Soverel and Vitch Lead the Final 27 into Day 3 of the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship
It was moving day in the Horseshoe Event Center for Day 2 of Event 36: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship as the starting field of 386 was finalized before it was reduced to its final 27.
Some 142 players returned for Day 2, along with 82 Day 2 entrants who joined the fray during the first two hours of the day. However, just 58 would be in the money and guaranteed a minimum cash of $20,262, with all eyes on the first-place prize of $763,087.
This is a record-breaking field for this event, with the previous record of 284 entries set in 2022. The increase was due in large part to the addition of one reentry per player this year, and many made use of both of their bullets during the 12 levels of registration.
Many of the game’s brightest minds, from pot-limit snipers to no-limit specialists and all-around legends, descended upon the Horseshoe Event Center today for one of the most exciting and action-packed Championship events of the summer.
However, the one at the top of the counts after the dust settled at 2 a.m. was Sam Soverel, who finished with 2,990,000. Soverel usually only comes out for the big events and he is known for his prowess in the pot-limit format. He went on a heater to end the night that included making quads in a three-bet pot against Eric Wasserson.
In second place on the leaderboard is Christopher Vitch with 2,590,000. Vitch is enjoying a hot start to the summer, particularly in split-pot Omaha games. He finished 10th in the $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo and third in the $1,500 version of this event just days ago. Vitch also captured his most recent bracelet in pot-limit Omaha last summer, and he seems to be right in his comfort zone.
Rounding out the podium in third place is two-time bracelet winner and mixed games specialist James Obst with 1,660,000. The Aussie has relatively few results in the pot-limit format, but he showed no signs of weakness throughout play today.
Others notables still in contention include Brian Hastings (1,240,000), Shaun Deeb (1,200,000), the red-hot Bruno Furth (800,000), Allen Kessler (715,000), Brian Rast (550,000), and Ben Yu (145,000).
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Soverel | United States | 2,990,000 | 120 |
| 2 | Christopher Vitch | United States | 2,590,000 | 104 |
| 3 | James Obst | Australia | 1,660,000 | 66 |
| 4 | Brian Hastings | United States | 1,240,000 | 50 |
| 5 | Shaun Deeb | United States | 1,200,000 | 48 |
| 6 | Dennis Weiss | Germany | 945,000 | 38 |
| 7 | Michael Korody | United States | 910,000 | 36 |
| 8 | Philip Sternheimer | United Kingdom | 865,000 | 35 |
| 9 | Bruno Furth | United States | 800,000 | 32 |
| 10 | Eric Wasserson | United States | 800,000 | 32 |
Many of poker’s brightest starts came out today but fell short of the money, including Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Jeremy Ausmus, Scott Seiver, Erik Seidel, Josh Arieh, and Jesse Lonis.
Hand-for-hand play started two off the money and lasted for over an hour of real time, despite only taking ten hands. Eventually, it was Andrew Voor who was left on the outside looking in. He was left short-stacked and got the rest in the middle with ace-king-six-deuce against the ace-king-five-four of Ryan Hoenig. A chop was looking likely until Hoenig paired his four on the river to eliminate Voor.
Some notables who made the money but will not advance to Day 3 include Huck Seed (55th - $20,262), Daniel Negreanu (51st - $20,262), Mike Matusow (46th - $20,262), Viktor Blom (37th - $21,275), and Adam Friedman (34th - $21,275).
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $763,087 | 8 | $70,639 |
| 2 | $508,705 | 9 | $54,657 |
| 3 | $348,304 | 10-11 | $43,228 |
| 4 | $243,144 | 12-15 | $34,228 |
| 5 | $173,121 | 16-23 | $28,936 |
| 6 | $125,772 | 24-27 | $24,515 |
| 7 | $93,273 |
Play resumes Thursday, June 12 at 1 p.m. local time in the Horseshoe Event Center. Play resumes in Level 21 with blinds at 10,000/25,000, with an average stack of 858,000 or 34 big blinds. Play will continue in 60-minute levels until there are five players remaining, at which point they will bag up for Day 4.
Stay tuned to PokerNews as we provide coverage through to the end of Event #36: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship and all events here at the 2025 World Series of Poker.