button in SafariJustin Liberto Among Top Stacks on Day 1 of $2,500 Mixed Omaha HI-Lo/Stud Hi-Lo Event
A total of 587 players showed up for Event #45: $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better & Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better at the 2026 World Series of Poker, creating a total prize pool of $1,306,075.
The first day saw about one-third of them advancing, with 204 players punching their ticket for Day 2 in search of the top prize of $248,357. Two-time bracelet winner Justin Liberto — fresh off a bracelet win in the $1,500 Mixed Omaha event — kept up his good form and bagged a top-three overnight stack, according to the WSOP LIVE app.
Kevin Choi bagged the overnight chip lead and can be considered a very dangerous man on a mission. Twelve months ago, Choi lost heads-up to Jason Daly in this very event, at a podium that was completed by none other than Phil Hellmuth. Certainly, Choi's quest for redemption couldn't have started any better.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Choi | Hong Kong | 280,000 | 35 |
| 2 | Jared Hyman | United States | 276,500 | 35 |
| 3 | Justin Liberto | United States | 263,000 | 33 |
| 4 | Walter Chambers | United States | 252,500 | 32 |
| 5 | Dekel Balas | Israel | 239,500 | 30 |
| 6 | Ryan Bambrick | United States | 229,500 | 29 |
| 7 | Brian Breck | United States | 226,000 | 28 |
| 8 | Masafumi Iijima | Japan | 207,000 | 26 |
| 9 | Yueqi Zhu | China | 205,000 | 26 |
| 10 | Neal Liptak | United States | 199,500 | 25 |
Ryan Bambrick and Yueqi Zhu also bagged big stacks to end the night, while Daniel Negreanu, Jesse Lonis, Jean-Robert Bellande, and Todd Brunson are among those advancing to Day 2 as well.
