Roy Kim Leads The Final Five of Event #4: $500 5-Card PLO High
Just after 17 levels of play, Roy Kim emerged as the Day 1 chip leader of Event #4: $500 5-Card PLO High after bagging 2,335,000 in chips. Kim, who had been very active all day, knocked out several players throughout, including eighth-place finisher Seung Lim and seventh-place finisher Carl Buckland. Kim will enter Day 2 with more than double that of second place, Shouyi Gao, who bagged 1,070,000.
Potomac Winter Poker Open $500 5-Card PLO High Seating and Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roy Kim | United States | 2,335,000 |
| 3 | Manuel Herrera | United States | 965,000 |
| 4 | Anthony Luong | United States | 670,000 |
| 5 | Bob Fitzgerald | United States | 180,000 |
| 6 | Shouyi Gao | United States | 1,070,000 |
Day 1 began with 20 entrants and that number slowly climbed up to 47 by the time late registration ended. Throughout the re-buy and add-on period, an impressive 127 re-buys/add-ons had been purchased — bringing the total prize pool to $56,805.
Given the fast structure of the event, it didn't take long once the re-buy period ended to reduce the field to a final table. Among those who didn't make it were Andrew Voor, Robert McLaughlin, Adithya Sundar, and Chris Lee, who, despite a very hot start, fell to Kim late in the day after running into Kim's set of kings.
During the final table of eight, Kim continued his dominance by eliminating Lim and Buckley as mentioned before. The money bubble burst after Andy Nguyen lost the majority of his chips to Kim and the rest to Manuel Herrera after running into full houses in back-to-back hands.
The original schedule was set with the intention to play 19 levels on Day 1; however, it was decided by tournament staff to halt play for the day after bursting the money bubble.
Potomac Winter Poker Open $500 5-Card PLO High Payouts
| Place | Payout |
|---|---|
| 1 | $25,562 |
| 2 | $14,201 |
| 3 | $8,521 |
| 4 | $5,681 |
| 5 | $2,840 |
Day 2 will begin at 3 p.m. on Monday, January 30, and play down to a winner. Play will begin where it left off on level 17 and levels will be increased to 45 minutes from level 20 onwards. Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we bring you all the action leading to an eventual champion for Event #4: $500 5-Card PLO High here at the 2023 Potomac Winter Poker Open.