There was only one tournament slated for Day One action on Friday at the 2012 World Series of Poker, but it was sure to draw the gamblers in the Rio out in droves. Event #8, the $1500 Omaha Hi/Lo tournament, didn’t disappoint anyone as to its numbers, bringing 967 runners to the line eventually before working down to its final 220 players by the end of the night.
Perhaps oddly, the non-No Limit Hold’em events have been the true stars of the first week of action at the WSOP. This Omaha tournament, as well as the two Seven Card Stud events that have been or are being contested, have outpaced their performance from 2011 (this particular Omaha event brought in 925 players last year, with Francesco Barbaro taking the bracelet). In comparison, the first $1500 No Limit tournament drew 2101 players (similar tournaments in 2011 drew anywhere from 2200 players up to 3389) and the new Heads Up No Limit/Pot Limit Omaha tournament didn’t reach its 512 player cap (317).
As the late registration period closed with its 967 players, the $1500 donated by each player would create a decent sized prize pool. Of the $4.35 million taken in, 117 players will earn at least the minimum of $2480. This isn’t the number that the players were looking at, however; it was the first place prize of $264,400 and the prestigious WSOP bracelet that was on the minds of the combatants.
With the gambling nature of Omaha, there were several pros that couldn’t wade through the minefield. Xuan Liu, Jean-Robert Bellande, John Monnette, Owais Ahmed, Mike Leah, Layne Flack, Eugene Katchalov, Kathy Liebert, Josh Arieh, Phil Ivey and Dwyte Pilgrim were just a few of the more recognizable players taking the long walk out of the Brasilia Room, but there were others who definitely demonstrated their prowess at the Omaha game.
Nikolai Yakovenko moved out to the chip lead by the end of the day’s play, holding a neat 61,600 in chips, but Raymond Davis was in close pursuit with his 57,200. Todd Brunson, fresh off his final table performance in the $1500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo tournament, was back in action and will start Day Two in fourth place with 48,500 in chips. Also making some noise is Daniel Negreanu, who has already achieved a final table at the 2012 WSOP (in the $1500 Pot Limit Hold’em event) and is looking to take it a bit further. He begins Saturday’s action (at 1PM Pacific Time) in eighth place with 45K in chips.
1. Nikolai Yakovenko, 61,600
2. Raymond Davis, 57,200
3. Matthew Croker, 49,200
4. Todd Brunson, 48,500
5. Brandon Bregman, 47,200
6. Ryan Lenaghan, 46,800
7. Matt Lefkowitz, 45,100
8. Daniel Negreanu, 45,000
9. Jeff Madsen, 44,000
10. Joseph Kuether, 43,500
With more than 100 players left to the money, the remaining 220 players will have quite a slog to determine who gets some cash from this tournament. Although this tournament is scheduled to play its final table on Sunday, it will be extremely tough to get down to the final table tonight; expect approximately two dozen of the survivors to come back for play tomorrow.
The first Saturday of play at the 2012 WSOP will also feature the first “re-entry” tournament in the 43 year history of the event. A $1500 No Limit Hold’em tournament will hit the floor of the Brasilia Room at noon today, bringing a format to the WSOP that has proven popular on other circuits. If a player busts out of the tournament on Saturday, he/she has the option to re-enter the tournament on Sunday, starting over with a new stack of chips. The addition of the tournament should bring out everyone from the “amateurs” looking to make their name on the WSOP to the grizzled pros looking to pick up on what should be one of the juicier prize pools of this year’s schedule.
