Cong Pham Among Final Nine in the $102,000 Onyx SHRS PLO Invitational
The stage is set for the final day of the $102,000 Onyx SHRS PLO Invitational at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa. After two days of cards-up action and some of the highest-stakes Omaha ever played in a tournament setting, the original field of 79 entries has been reduced to just nine finalists. They will now return to battle for the trophy, the title, and a share of the $7,663,000 prize pool, with the eventual champion set to collect a massive $1,923,000.
Leading the way is "Dubai Police", who stormed through Day 2 and bagged up a towering 23,400,000, well ahead of the chasing pack. His nearest rivals are Cong Pham (14,000,000) and Laszlo Bujtas (11,525,000), both of whom have been consistent forces throughout the event.
Unofficial Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubai Police | United Arab Emirates | 23,400,000 | 187 |
| 2 | Cong Pham | United States | 14,000,000 | 112 |
| 3 | Laszlo Bujtas | Hungary | 11,525,000 | 92 |
| 4 | Samuli Sipila | Finland | 9,075,000 | 73 |
| 5 | Martin Dam | Denmark | 6,425,000 | 51 |
| 6 | Ben Lamb | United States | 5,000,000 | 40 |
| 7 | Robert Cowen | United Kingdom | 4,800,000 | 38 |
| 8 | Sergei Nesterenko | Russia | 3,300,000 | 26 |
| 9 | Lautaro Guerra | Spain | 2,300,000 | 18 |
Samuli Sipila (9,075,000) and Martin Dam (6,425,000) find themselves in the middle of the pack, while proven names such as Ben Lamb (5,000,000) and Robert Cowen (4,800,000) will look to use their big-game experience to climb the ladder. Sergei Nesterenko (3,300,000) and Lautaro Guerra (2,300,000) round out the lineup, and although they bring back the shorter stacks, both are dangerous operators capable of making a run.
With the field trimmed to nine, the invitees and pros will now sit side by side at a single table as the Invitational plays down to a winner. The lineup is packed with quality, and with stacks still deep, plenty of play remains before the trophy is lifted.
Day 2 Action
At the start of the day, Mikalai Vaskaboinikau held an enormous stack of over 10,000,000, which would have been good enough for fourth place had he made the final table. Instead, his run came to an end at the hands of eventual chip leader "Dubai Police".
With just 13 places in the money, many expected a tense and drawn-out bubble. Instead, it was over in an instant. On the very first hand of hand-for-hand play, Stanislau Melhui flopped a set of tens and moved all in, only to discover that Pham had flopped an even bigger set with pocket aces. Just like that, the bubble burst and the payouts were underway.
Pham continued his hot streak by eliminating Biao Ding before Armin Ghojehvand fell to Lamb. Nick Schulman was then part of a three-way all-in against Cowen and Dam, but came out third best and was eliminated just short of the final table.
It was none other than Poker Hall of Famer Phil Ivey who suffered the unluckiest blow, bubbling the final table when his flopped set of nines was cracked by the rivered flush of "Dubai Police." That hand locked in the final nine and set the stage for Thursday’s finale.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $1,923,000 |
| 2 | $1,340,000 |
| 3 | $950,000 |
| 4 | $725,000 |
| 5 | $565,000 |
| 6 | $450,000 |
| 7 | $370,000 |
| 8 | $305,000 |
| 9 | $255,000 |
All nine finalists are now guaranteed a payout of $255,000, while a spot on the podium is worth at least $950,000. The top two will both earn seven-figure prizes, with the eventual champion set to walk away with $1,923,000 and the $102,000 Onyx SHRS PLO Invitational title.
Cards will be back in the air at 2 p.m. local time on Thursday, August 22, with the final table streamed on a 30-minute delay for fans around the world on OnyxLiveTV. Blinds resume with around 12 minutes remaining in Level 15 (50,000/125,000/125,000).
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the updates and to see who will claim the title.