button in SafariJustin Liberto Takes the Lead in Day 2 of Event #15: $1,500 Mixed: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Pot-Limit: 25,000 Ante, 15,000/25,000 Blinds, 50,000-90,000 Pot Limit Raise
A hectic day of flops and chops ended inside the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, with 24 players remaining from the 273 who began the day in Event #4: $1,500 Mixed Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Big O at the 2026 World Series Of Poker.
Justin Liberto came out in first position. The Baltimore native, who has won a bracelet and four circuit rings, shot to the top of the heap and finished with 2,905,000 chips.
Liberto won his bracelet 11 years ago in a 2015 $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed event, and he is itching to add another.
Five other players have at least 2,000,000 chips as they vie for the winning share from a $1,708,492 prize pool. Bracelet winners Lawrence Berg, Michael Banducci and five-time champion Brad Ruben are among the chip leaders.
Lee Rough, who is in fifth place, had an incredible turn of events, going from being almost out of the tournament to one of the chip leaders in a matter of minutes.
End of Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Liberto | United States | 2,905,000 |
| 2 | Lawrence Berg | United States | 2,665,000 |
| 3 | Chris Lee | United States | 2,425,000 |
| 4 | Jean Laurent | United States | 2,370,000 |
| 5 | Lee Rough | United States | 2,225,000 |
| 6 | Naween Fernando | United States | 2,070,000 |
| 7 | Michael Bandcci | United States | 1,760,000 |
| 8 | Dekel Balas | United States | 1,690,000 |
| 9 | George Wang | United States | 1,555,000 |
| 10 | Edward Spivak | United Kingdom | 1,460,000 |
In all, 195 players from a field of 1,287 made the money. Those still remaining have secured at least $8,870, but the first-place haul of $265,297 is the most sought after prize.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $265,297 | 8 | $27,725 |
| 2 | $176,809 | 9 | $21,386 |
| 3 | $125,476 | 10-11 | $16,739 |
| 4 | $90,249 | 12-15 | $13,297 |
| 5 | $65,801 | 16-23 | $10,723 |
| 6 | $48,642 | 24 | $8,780 |
| 7 | $36,464 |
Day 2 Highlights
It was a fast and furious sprint early on, and Perry Green, who turned 90 in March, once again kept the pace, finishing in 40th place.
Over the weekend, Green, winner of three WSOP bracelets, finished sixth in Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Eight or Better.
Seventy-nine year old actor James Woods also secured his second cash of the series with a 59th place finish. Others notables in the money included multiple bracelet winners Robert Mizrachi, Bryce Yockey, Erick Lindgren, Brian Yoon, Phillip Hui, and Mike Matusow.
In perhaps the biggest pot of the tournament, Vadim Schlez became one of the first to a million chips when he claimed three-quarters of a 1,600,000 three-way pot.
Day 3 is slated for a 1 p.m. start on Wednesday, June 3, in Paris Gold, with the field playing down to a winner. A year ago, 25 players were still alive after Day 2, and the event was extended to an unplanned fourth day.
Wednesday's play will begin on Level 26 with blinds at 30,000/60,000 and betting limits at 60,000/120,000. The levels will be 60-minutes each, with a 15-minute break every two levels.
Follow along with the action, keep up with the chip counts, and see live updates from this and all WSOP bracelet events here on PokerNews.