Robert Mizrachi Leads Final Six in Event #18: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
The third and penultimate day of Event #18: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship has seen 23 players out of a 183-entry strong field return to the tables of the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, and it took five 90-minute levels to determine the six contenders for the next live-streamed final table of the 2019 World Series of Poker.
Three former WSOP bracelet winners are in the mix to add one more to their collection and four-time champion Robert Mizrachi has a commanding lead over the other five finalists after a late surge on the feature table when the remaining nine players had combined to one table.
Mizrachi bagged up 3,905,000, more than second-placed Nick Guagenti (2,000,000) and Owais Ahmed (1,850,000) have combined at their disposal. Australia's Robert Campbell (1,235,000) is the only none-American on the final table and he is followed by Frankie O'Dell (1,000,000) and Jake Schwartz (940,000).
Among the notables to bow out before the final table were the WSOP bracelet winners David “Bakes” Baker, Sam Higgs, Mike Wattel, Mike Matusow, Richard Ashby, and Day 2 chip leader Ken Aldridge. Reigning WSOP Player of the Year Shaun Deeb was the first to depart from the nine-handed final table, followed by Ed Vartughian, and David Benyamine's elimination in 7th place set the final six.
All remaining hopefuls have $76,456 locked up for their efforts so far, and the winner can look forward to a top prize of $443,641 and the coveted gold bracelet. The action is set to resume at 12 p.m. noon local time on the main feature stage in the Amazon room and can be followed via CBS All Access on a security delay of 30 minutes.
The returning limits will be 60,000-120,000 and plenty of scoops and quarters will be required to determine a champion.
Event #18: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship Final Six
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Campbell | Australia | 1,235,000 | 10 |
| 2 | Frankie O'Dell | United States | 1,000,000 | 8 |
| 3 | Nick Guagenti | United States | 2,000,000 | 17 |
| 4 | Robert Mizrachi | United States | 3,905,000 | 33 |
| 5 | Jake Schwartz | United States | 940,000 | 8 |
| 6 | Owais Ahmed | United States | 1,850,000 | 15 |
Action of Day 3
Several players returned to their seats with the premise of finding an early double and the first level saw nine players head to the rail. First to go was David "Bakes" Baker, who turned a full house against Nick Guagenti and was shown the equally strong full house. However, Guagenti improved on the river and Baker became the first casualty of the day. Simeon Myers was unable to turn one-eighth of a big bet into a pay jump and it wouldn't take long to set up the final two tables.
Sam Higgs got his short stack in and flopped two pair only for Frankie O'Dell to turn a set and sent the Aussie out in 17th place. Mike Wattel stood no chance in a four-way pot and Mike Matusow's hope of an even deeper run was shattered when he missed out on a wrap low draw to secure at least half of the pot.
Richard Ashby wasn't able to build his stack and ran into the wheel of O'Dell and Owais Ahmed cemented his top spot with two tables remaining by sending Yarron Bendor and Robert Slezak to the rail in back-to-back hands. Andrew Yeh and start-of-day chip leader Ken Aldridge saw their stacks decimated and hit the rail before the final table was set.
For Shaun Deeb, an eventful day filled with many ups and downs ended in a 9th place finish. In a battle of short stacks, his aces and gutshot on the turn were no good against the flopped set of sixes and flush draw of Ed Vartughian.
The next casualty would be Vartughian, though, as he was scooped twice and failed to mount yet another comeback on Day 3. Eventually, the same fate was also waiting for David Benyamine, who had to settle for 7th place. Reduced to fewer than two big bets, he chopped twice, doubled and busted with aces in a three-way pot when Robert Mizrachi turned a ten-high straight and Jake Schwartz hit the nut low to chop up Benyamine's stack.
That ended Day 3 right after the start of level 23 and the remaining six players will return to the feature stage to determine a champion after a good night's sleep. The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor to provide all the action until a champion is crowned in the Event #18: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, and throughout the 2019 World Series of Poker.