PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (June 2). Until then, we will be keeping readers informed with updates on chip counts and core event statistics, including entries and prize pool. Scroll down to see more.
Event #14: $1,500 Mixed: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, "Big O"
Day 1 Completed
Derek McMaster bagged the Day 1 chip lead in Event #14: $1,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo, where 1,287 players decided to put their Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Big O skills to the test at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP). By the time 15 levels were done and dusted, only 273 players had chips requiring bagging, and nobody had more to cram into their overnight bag than McMaster.
McMaster won his one and only bracelet at the 2019 WSOP, taking down the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo event for a career-best $228,228. He finished Day 1 of this tournament with 502,000 chips, enough for 167 big blinds (during the Pot-Limit betting rounds) or 42 big bets (during the Fixed Limit betting rounds).
David Yarbrough (430,000) bagged up the second-largest stack, while Alessandro De Michele (395,000) rounded off the podium places.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Derek Mcmaster | United States | 502,000 | 167 | 42 |
| 2 | David Yarbrough | United States | 430,000 | 143 | 36 |
| 3 | Alessandro De Michele | Italy | 395,000 | 132 | 33 |
| 4 | Brian Battistone | United States | 370,500 | 124 | 31 |
| 5 | Serozh Arutyunyan | United States | 343,000 | 114 | 29 |
| 6 | Michael Banducci | United States | 329,000 | 110 | 27 |
| 7 | Christopher Kennedy | United States | 316,500 | 106 | 26 |
| 8 | Oliver Tot | Slovakia | 293,000 | 98 | 24 |
| 9 | Dean Campbell | 287,000 | 96 | 24 | |
| 10 | Michael Krescanko Jr | United States | 286,500 | 96 | 24 |
As mentioned, dozens of top-tier players entered this event, and many were among the 273 who progressed to Day 2.
Brian Battistone (370,500), a $25K Fantasy pick, finished in the top five while Nick Guagenti (277,500), Allan Le (260,000), Justin Liberto (248,000), and Thomas Taylor (243,000) return with top 20 stacks.
Patrick Leonard (239,000) will be present on Day 2, as will Brandon Cantu (222,000), Matt Glantz (212,000), Brandon Shack-Harris (205,000), Ryan Hughes (186,500), Phillip Hui (180,000), Ray Henson (162,000), Mike Matusow (130,500), John Monnette (92,000), Robert Mizrachi (80,500), and Max Neugebauer (79,500).
Day 2 starts at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 2 with the plan to play another 10 levels. Join PokerNews then for all of the split-pot Omaha you can handle.
If the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is anything like 2025, it's going to be, to quote Gus Hansen, a “great summer.”
Last year's Las Vegas series had a record 100 gold bracelet events, with a record 234 bracelets awarded throughout the year, including online and multiple live stops.
The 2025 WSOP featured a rare triple-bracelet winner who wasn't even the summer's top performer.
In the 968th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow are at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas for the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
To kick things off, they show footage from a recent police raid at Houston's Lucky J's Social Club in Texas. While it may have been reminiscent of the raid at The Lodge back in March, it's actually quite different, as the crew explains.
From there, they turn their attention to the WSOP, including a look at the brand new main stage arena that debuted on Friday. Hear from the new WSOP Countdown crew, including Jeff Platt, David Williams, Norman Chad, and Joe "Stapes" Stapleton. Plus, a tour of the WSOP shop featuring brand new merchandise and clothing that harkens back to the WSOP days of old.
Speaking of the WSOP, the first bracelet has been awarded, 90-year-old legend Perry Green made a deep run, and High Stakes Live is coming in June!
Other stories include Shawn Sheikhan getting out of prison, Daniel Negreanu and his wife are expecting their first child, and an entertaining live-stream from The Lodge featuring Doug Polk, Garrett Adelstein, and Alan Keating, the last two playing against each other for the first time. Oh, and you won't want to miss the tale of Big John Oakinson.
Find out all about those stories and more in this week's episode of the PokerNews Podcast! Oh, and be sure to check out the audio version of the PokerNews Podcast that is available on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
According to WSOP LIVE app.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $265,297 | 16-23 | $10,723 |
| 2 | $176,809 | 24-31 | $8,780 |
| 3 | $125,476 | 32-39 | $7,302 |
| 4 | $90,249 | 40-47 | $6,169 |
| 5 | $65,801 | 48-55 | $5,295 |
| 6 | $48,642 | 56-63 | $4,620 |
| 7 | $36,464 | 64-71 | $4,098 |
| 8 | $27,725 | 72-79 | $3,697 |
| 9 | $21,386 | 80-99 | $3,392 |
| 10-11 | $16,739 | 100-126 | $3,167 |
| 12-15 | $13,297 | 127-194 | $3,017 |
Here are the current leaders, updated from the WSOP LIVE app.
button in Safari
