button in SafariBracelet Winner Lawrence Berg Top the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Counts on Day 1
Day 1 of the first non-Hold'em tournament of the summer, Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better 7-Handed has wrapped up. It saw an 828-strong field reduced to 179 over the course of 15 levels that spanned 40 minutes each. As the surviving players bagged up their chips, it was Lawrence Berg (373,000) who earned the title of Day 1 chip leader.
Berg already has a WSOP bracelet, having triumphed in the $1,500 Dealers Choice event at the 2016 series. The $125,466 that Berg collected that day remains his largest-ever live score and has helped him earn $800,000 from live tournaments.
The Las Vegas resident showed his mixed game prowess on the opening day of this event, topping the chip counts by a few big blinds. There's still a long way to go before this event crowns its champion, but Berg has given himself every chance of becoming that winner.
Dekel Balas (354,000) was the only other player to break through 300,000 chips, although William House (294,000) came close.
Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawrence Berg | United States | 373,000 | 62 |
| 2 | Dekel Balas | United States | 354,000 | 59 |
| 3 | William House | United States | 294,000 | 49 |
| 4 | Ingo Klasen | Germany | 271,000 | 45 |
| 5 | Benjamin Gold | United States | 270,000 | 44 |
| 6 | Aaron Kupin | United States | 262,000 | 43 |
| 7 | Ryan Bambrick | United States | 255,000 | 40 |
| 8 | Tony Diehl | United States | 241,000 | 40 |
| 9 | Owais Ahmed | United States | 240,000 | 40 |
| 10 | Rafael Concepcion | United States | 239,000 | 40 |
Mixed games often attract the cream of the poker crop to the tables, and this event was no different. Aaron Kupin (262,000), Ryan Bambrick (255,000), and Owais Ahmed (240,000) all bagged up a top 10 stack.
Lower down the pecking order you find such luminaries as Justin Liberto (234,000), Renan Bruschi (216,000), Esther Taylor (208,000), Blaz Zerjav (158,000), and superstar Vanessa Selbst (122,000), the latter finding herself in the middle of the pack.
Also still in the mix are the likes of Caitlin Comeskey (106,000), Allyn Shulman (98,000), John Wasnock (80,000), the legendary Huck Seed (59,000), John Monnette (36,000), and a certain Allen Kessler (25,000).
Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time on May 28 and the bubble will burst on Day 2. The top 125 finishers will receive at least $3,020 for the efforts.