Filippi Leads Final 26 Players in Event #7: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better; Glantz Chases Elusive First Bracelet
Only 26 players remain in contention for the coveted World Series of Poker gold bracelet in Event #7: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better. The mixed game contest showcased yet another very strong turnout for the 2022 WSOP in its new home at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas with a total of 1,087 entries and the biggest slice of the $1,451,154 prize pool is still up for grabs.
What started with 413 survivors after Day 1 saw the field of contenders whittled down to the final 26 contestants and mixed game regular Amnon Filippi established a solid field over all other hopefuls. Throughout the day, he amassed chips on a very consistent basis and could always be found near the top of the leaderboard to end Day 2 with 3,000,000 in chips. Paul Zappulla follows in second place with 2,090,000 while Pittsburgh's James Chen completes the overnight leaderboard with 1,820,000.
Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 2
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amnon Filippi | United States | 3,000,000 | 60 | 30 |
| 2 | Paul Zappulla | United States | 2,090,000 | 42 | 21 |
| 3 | James Chen (US) | United States | 1,820,000 | 36 | 18 |
| 4 | Matt Glantz | United States | 1,675,000 | 34 | 17 |
| 5 | Van Law | United States | 1,630,000 | 33 | 16 |
| 6 | Brian Nichols | United States | 1,600,000 | 32 | 16 |
| 7 | Rami Boukai | United States | 1,305,000 | 26 | 13 |
| 8 | Ronan Nally | Ireland | 1,295,000 | 26 | 13 |
| 9 | Bradley Smith | Canada | 1,175,000 | 24 | 12 |
| 10 | Andrew Brown | United States | 1,175,000 | 24 | 12 |
Four WSOP bracelet winners are in contention to increase their tally on live poker's biggest scene and two of them made it into the top ten after Day 2. Rami Boukai advanced with 1,305,000 while Andrew Brown has 1,175,000 at his disposal. Aussie Poker Hall of Fame member Mel Judah (1,135,000) and Chris Bell (320,000) will hope to enter the WSOP history books once more.
However, perhaps many eyes will also be on Matt Glantz, who has 76 WSOP cashes thus far. With nearly $3.6 million in WSOP prize money earned thus far, Glantz has numerous final table appearances to his name including one WSOP Circuit ring but the maiden gold bracelet has escaped until now. Glantz will return with 1.675,000 and sits in fourth place on the leaderboard.
After eleven 60-minute levels, the remaining 26 hopefuls bagged up for the night once level 26 concluded. They will be back at 3pm local time in the Bally's Showroom and try to determine a champion. The action resumes in level 27 with blinds of 25,000-50,000 and big bets are worth two times as much on the turn and river, which can transform every hand into a very costly affair.
The top 164 players were destined to collect a min cash worth $2,400 but on the money bubble, Ruiko Mamiya and Eric Kent were eliminated on different tables to split the prize and walk away with $1,200 for their efforts. Some of those that departed soon after and settled for the min-cash were Brandon Shack-Harris, Tom Franklin, 2019 WSOP Player of the Year Robert Campbell, and 16-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.
Mike Matusow finished just outside of the top 100 spots with a payday of $3,000 while David "Bakes" Baker made the next pay jump. Numerous other WSOP bracelet winners followed thereafter and several of them reached the top 50. Nathan Gamble and Carol Fuchs bowed out on the final six tables for a payday of $5,086.
Joey Couden lost a big portion of his stack to the red-hot running Amnon Filippi and departed soon after. Robert Mizrachi was among the chip leaders in the early stages of the day but his tournament ended on the final five tables. He got it in with kings for an overpair but the straight, flush and low draw of Terry Mackie instantly got there on the turn.
Other notables to exit in the final stages were Ryan Hughes, John Esposito and Shaun Deeb, the latter of which just missed out the three-table redraw. With most of his short stack invested before the flop, Deeb got it in with top pair and Van Law then turned an open-ender before improving to trips deuces on the river.
Only one more player was knocked out thereafter in Matthew Schultz to conclude Day 2 with 26 contenders still in the mix. Whether or not the tournament goes all the way to crown a winner on Sunday, June 5, 2022, remains to be seen. Stay tuned to find out right here on PokerNews who becomes the next champion of the 2022 WSOP at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas.