Event #65: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
Day 3 Completed
2019 World Series of Poker
Event #65: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2019 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$1,814,200
Entries
193
Level
31
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
0
Nick Schulman Leads Final Seven in $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 0 ante
Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo aficionados were in for a treat today as a stacked field of 43 of the game's greatest duked it out on the penultimate day of Event #65: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship. After ten full levels of sixty minutes, seven of them made their way to the final table, played out on Monday, July 1 at noon. Each of them is vying for the coveted gold bracelet and first place prize money of $463,670 and made their way through a day that featured plenty of swingy all-ins, dramatic chops, and stunning comebacks.
One of those comebacks was made by end-of-day chip leader Nick Schulman (3,350,000). While he amassed the biggest stack at the end, the PokerGO commentator and two-time bracelet winner found himself on a nub with thirteen players remaining. Looking to double up, Schulman got most of his stack all in preflop, then stacked off the rest with ace-king-queen-deuce on a jack-three-three flop. Ryan Miller called and held the three, leaving Schulman all but drawing dead. However, fate would have it otherwise as the turn and river brought a queen and ten, improving him to an improbable Broadway to survive.
Schulman chopped a river for his tournament life directly after, and never looked back since. It became the start of a massive comeback that saw him eliminate Miller and Connor Drinan in the same hand along the way to start the final table with the chip lead. Schulman solidified and extended his lead to sport the biggest stack when play was halted for the night.
In order to win his third bracelet, Schulman has to overcome poker royalty such as four-time bracelet winner Brian Hastings, who will start the final day second in chips with 2,735,000. While Schulman's day was swingy, Hastings had a seemingly easier time at the table, never really finding himself in any danger. He picked off several players in the late stages of the day including Bryce Yockey, who ultimately became the last player to miss out on the final day with an 8th place finish. Yockey lost a chunk of his chips to his 'homie' Schulman before losing the rest to Hastings.
2005 World Champion Joe Hachem will return as well in his quest to finally add a second piece of hardware to the most prestigious one of all. Hachem sits third in chips with 2,430,000 and will be flanked by Day 1 chip leader, two-time bracelet winner, and mixed game expert Chris Vitch (1,940,000), Russia's Denis Strebkov (885,000), Corey Hochman (170,000), and Michael McKenna (65,000).
Those last two chip counts aren't typos: Hochman rocked the short stack throughout the day but survived every clash where he was at risk, while McKenna lost a big one to Vitch near the end of the night. McKenna opted to fold the final hand of the night from under the gun and will return tomorrow seated in the big blind, not even being able to post the full amount.
Out of the 43 returning players from a 193-strong field, 29 of them would make it into the money. With 30 remaining, it took over thirty hand-for-hands before Joao Vieira finally became the last player to leave empty-handed. Vieira folded earlier in a hand which left him with just a single T-1,000 chip, but no miracle comeback was in the cards for the Portuguese pro. Players that did make the money included Darryll Fish (13th - $23,863), Nathan Gamble (17th - $17,295), Randy Ohel (19th - $17,295), Scott Bohlman (26th - $15,237), and Steven Wolanksy (29th - $15,237).
The seven remaining players will return at noon local time on Monday, July 1 in the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino to play down until a bracelet winner has been crowned. PokerGO will have to bring another commentator into the booth as Schulman will headline the final table himself when cards go back in the air on the live stream with an hour delay. PokerNews will be back on the floor to cover this event start-to-finish, so make sure to come back to see who wins the prestigious title.
End of Day 3 Chip Counts
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 0 ante
Play has concluded for Day 3 with seven players finding bags and advancing to the final day tomorrow. The official chip counts are as follows and a full recap of the day's action is soon to follow.
| Room | Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 1 | 1 | Nick Schulman | United States | 3,355,000 | 42 |
| Amazon | 1 | 2 | Joe Hachem | Australia | 2,430,000 | 30 |
| Amazon | 1 | 3 | Denis Strebkov | Russia | 885,000 | 11 |
| Amazon | 1 | 4 | Michael McKenna | United States | 65,000 | 1 |
| Amazon | 1 | 5 | Chris Vitch | United States | 1,940,000 | 24 |
| Amazon | 1 | 6 | Brian Hastings | United States | 2,735,000 | 34 |
| Amazon | 1 | 7 | Corey Hochman | United States | 170,000 | 2 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,355,000 | -145,000 |
|
2,735,000 | -15,000 |
|
2,430,000 | -20,000 |
|
1,940,000 | |
|
885,000 | |
|
170,000 | -30,000 |
|
65,000 |
Vitch Three-Quarters Strebkov in Final Hand
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 0 ante
In the final hand of the night, Michael McKenna folded under the gun with just 65,000 in chips and will have to come back tomorrow with less than one big blind. Chris Vitch limped in from middle position and Denis Strebkov checked his option.
The flop was 
and Strebkov check-called 60,000 from Vitch. The turn brought the 
and Strebkov checked. Vitch bet 200,000, Strebkov check-raised pot, Vitch shipped it in and Strebkov called.
Chris Vitch: 
Denis Strebkov: 
"Wow," Strebkov said upon seeing the showdown. The river was the 
to give Vitch the nut flush to win the high. Both players had the nut low and Vitch took three-quarters of the pot to end the day on a high note.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,940,000 | 635,000 |
|
|
885,000 | -635,000 |
Vitch Doubles Through McKenna, Leaves Him Short Before End of Night
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 0 ante
Action folded to the cutoff where Michael McKenna opened to 120,000. Chris Vitch was on the button and flatted him. Brian Hastings folded his small blind and the short-stacked Corey Hochman folded in the big blind, taking the pot heads up to a flop of 
.
McKenna announced a pot-sized bet and Vitch immediately announced he was all in. McKenna called in the same motion as his original bet and the two tabled their hands.
Chris Vitch: 
Michael McKenna: 
McKenna was in trouble with his pair of treys and nut low draw to Vitch's pair of queens with the same nut low draw. The turn and river both went high, falling 
and McKenna congratulated Vitch on a nice hand, thinking he was eliminated from the tournament.
Vitch assured him that he still had a few chips left and when he paid off the 595,000 he owed Vitch, he was left with 65,000. Meanwhile, Hochman's stack of 200,000 puts him in in sixth place of seven for the time being.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,305,000 | 560,000 |
|
|
200,000 | -80,000 |
|
|
65,000 | -555,000 |
Strebkov Limps, Then Re-Pots
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 0 ante
Action folded to Denis Strebkov in the small blind and he completed the call. Michael McKenna was in the big blind and raised to a pot-sized bet of 180,000.
Immediately after McKenna raised, Strebkov announced that he raised the pot and put in a raise to 540,000. McKenna folded.
On the very next hand, McKenna gave Chris Vitch a walk and now has just over 10 big blinds in his stack with under 10 minutes to play in the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,520,000 | -180,000 |
|
|
620,000 | 90,000 |
Hochman Below Five Bigs
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 0 ante
Brian Hastings potted the small blind to 180,000 and after a minute of thought, Corey Hochman called from the big blind, leaving himself with 280,000 behind.
Hastings wasted no time potting again on the 
flop and Hochman folded after two minutes of thought.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,750,000 | 350,000 |
|
|
280,000 | -205,000 |
McKenna Getting Short
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 0 ante
Action was folded to the blinds where Michael McKenna completed from the small blind and Chris Vitch raised to 180,000, the size of the pot. McKenna made the call and the flop came 
. McKenna checked and Vitch announced another pot-sized bet of 360,000. McKenna let his hand go and now finds himself with around nine big blinds left in his stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
745,000 | 165,000 |
|
|
530,000 | -370,000 |
Vitch Chops For His Tournament Life
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 0 ante
Chris Vitch opened the action with a pot-sized raise of 210,000 from the hijack. Joe Hachem was in the big blind and asked Vitch what he was playing and Vitch responded saying he started the hand with 550,000. He eventually made the call and the flop came 
. Hachem checked and Vitch shoved for his remaining 340,000. Hachem called.
Chris Vitch: 
Joe Hachem: 
The turn and river fell and the two chopped the pot, Vitch with nines up and Hachem with the nut low.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,450,000 | 800,000 |
|
|
580,000 | -180,000 |
Bryce Yockey Eliminated in 8th Place ($45,551)
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 0 ante
Bryce Yockey potted to 270,000, a little under half his stack, from under the gun and Brian Hastings called from the big blind. On a 
flop, both players quickly got the rest in.
Bryce Yockey: 
Brian Hastings: 
The turn was the and the river the . It took some studying from everyone at the table, but Hastings had Yockey pipped with five-three against four-three for high, as well as having a 7-5-4-3-2 low to Yockey's 8-5-4-3-A for a scoop to send the 2017 champ of this event out in 8th place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,400,000 | 515,000 |
|
Busted |