Najeem Ajez Leads Stacked Field after Day 2 in $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha
With the two-card variant of High Rollers wrapped up yesterday, it was time for everyone to turn their attention to the "Great Game of PLO." Over the next couple of weeks, many pot-limit Omaha High Rollers will take place at the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas and the four-card specialists will have their sights set on winning a World Series of Poker gold bracelet.
Today, a massive turnout flooded the tables inside the Horseshoe Events Center for Day 2 of Event #51: $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha, which attracted a total of 489 entries. Over the course of 10 levels, the field was whittled down to just 28 players who advanced to Day 3 of this four-day competition. Each player will be hoping to grab the biggest chunk of the $11.5 million prize pool with the $2,292,155 first-place prize.
Leading the field with a massive stack of 7,845,000 chips, good for nearly 200 big blinds, is Australian Najeem Ajez. In the late stages of the day, Ajez cemented his lead at the top of the leaderboard with a pair of knockouts, including Sean Winter.
Ajez just started playing in Las Vegas last year, but he is still looking for his first WSOP final table and his first cash this summer. The majority of his $2.5 million career earnings stem from his native land, "Down Under," but an extended run in this event could mark his largest ever score.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Najeem Ajez | Australia | 7,845,000 | 157 |
| 2 | Lautaro Guerra | Spain | 6,444,000 | 129 |
| 3 | Tomasz Gluszko | Poland | 4,400,000 | 88 |
| 4 | Petko Tsakov | United States | 4,255,000 | 85 |
| 5 | Gjergj Sinishtaj | United States | 4,255,000 | 85 |
| 6 | Daniel Geeng | United States | 4,205,000 | 84 |
| 7 | Bryn Kenney | United States | 3,965,000 | 79 |
| 8 | Talal Shakerchi | United Kingdom | 3,850,000 | 77 |
| 9 | Frank Brannan | United States | 3,565,000 | 71 |
| 10 | Isaac Haxton | United States | 3,545,000 | 71 |
Revenge is on the Table
This large buy-in event attracted many of the usual suspects that you would see in the no-limit hold'em high rollers, along with the PLO specialists. A whopping 489 players ponied up the $25,000 to play this event, including 119 that entered the field during the last two levels of late registration today.
There was no surprise that Martin Kabrhel and David Peters landed next to each other after the hand that has gone viral across the world from just a couple of days ago. This time, the Czech Joker got his revenge on Peters, in what he called "Revenge of the Sith" when he sent Peters to the rail.
However, Alex Foxen soon took the seat of Peters and another rivalry restarted. Despite Kabrhel getting the better of Foxen in the last few events, some could say that revenge is a dish best served cold. The two were engaged in a heads-up pot where Foxen fired out three barrels, the last of which was for all of Kabrhel's chips. After making the call, Kabrhel was given some of his own medicine when Foxen gave him a slow roll, ultimately showing a full house to eliminate Kabrhel before the dinner break.
Big Money Bubble
Upon returning from an extended break, the field had its sights set on the money bubble, just a few eliminations away. The action was moving at a snail's pace and the tournament director opted to go hand-for-hand earlier than expected. On the stone bubble, it was Cliff Josephy who put himself at risk with kings and deuces. However, Thomas Taylor turned a flush and Josephy was left drawing dead to the river.
The remaining players were guaranteed a payday of at least $50,205 and it appeared to be a race to see who could collect the money the fastest. A line to the payout desk ensued as the short stacks dropped like flies. Some of the notables to cash out without advancing included Ryan Riess, Jeremy Ausmus, Daniel Negreanu, and Laszlo 'omaha4rollz' Bujtas. Foxen had one of the biggest stacks in the room at one point in the day, however, he was forced to settle for a 39th-place finish and just over $61,000.
Some other notables to keep an eye on that advanced to Day 3 include Lautaro Guerra, Isaac Haxton, Erick Lindgren, and Bryn Kenney. There is no question that these players all have the talent and experience required to make another deep run and add to their bracelet collections.
Remaining players will return for Day 3 at 12 p.m. local time with the action resuming on Level 21 and the blinds at 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 big blind ante. There will be one table rotated through the PokerGO stream throughout the day until just five players remain to compete on the final day.
Stay tuned to the PokerNews live reporting for all of the up-to-date action en route to the final table and eventually crowning a champion.