Event #21: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Day 1 | 2025 World Series of Poker

06-04-2025 22:35 UTC-7

Fives Are Wild

Jerome Solomon

Level 12 : Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante

Limits: 2,500-8,500

After calling a 17,000-chip three-bet preflop, Wade Kotarba couldn't wait to get the remainder of his chips into the pot. Ankit Ahuja obliged, calling the all-in bet after 5♠
5♣10♣ hit the board.

Wade Kotarba: A♣6♥5♦2♦
Ankit Ahuja: A♠Q♣2♣2♠

Kotarba had three fives, Ankit had a flush draw, and each had ace-deuce if a backdoor low were to hit.

Then one of the other players at the table incorrectly stated that that this year is the Chinese Year of Five, or Year of the Dragon (it was 2024). That didn't matter to Kotarba, as for him, this was the hand of fives.

After J♥ on the turn, Kotarba made quads with the 5♥ on the river. And how many chips did he have left for Ahuja had to cover? Fifty-five thousand, of course.

Player	Chips	Progress
Wade Kotarba	146,000 146,000	146,000
Ankit Ahuja	84,000 84,000	84,000

Tags: Ankit Ahuja Wade Kotarba

06-04-2025 22:23 UTC-7

Updated Chip Counts

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Tim Baker

Level 12 : Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante

Limits: 2,500-8,500

Player	Chips	Progress
Maxx Coleman	300,000 300,000	300,000

Viktor Blom	255,000 238,000	238,000
Daniel Harmetz	230,000 230,000	230,000
Calvin Anderson	200,000 200,000	200,000

Joe Ford	190,000 41,200	41,200
Thanhlong Nguyen	180,000 180,000	180,000
Steve Zolotow	180,000 17,500	17,500
Marco Johnson	170,000 13,000	13,000

Teresa Jasinski	165,000 88,300	88,300
Scott Stinson	160,000 160,000	160,000
Christopher Vitch	150,000 52,000	52,000

Claudio Elizalde	140,000 70,000	70,000
Shaun Deeb	140,000 63,000	63,000

Jeffrey Amasaki	135,000 135,000	135,000
Chino Rheem	120,000 70,000	70,000
Alex Foxen	115,000 60,500	60,500

David Williams	110,000 110,000	110,000

Jeff Madsen	100,000 42,500	42,500

Mike Matusow	62,000 62,000	62,000

Level: 12

Limits: 2,500-8,500

06-04-2025 21:55 UTC-7

Aces Flushed Out of the Tournament

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Jerome Solomon

Level 11 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Limits: 2,000-7,000

Matthew Kursar had a nice looking hi-low hand and went all-in with it. Three-time bracelet winner Scott Clements made the call.

Matthew Kursar: A♣A♦3♥2♦
Scott Clements: 6♠3♦2♣2♠

The runout 4♥4♠5♠10♠5♣ was brutal for the pocket aces and nice low draw cards. The low didn't make it and Kursar's aces-up lost to the tiny flush Clements held.

Player	Chips	Progress
Scott Clements	89,000 23,000	23,000

Matthew Kursar	Busted

Tags: Matthew Kursar Scott Clements

06-04-2025 21:53 UTC-7

Prize Pool & Payouts

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Tim Baker

Level 11 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Limits: 2,000-7,000

With 1,176 entries recorded in Event #21: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better at the 2025 World Series of Poker, the prize pool totaled $1,561,140

There will be 177 players paid, with a min-cash being worth $3,022, while the eventual champion will walk away with $248,245. 

Place	Prize	Place	Prize
1	$248,245	16 - 23	$9,851
2	$165,447	24 - 31	$8,101
3	$116,672	32 - 39	$6,773
4	$83,465	40 - 47	$5,761
5	$60,584	48 - 55	$4,985
6	$44,630	56 - 63	$4,391
7	$33,374	64 - 71	$3,938
8	$25,339	72 - 79	$3,596
9	$19,538	80 - 99	$3,346
10 - 11	$15,304	100 - 117	$3,173
12 - 15	$12,179	118 - 177	$3,022

06-04-2025 21:36 UTC-7

McClelland Sends Raymer to the Rail

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Tim Baker

Level 11 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Limits: 2,000-7,000

Aleksandr Iasnogorodskii raised from early position with Hunter McClelland calling on the button, and Greg Raymer defending his big blind.

When it checked to McClelland on the 3♣6♦9♦ flop, he bet 11,000 before Raymer check-jammed for 37,000. Iasnogorodskii folded, but McClelland called to put Raymer at risk.

Greg Raymer: K♣5♥4♠2♥ All in
Hunter McClelland: A♦K♦K♥4♦

Raymer was in trouble against the overpair and flush draw of McClelland. The rest of the board ran out Q♥Q♠, keeping McClelland's pocket kings ahead to the river, eliminating the 2004 WSOP Main Event Champ.

Raymer pulled out a copy of his book before asking McClelland for the correct spelling of his name. The previous champ handed McClelland a signed copy and headed out the door.

Player	Chips	Progress
Hunter Mcclelland	110,000 85,000	85,000
Aleksandr Iasnogorodskii	90,000 90,000	90,000
Greg Raymer	Busted

Tags: Aleksandr Iasnogorodskii Greg Raymer Hunter McClelland

Level: 11

Limits: 2,000-7,000

06-04-2025 21:26 UTC-7

Heimiller Boat Takes Out Carlson

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Jerome Solomon

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

Limits: 1,500-5,500

Daniel Heimiller and Christopher Carlson were both all in after the flop of J♥8♠4♣ with Tyler Brown, who had the most chips, also in the pot.

Tyler Brown: 8♣5♠3♠2♣
Daniel Heimiller: K♣J♠10♦9♦
Christopher Carlson: A♥Q♥J♣5♥

The running nines 9♠9♣ hit Heimiller perfectly, and with the low not making it, the pot was his.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dan Heimiller	77,000 77,000	77,000

Tyler Brown	9,000 9,000	9,000

Christopher Carlson	Busted

Tags: Christopher Carlson Daniel Heimiller Tyler Brown

06-04-2025 21:12 UTC-7

Some Eliminations

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Tim Baker

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

Limits: 1,500-5,500

Player	Chips	Progress
Yuebin Guo	Busted
Christopher Power	Busted
Michael Coombs	Busted
Laura Born	Busted
Anthony Piazza	Busted
George Alexander	Busted

Dominique Mosley	Busted
Rick Aasen	Busted
Ilkka Heikkila	Busted
Jim Collopy	Busted

Chris Hunichen	Busted

Vasu Amarapu	Busted
Mari Fukunaga	Busted
William Kopp	Busted

Fabian Rolli	Busted
Jose Paz-Gutierrez	Busted
Christian Ortiz	Busted
Yanshing Tsang	Busted

William Berry	Busted
Nick Wright	Busted

06-04-2025 20:59 UTC-7

Some Big Stacks after the Break

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Tim Baker

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

Limits: 1,500-5,500

Player	Chips	Progress
Ren Lin	176,500 176,500	176,500

Alex Foxen	175,500 5,500	5,500

William Leffingwell	175,000 108,000	108,000

Steve Zolotow	162,500 500	500
Ramon Valdez	157,500 23,500	23,500
Marco Johnson	157,000 157,000	157,000

Jared Hemingway	155,000 155,000	155,000
Filippos Stavrakis	154,000 154,000	154,000

Joe Ford	148,800 148,800	148,800
Bouwe Claushuis	147,000 147,000	147,000
Robert Wachtel	145,000 145,000	145,000
Edward Jackson Spivack	143,500
Tom Steinbach	143,000 143,000	143,000
Jonathan Wirjo	140,000 140,000	140,000
Tero Kilkanen	136,500 136,500	136,500
Tobias Hausen	134,500 134,500	134,500
Daniel Spear	134,500 7,500	7,500
Dekel Balas	134,000 134,000	134,000
Kyle Fleischmann	134,000 134,000	134,000
Grant Hart	133,000 78,000	78,000
Stephen Hubbard	132,000 10,000	10,000
Paul Houvener	131,500 29,500	29,500
Sergej Vladimirov	130,000 12,000	12,000
James Daniloff	127,500 127,500	127,500
Igor Zektser	126,800

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