What began with 470 players in the 2014 World Series of Poker Event #25: $2,500 Omaha/Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low is now down to the final 18. Today, one of them will walk away with the $267,327 first-place prize and a gold bracelet. Right now the man best positioned to do it is no stranger to gold in eight-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel.
Seidel will lead to start today's play with 444,000. However, if he hopes to capture his ninth bracelet he'll have to overcome a tough field that includes Mike Leah (374,000), John Kabbaj (326,000), Joe Tehan (152,000), Tom Schneider (124,000), Robert Mizrachi (110,000), Allyn Jaffrey Shulman (106,000) and Matt Glantz (66,000). Glantz enters as the short stack after walking into the royal flush of Andrey "gigaloff" Zhigalov (197,000) late last night.
Others still in the mix include seven-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Chris Reslock (243,000), who was down to just 4,500 late on Day 2 but managed to spin it up; Day 1 chip leader Fu Wong (224,000); a blast from the past in Thomas "Thunder" Keller (221,000); and WSOP bracelet winners Konstantin Puchkov (106,000) and Owais Ahmed (105,000).
The plan for the day is to play to a winner no matter how long that might take. Cards will be in the air at 2 p.m. local time, which is about an hour from now. Join the PokerNews Live Reporting Team then as they bring you all the action and eliminations on the way to crowning a champion in Event #25: $2,500 Omaha/Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low.
In a battle of the blinds, Mike Leah and Matt Glantz saw the flop and Glantz got the reminder of the stack in. Leah called and they turned over their cards.
Leah:
Glantz:
The turn and the river gave Leah the seven-high straight and the best low to knock out Glantz in 18th place for $7,784.
Before the two-table redraw was conducted, the field lost WSOP bracelet winner Konstantin Puchkov.
It happened when Mike Leah completed with the and then called when Puchkov raised with the . Both players checked fourth street and then Leah bet 20,000 on fifth. Puchkov called off for 15,000.
Leah: / /
Puchkov: / /
Puchkov got it in good with a pair of sevens, but Leah paired his king on sixth to take the lead. Leah failed to improve on seventh street, but so did Puchkov. That sent the Russian home in 16th place for $9,462.
A short-stacked Allyn Jaffrey Shulman got her last 25,000 all in on third street and was up against Terrence Hastoo.
Shulman: / /
Hastoo: / /
Shulman started with three all-heart low cards, but she ran out bad. That allowed Hastoo's split aces to win the pot and send Shulman to the rail in 14th place for $11,676.
Robert Mizrachi raised to 24,000 and Terrence Hastoo three bet to 36,000, the blinds folded and Mizrachi moved all in. Call from Hastoo and both players turned over their cards.
Hastoo:
Mizrachi:
Mizrachi was seeking for low cards to have a chance at a double but the board ran out and the pair of fours from Hastoo won the whole pot. Mizrachi has been sent to the rail in the last hand before the break and will collect $11,676 for his efforts.
Matt Waxman joins the PokerNews Podcast at the top of the show to talk about winning a bracelet in 2013, debate whether or not the National Championship is a closed event, and tell the story of his first big heater in poker. The crew then gives play-by-play of a spat between Nick Schulman and the phone vendors outside of the Amazon Room, breaks down the recent bracelet winners, and more.
In a previous hand, Chris Reslock folded after a turn when Erik Seidel bet into him and he was left pretty short. Two hands later, Seidel raised to 30,000 from early position and Tyson Marks three bet to 45,000. Reslock called all in out of the big blind for less than that and Seidel tossed in the extra chips.
On the flop, Marks continued and got called by Seidel. Both then checked the turn and Marks bet 30,000 on the river. Seidel folded and both players turned over their cards.
Reslock:
Marks:
The trips deuces of Marks scooped the pot and Reslock could not survive his 10th all in of the day. He takes home $14,605 for his 12th place finish.
Andrey Zhigalov was left very short stacked after he called the completion on third, checked the fourth and then called the bets on fifth and sixth before checking seventh versus Joe Tehan. The Russian was chasing a low but could not get there to get scooped.
Zhigalov: / /
Tehan: / /
One hand later the game type switched.
Omaha Hi-Low
Joe Tehan raised to 30,000 and Mike Leah called, Zhigalov was all in for 24,000 from the button and Fu Wong also called in the big blind. The flop was checked through to Leah and he bet 15,000, only Wong called. Leah then bet the turn and Wong check-called 30,000 to do so again after the river.
Tehan had for a six high straight and 6-5 low, Wong won the hi pot with for a nine high straight and Zhigalov mucked his cards. The dealer flipped over his and the cash game specialist with the PokerStars nickname "gigaloff" has been eliminated in 11th place.
In the previous hand, Fu Wong called the barrels of John Kabbaj and then folded on the river of a board to leave himself with about one big blind.
The very next hand he was all in for 19,000 out of the big blind and the action folded to Mike Leah on the button. Leah raised to 40,000 and Christopher McHugh called in the small blind.
On the flop, McHugh check-called 20,000 and then check-raised from 40,000 to 80,000 once the turn appeared. Leah folded and we proceeded to the showdown:
McHugh:
Wong:
Only a low card could save Wong from elimination to chop the pot but the was of no help to see him depart in 10th place. The remaining players now get moved to the nine-handed unofficial feature table and the live stream without hole cards takes place with a five minute delay.
Joe Tehan completed for 20,000 and Tyson Marks called. Erik Seidel raised to 40,000 and both opponents called. On fourth, Seidel bet 40,000 and Tehan called. Marks moved all in for another 24,000 and both opponents called. Sixth and seventh were completed and the players turned over their cards.
Tehan: / /
Marks: / /
Seidel: / /
Seidel had a six-high straight and low draw but could not get there. Marks was hoping for the low as well, but ultimately failed. Tehan scooped the pot with two pair and enters the official final table as the chip leader.
flop and Glantz got the reminder of the stack in. Leah called and they turned over their cards.
river gave Leah the seven-high straight and the best low to knock out Glantz in 18th place for $7,784.
and then called when Puchkov raised with the 
. Both players checked fourth street and then Leah bet 20,000 on fifth. Puchkov called off for 15,000.
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and the pair of fours from Hastoo won the whole pot. Mizrachi has been sent to the rail in the last hand before the break and will collect $11,676 for his efforts.
turn when Erik Seidel bet into him and he was left pretty short. Two hands later, Seidel raised to 30,000 from early position and Tyson Marks three bet to 45,000. Reslock called all in out of the big blind for less than that and Seidel tossed in the extra chips.
turn and Marks bet 30,000 on the 
river. Seidel folded and both players turned over their cards.
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