Frederic Normand opened his button to 150,000, and Darin Utley defended his big blind. Utley had 420,000 behind, which was quickly committed on the J♣A♥3♥ flop.
Darin Utley: A♦4♠3♠2♣ 
Frederic Normand: Q♥J♦10♦5♥
Utley made a full house on the A♠7♣ runout to secure the pot and double up.
Robert Nehorayan limped in the small blind and Frederic Normand checked his option in the big blind.
On the A♠9♣3♦ flop, Nehorayan led for 80,000 and Normand put in the call.
Nehorayan led again on the Q♦ turn for 175,000. Normand inquired about the size of Nehorayan's stack before he flatted.
The 6♠ river checked through as Nehorayan announced that he had a three before sheepishly revealing K♥J♠10♠3♥ for bottom pair with a missed wrap and no low. Normand tabled J♣9♦6♦2♦ for two pair, sixes and nines, which were enough for the winner as he extends his lead atop the counts.
20 years after that hand on High Stakes Poker, Daniel Negreanu is still getting coolered by Gus Hansen, and this time at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Playing Day 1 of the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship, the two poker legends faced off with monsters that saw Hansen rake in a pot against Negreanu with a better full house.
However, unlike that iconic encounter from Season 2 of High Stakes Poker in 2006 (in which the turn card that day gave Hansen quads over Negreanu's boat), on this occasion, Kid Poker had clearly learned his lesson from two decades ago, losing only a small pot instead of going broke after telling the Dane, "Jeez, I'm sorry I didn't raise you!" after the hands were tabled.
Ryan Hoenig limped in from middle position. Ray Fishman then raised the pot to 270,000 in the cutoff, and Ryan Hansen repotted in the big blind, forcing out Hansen.
Fishman quickly called off his total stack of 355,000, and the players tabled their cards.
Ray Fishman: A♠K♠K♣5♣
Ryan Hansen: A♦A♣7♦6♥
Fishman flopped a bunch of draws on 10♣Q♣3♦, although the 10♥ turn did not help him further. The K♦ river did though, upgrading him to a full house to scoop the pot and double up.
Dennis Weiss potted to 210,000 from the hijack and Tobias Hausen called in the small blind. In the big blind, Ryan Hoenig jammed for 530,000. Weiss repotted and Hausen folded.
"I have the nines again," Hoenig joked, "And also the aces."
Ryan Hoenig: A♠A♦9♥9♣
Dennis Weiss: A♣10♣3♥2♠
The K♣J♥2♣ flop gave Weiss many outs with the nut flush draw and gutter. The 7♠ turn also gave him the nut low draw, but the river was the 9♠, and Hoenig improved to a set of nines while Weiss missed everything.
"Is anyone surprised?" tablemate Ray Fishman added as the nines reigned supreme again.
"I mean...a little bit," Weiss lamented.
Josh Arieh limped in early position before Ray Fishman raised to 145,000 from the hijack, leaving 5,000 behind. Tobias Hausen called in the big blind and Arieh called.
On the J♦8♣3♣ flop, Tobias check-folded to a bet of 325,000 from Arieh while Fishman put in his last 5,000.
Ray Fishman: 9♠9♦4♦2♣
Josh Arieh: A♥K♠10♥6♦
Fishman's nines were in the lead and he also held the superior low draw. The board ran out J♠J♣ and Fishman's full house was best for the triple.
In the post-mortem, Fishman explained to the table how nines are widely considered to be the best and most important card in this poker format.
Michael Rodrigues made it 150,000 as first to act. It folded to Dennis Weiss in the big blind, who defended. The A♦5♥7♠ flop and 5♣ turn checked through to the 9♥ river, where Weiss bet the pot of 390,000.
Rodrigues called after some thought, but he could not beat the A♣8♦6♣4♣ of Weiss and mucked his cards.
The next hand, the short-stacked Ray Fishman potted the button for 210,000. Weiss and Rodrigues called in the blinds, after which the trio all checked the 9♠7♦8♣ flop.
Weiss checked again on the 2♦ turn, prompting Rodrigues to barrel 200,000. Having been put all-in, Fishman went deep into the tank before he found a fold, after which Weiss raised to 700,000.
Rodrigues quickly released his cards, forfeiting another pot to his neighbor.
Players have taken their seats and action is now underway!
Level: 26
Blinds: 30,000/60,000
Ante: 60,000
Day 3 of Event #21: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better resumes today, June 6, at 1 p.m. at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
Out of the total field of 1,093 entries, which accumulated a total prize pool of $1,450,957, only 13 players remain, all guaranteed a cash prize of $11,369. The mission is to capture the top prize of $235,377 and the prestigious World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet.
Closest to this goal is Canada’s Frederic Normand with 3,915,000 chips. Right at his heels is Tobias Hausen with 3,885,000, just one big blind behind. Closing the podium position is none other than Josh Arieh, who has already proven his prowess in the game format when he took down the WSOP $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8-Handed Championship in 2021.
And with other contenders, the likes of Ryan Hoenig, Michael Rodrigues, Ryan Hansen, and Dennis Weiss, the battle to the top will be relentless.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frederic Normand | Canada | 3,915,000 | 65 |
| 2 | Tobias Hausen | Germany | 3,885,000 | 65 |
| 3 | Josh Arieh | United States | 3,310,000 | 55 |
| 4 | Michael Rodrigues | Portugal | 3,250,000 | 54 |
| 5 | Ryan Hansen | United States | 2,965,000 | 49 |
| 6 | Dennis Weiss | Germany | 2,525,000 | 42 |
| 7 | Rocky Paradise | United States | 2,100,000 | 35 |
| 8 | Robert Nehorayan | United States | 1,535,000 | 26 |
| 9 | Jordan Polk | United States | 1,370,000 | 23 |
| 10 | Darin Utley | United States | 820,000 | 14 |
Rodrigues has extra motivation heading into Day 3. A bracelet eluded him in this very event in 2023 when he finished runner-up to William Kopp.
Meanwhile, Hoenig and Weiss have both come close to claiming a bracelet in this format, having made final table appearances in the WSOP $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8-Handed Championship in 2023 and 2025, respectively. Unlike Arieh once did before, both players are still chasing their first title in this poker variant.
Also moving to Day 3 are WSOP bracelet holders Robert Nehorayan, Jordan Polk, and Ray Fishman.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $235,377 | ||
| 2 | $156,863 | ||
| 3 | $110,085 | ||
| 4 | $78,430 | ||
| 5 | $56,738 | ||
| 6 | $41,688 | ||
| 7 | $31,117 | ||
| 8 | $23,602 | ||
| 9 | $18,196 | ||
| 10-11 | $14,262 | ||
| 12-13 | $11,369 |
Play will start at level 26 with blinds 30,000/60,000 and 60,000 ante and will continue until a champion is crowned.
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