Overtime! Le Leads Pupillo and Smith Into an Extra Day in $2,500 Mixed Omaha/Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Three days was not enough to determine a champion in Event #87: $2,500 Mixed Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better, which means that three players will return to Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas to find out who will win $221,733 and a WSOP gold bracelet at the 2023 World Series of Poker.
Leading the final three is Nghia "3 Putts" Le, who bagged 7,400,000. Based out of Minnesota, the ever-talkative and jovial Le finished third in the $10,000 Razz Championship earlier this summer and looks to improve upon that finish and take home his first bracelet.
In second sits Nick Pupillo, who bagged 6,045,000. Pupillo won his first bracelet last month by capturing the $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball title, and will look to join Chad Eveslage, Chris Brewer, and Josh Arieh in taking home a second bracelet this summer.
Coming into Day 4 as the short stack is Bradley Smith, who bagged 2,655,000. Smith, from Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, has tied his best-ever finish at the WSOP and looks to improve upon his 2019 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. third-place finish by spinning up his stack when play resumes.
The Final Three
| Seat | Name | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Pupillo | United States | 6,045,000 | 12 |
| 2 | Bradley Smith | Canada | 2,655,000 | 5 |
| 3 | Nghia Le | United States | 7,400,000 | 15 |
Day 3 Play
Play began with 37 players hoping to finish on top and earn the gold bracelet. Eliminations came quickly at the beginning of the day, as Renan Bruschi, Todd Brunson, Patrick Leonard, and Karina Jett were among those unable to make the final table. The elimination of Gary Bolden in tenth saw the remaining nine players moved to one of the feature tables to play the remainder of the event.
Eric Rabl was the first to fall when his ace-king suited ran into Jonah Seewald flopping the nut flush in Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better. Rabl's elimination burst the official final table, and play continued with eight.
Yuval Bronshtein was next to go, finishing in eighth place when his two pair ran into the higher two pair of Pupillo in Stud.
Philip Sternheimer saw his night end next, finishing in seventh place after being unable to find a low in Stud against Smith and Timothy Frazin.
Seewald went out in sixth after he could not improve in Omaha against Pupillo and Frazin.
Philip Sternheimer bowed out in sixth after Smith and Frazin chopped his final bets up.
Frazin then exited in fifth after a brutal final stretch. Just a few minutes after Smith scooped a big hand against him with a rivered boat and low in Omaha, Frazin's two pair ran into Pupillo's trip fours that were made on seventh street in Stud.
Almost two hours of four-handed play elapsed before Omar Mehmood exited in fourth place after he was unable to complete his draws against Le in Stud. With ten one-hour levels having already been played and three players still alive, it was announced that play would continue into Day 4.
Final Table Results and Remaining Payouts
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $221,733 | ||
| 2 | $137,039 | ||
| 3 | $94,681 | ||
| 4 | Omar Mehmood | United States | $66,605 |
| 5 | Timothy Frazin | United States | $47,721 |
| 6 | Jonah Seewald | United States | $34,836 |
| 7 | Philip Sternheimer | United States | $25,919 |
| 8 | Yuval Bronshtein | Israel | $19,662 |
Play will resume on Sunday at 1 p.m. local time and will play down to a winner. Action begins with Level 31 - Omaha Hi-Lo will have blinds of 125,000-250,000 and limits of 250,000-500,000, while Stud Hi-Lo will see a 50,000 ante, 75,000 completion, 250,000 bring in, and limits of 250,000-500,000. Stay tuned to PokerNews to see who can close the deal and walk away with the WSOP gold bracelet!