | 60 |
| Paris | 143 | 1 | Erik Seidel | United States | 475,000 | 32 |
| Paris | 143 | 3 | Krasimir Yankov | Bulgaria | 1,120,000 | 75 |
| Paris | 143 | 4 | Andjelko Andrejevic | United States | 695,000 | 46 |
| Paris | 143 | 5 | Robert Cowen | United Kingdom | 955,000 | 64 |
| Paris | 143 | 6 | Lautaro Guerra | United Kingdom | 505,000 | 34 |
| Paris | 143 | 7 | John Riordan | United States | 760,000 | 51 |
| Paris | 143 | 8 | James Park | United Kingdom | 1,000,030 | 67 |
| Paris | 144 | 1 | Jason Mercier | United States | 1,070,000 | 71 |
| Paris | 144 | 2 | Roussos Koliakoudakis | Greece | 595,000 | 40 |
| Paris | 144 | 3 | Duarte Baptista | Portugal | 1,030,000 | 69 |
| Paris | 144 | 4 | Scott Seiver | United States | 1,835,000 | 122 |
| Paris | 144 | 5 | Brian Rast | United States | 110,000 | 7 |
| Paris | 144 | 6 | Manuel Stojanovic | Austria | 1,180,000 | 79 |
| Paris | 144 | 7 | Kabeelan Rajamurthy | Malaysia | 270,000 | 18 |
| Paris | 144 | 8 | Jared Bleznick | United States | 855,000 | 57 |
End-of-Day 1 Counts (full)
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,935,000
35,000
|
35,000 |
|
||
|
2,375,000
-25,000
|
-25,000 |
|
1,835,000
35,000
|
35,000 |
|
||
|
1,825,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
||
|
1,795,000
385,000
|
385,000 |
|
1,390,000
440,000
|
440,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,250,000
225,000
|
225,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,180,000
180,000
|
180,000 |
|
1,120,000
-140,000
|
-140,000 |
|
1,110,000
135,000
|
135,000 |
|
||
|
1,070,000
270,000
|
270,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,030,000
-55,000
|
-55,000 |
|
1,030,000
-35,000
|
-35,000 |
|
955,000
245,000
|
245,000 |
|
||
|
895,000
-95,000
|
-95,000 |
|
||
|
885,000
583,000
|
583,000 |
|
855,000
-615,000
|
-615,000 |
|
845,000
460,000
|
460,000 |
|
|
||
|
760,000
165,000
|
165,000 |
|
|
||
|
695,000
365,000
|
365,000 |
|
675,000
165,000
|
165,000 |
|
595,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
530,000
130,000
|
130,000 |
|
|
||
|
510,000
-80,000
|
-80,000 |
|
|
||
|
505,000
140,000
|
140,000 |
Day 1 Completed
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Out of a field of 106 entries, only 36 players survived the carnage throughout 15 levels of 40 minutes each and bagged up their chips. They will return at 1pm local time to play down to the five-handed final.
Full chip counts and a recap of today's action are to follow.
Karakitukov Chips Up At the End
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
During the final two hands of the night, a heads-up turn of 
emerged. Veselin Karakitukov checked and Andjelko Andrejevic bet 150,000. What followed was a check-raise for the size of the pot to 608,000 in total by Karakitukov and Andrejevic mulled it over by using one time bank before sending the cards in the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,400,000
450,000
|
450,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,250,000
250,000
|
250,000 |
|
|
1,120,000
145,000
|
145,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
910,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
700,000
370,000
|
370,000 |
|
|
500,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
|
150,000
-452,000
|
-452,000 |
|
|
||
Arieh Gets Kornuth to Fold
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The board was completed to read 
.
From early position, Josh Arieh bet 160,000 into a pot of around 225,000. Chance Kornuth had the decision on him in the small blind.
He took a few moments before he folded. Arieh said "good fold" and showed the 
but left the fourth card face down with a smile as he collected the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,820,000
520,000
|
520,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
990,000
115,000
|
115,000 |
|
|
||
Late Casualties in Very Quick Succession
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The field is down to the last 36 players as quick fire eliminations on different tables cut down the hopefuls further.
John Beauprez avoided the same fate when he scored a late double for the last 62,000 against Vasil Medarov thanks to his 
on a board of 
board. The cards of Medarov were already mucked and Beauprez doubled with tens and treys.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,900,000
420,000
|
420,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,400,000
-40,000
|
-40,000 |
|
|
1,900,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,800,000
625,000
|
625,000 |
|
|
||
|
350,000
-125,000
|
-125,000 |
|
140,000
-20,000
|
-20,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
Allen Triples Up; Katz Doubles Through Lamb
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Brandon Allen limped in and Ben Lamb on the button then raised the pot to 54,000. Aaron Katz three-bet to 180,000 in the big blind and Allen called all-in for 118,000, Lamb also called to make it three ways to the 
flop.
Katz moved all-in for more than 450,000 and Lamb opted to call with the superior stack.
Brandon Allen: 
Aaron Katz: 
Ben Lamb: 
Lamb had a gutshot and flush draw but bricked the 
turn and 
river runout. Allen tripled with his tens full of aces while Katz won the larger side pot versus Lamb.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,025,000
-225,000
|
-225,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
385,000
-235,000
|
-235,000 |
|
|
||
|
380,000
380,000
|
380,000 |
Yankov Bombs River
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Action came in on the river as it read 
. The pot was a chunky one, about 530,000. Krasimir Yankov was first to act from the big blind and took his time. Eventually, Sam Soverel who was in early position waited to act, asked the dealer "action is there right?" to indicate that Yankov was taking a while.
A few seconds later, Yankov shoved forward a full stack for a bet of 500,000. Soverel sighed in frustration and quickly mucked his cards.
On the other side of the leaderboard, Joni Jouhkimainen leads the way followed by Aaron Mermelstein.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,700,000
525,000
|
525,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,260,000
410,000
|
410,000 |
|
|
1,085,000
562,000
|
562,000 |
|
|
595,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
385,000
-235,000
|
-235,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
65,000
-95,000
|
-95,000 |
|
|
||