Omaha Specialist Sean Rafael Far Out in Front on Day 2 of the $50,000 PLO Grand Slam
Some of the top four-card specialists from across Europe and around the world will gather inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel & Spa today, when Day 2 of the Onyx High Roller Series $50,000 PLO Grand Slam begins at 2 p.m. local time.
Sean Rafael is the commanding chip leader among the 30 returning players. The American begins the day with 4,370,000, nearly 1,000,000 ahead of his closest challenger. Rafael has more than $4.2 million in live earnings and 11 career six-figure scores, all of them coming in Pot-Limit Omaha.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sean Rafael | United States | 4,370,000 | 175 |
| 2 | Laszlo Bujtas | Hungary | 3,475,000 | 139 |
| 3 | Cesar Garcia | Spain | 3,450,000 | 138 |
| 4 | Espen Myrmo | Norway | 3,090,000 | 124 |
| 5 | Filip Aleksic | Netherlands | 2,850,000 | 114 |
| 6 | Imad Derwiche | France | 2,015,000 | 81 |
| 7 | Carlo van Ravenswoud | Netherlands | 2,000,000 | 80 |
| 8 | Rob Yong | United Kingdom | 1,910,000 | 76 |
| 9 | Dafishh | Malta | 1,770,000 | 71 |
| 10 | Raphael Schreiner | Austria | 1,755,000 | 70 |
In second place is Laszlo Bujtas. Widely regarded as one of the best PLO online players, the Hungarian takes 3,475,000 into Day 2. Cesar Garcia (3,450,000), Espen Myrmo (3,090,000), and Filip Aleksic (2,850,000) round out the top five.
The field on the two opening flights was split, with invited players and VIPs joining on Day 1a and the pros on Day 1b. Imad Derwiche topped the invitational portion of the event with 2,015,000, with Onyx Series organizer Rob Yong behind him with 1,910,000.
Other players returning for Day 2 include Quan Zhou (1,650,000), Tom Vogelsang (845,000), Thomas Eychenne (730,000), and Eelis Parssinen (545,000). Marcus Dieleman won the $50,000 PLO Championship at the Onyx Super High Roller Series in August, and he’s back to defend his title but will have to battle with a short stack of 725,000.
The two starting flights attracted a total of 88 entries, but that number can potentially grow as anyone who busted in the last 90 minutes of Day 1 can still fire another bullet before the start of the day. The action on Day 2 picks up on Level 13 with blinds of 10,000/25,000 and a 25,000 big blind ante. Levels will be 60 minutes long today. The plan is to play down to the final table by the end of the night.
Stay tuned as PokerNews follows all the action and provides live updates leading up to the final table.