2013 World Series of Poker

Event #22: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha
Day: 1
Event Info

2013 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
9675
Prize
$279,431
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$1,378,350
Entries
1,021
Level Info
Level
26
Blinds
15,000 / 30,000
Ante
0

Event #22: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha

Day 1 Started

The Cards will Fly and the Players will Fall in Today's $1,500 PLO Event

Last year's champion Vincent Van Der Fluit.
Last year's champion Vincent Van Der Fluit.

In less than an hour, one of the most exciting and action-packed tournaments of the 2013 World Series of Poker will begin—Event #22 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha. Players will begin with a 1,500 stack with two rebuy lammers worth 1,500 each. Players can cash them in at any time between hands up through the fourth level. At that point, the lammers will be automatically cashed. Who will cash theirs in straight away and who will use them strategically? Only time will tell.

Last year this very event attracted 970 runners that created a prize pool of $1,309,500. After three long days of play, it was the Dutchman Vincent Van Der Fluit that walked away with the gold bracelet (his first) and the $265,211 first-place prize. It was an impressive victory, especially when you consider the players he had to overcome at the final table like Calvin Anderson (8th - $24,186), Alex Dovzhenko (5th - $55,025), Tristan Wade (3rd - $102,690) and Charles Tonne (2nd - $164,132).

Likewise, other past winners of this event include Elie Payan, who won $292,825 by topping a field of 1,071 in 2011; former Main Event finalist Tex Barch, who took down the title and $256,919 top prize by winning 2010’s 885-player strong field; and of course Jason Mercier, who won the first of his two bracelets in this very event back in 2009 when he topped 809 players to win $237,462.

Pot-limit Omaha, otherwise known as PLO, is certainly a game of high variance, but as evidenced by the list of past winners, it’s also one where skill can help propel you to the top. Cards will be in the air at 12:00 PST, so stay tuned from all the PLO action and eliminations from the floor of the Pavilion here at the Rio All-Suite Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada!

Level: 1

Blinds: 25/25

Ante:

Golden Faces

Level 1 : 25/25, 0 ante

Here are some of the players currently located in the Gold Section of the Pavilion Room.

Player Chips Progress
Lee Watkinson us
Lee Watkinson
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Erick Lindgren us
Erick Lindgren
WSOP 2X Winner
4,500 4,500
Tripp Kirk us
Tripp Kirk
4,500 4,500
David Williams us
David Williams
4,500 4,500
George Danzer de
George Danzer
4,500 4,500
Steve Gross us
Steve Gross
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Shannon Shorr us
Shannon Shorr
WSOP 2X Winner
4,500 4,500
Jonathan Duhamel ca
Jonathan Duhamel
4,500 4,500
Nick Jivkov bg
Nick Jivkov
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Eric Rodawig us
Eric Rodawig
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
David Chiu us
David Chiu
WSOP 5X Winner
4,500 4,500
Eddie Blumenthal us
Eddie Blumenthal
4,500 4,500

Silver Bullets

Level 1 : 25/25, 0 ante
Player Chips Progress
AP Phahurat us
AP Phahurat
4,500 4,500
Ben Yu us
Ben Yu
WSOP 4X Winner
4,500 4,500
Nancy Birnbaum us
Nancy Birnbaum
4,500 4,500
John Racener us
John Racener
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Konstantin Puchkov ru
Konstantin Puchkov
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Andre Akkari br
Andre Akkari
4,500 4,500
Annette Obrestad no
Annette Obrestad
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Matt Affleck us
Matt Affleck
4,500 4,500
Darryll Fish us
Darryll Fish
4,500 4,500
Noah Schwartz us
Noah Schwartz
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Tony Cousineau us
Tony Cousineau
4,500 4,500
Matt Keikoan us
Matt Keikoan
WSOP 2X Winner
4,500 4,500
Barry Shulman us
Barry Shulman
WSOP 2X Winner
4,500 4,500
Kathy Liebert us
Kathy Liebert
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Steve O'Dwyer ie
Steve O'Dwyer
4,500 4,500
Gavin Griffin us
Gavin Griffin
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Andy Frankenberger us
Andy Frankenberger
WSOP 2X Winner
4,500 4,500

Florian Surkamp Flops Hard in Four-Way All-In

Level 1 : 25/25, 0 ante

As is typical in the game of Pot-Limit Omaha, players are getting their chips in the middle quite willingly as the first level of play unfolds, and German player Florian Surkamp is glad they are.

We watched Surkamp, whose large stack suggested he had already doubled in a previous hand, get it all-in against no less than three opponents.

Showdown:

Surkamp: {K-Hearts}{k-Clubs}{2-Hearts}{4-Clubs}
Opponent #1: {q-Diamonds}{8-Clubs}{k-Spades}{j-Diamonds}
Opponent #2: {10-Spades}{j-Clubs}{q-Clubs}{q-Hearts}
Opponent #3: {5-Hearts}{q-Spades}{j-Hearts}{7-Clubs}

Surkamp was in good shape with pocket kings over pocket queens, as both of the other queens were out of play, while none of his opponents held an ace.

The flop came {2-Clubs}{2-Diamonds}{3-Clubs}, and suddenly it was Surkamp's lowly deuce that gave him a commanding lead in the hand, and the turn ({A-Hearts}) and river ({9-Spades}) left him with trips, and a massive pot pushed his way.

Player Chips Progress
Florian Surkamp
Florian Surkamp
10,500

More Notables in the Field

Level 1 : 25/25, 0 ante
Player Chips Progress
John Duthie gb
John Duthie
4,500 4,500
Jeremy Ausmus us
Jeremy Ausmus
WSOP 6X Winner
4,500 4,500
Bill Chen us
Bill Chen
WSOP 2X Winner
4,500 4,500
Mike Leah ca
Mike Leah
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Ryan Lenaghan us
Ryan Lenaghan
4,500 4,500
Michael Benvenuti us
Michael Benvenuti
4,500 4,500
Fabrice Soulier fr
Fabrice Soulier
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Leif Force us
Leif Force
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Joe Kuether us
Joe Kuether
4,500 4,500
Jason Mercier us
Jason Mercier
4,500 4,500
Gabirel Nassif
Gabirel Nassif
4,500 4,500
Chris Demaci us
Chris Demaci
4,500 4,500
Ted Lawson us
Ted Lawson
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Tom Schneider us
Tom Schneider
WSOP 4X Winner
4,500 4,500
Blair Rodman us
Blair Rodman
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Jeff Madsen us
Jeff Madsen
WSOP 4X Winner
4,500 4,500
Tristan Wade us
Tristan Wade
WSOP 1X Winner
4,500 4,500
Yuval Bronshtein il
Yuval Bronshtein
WSOP 2X Winner
4,500 4,500
Bryan Devonshire us
Bryan Devonshire
4,500 4,500
Barny Boatman gb
Barny Boatman
WSOP 2X Winner
4,500 4,500
Brett Richey us
Brett Richey
4,500 4,500
Mike Sexton us
Mike Sexton
WSOP 1X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
4,500 4,500
Dave O'Callahan
Dave O'Callahan
4,500 4,500
Nacho Barbero ar
Nacho Barbero
4,500 4,500
Alex Kravchenko ru
Alex Kravchenko
4,500 4,500

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Devo's (De)vices

Level 1 : 25/25, 0 ante

Pro Bryan Devonshire is a veteran of the tournament poker circuit, with an impressive résumé spanning a number of years, and several notable wins on the WSOP Circuit and other major venues. With that said, he certainly knows his way around the technicalities of a poker table's intricate system of rules and regulations.

Although the WSOP prohibits players from using their smartphones, iPads, or other devices while engaged in a hand, Devo has found a way to stay connected until the last possible moment. By only clicking his device off right before the fourth card of every deal is distributed, Devonshire has assured himself a few extra moments of technological diversion, but one especially strict dealer was having none of it.

Devonshire's table recently had to have the floor arbitrate a minor dispute between the pro and the man pitching the cards, who believed that all devices must be put away when the first card is dealt.

The normally laid back and gregarious Devonshire was a bit perturbed at the delay in the action, but after the floor affirmed his belief in the three-card-off rule, he returned his focus to the game at hand.