Event 3
$300+$40 Pot Limit Omaha (High)
Level 17: 4000/8000
Entries: 141
Players Remaining: 8
Average Chips: 264,000
Finding a 3x open with 
, only the button Zhang made the call.
With much limping going on, a strong hand was being represented, and apparently Zhang thought this was the spot.
A fairly dry 
was delivered. The most obviously draw was spades, but perhaps Mike had risked a low rundown. Nevertheless Caldwell did find a rather large continuation bet of 50,000.
Caldwell flips up the winner while Mike, foreground, is disappointed. Missed spot?
Mike Zhang flatted. It’s a big call, and now the action checked through on the 
and the 
.
Mike had found no river bluff, and the aces were allowed to win. “I had spades,” George mentioned.
“Then my bluff wouldn’t have worked,” Caldwell responded. Indeed he had held the magic blocker to give it a shot, the .
$300+$40 Pot Limit Omaha (High)
Level 17: 4000/8000
Entries: 141
Players Remaining: 8
Average Chips: 264,000
In one hand Xiao, who had taken a quick hit, got all his chips in on the flop against big stack Barry Leventhal. However, Xiao drilled a straight and a sour looking Levanthal, once second to Caldwell, had evened out at 220,000 with Xiao.
Xiao is a threat again with 300,000.
Next hand, a short stack busted. Kent Demott found some quasi-connected cards to bring pressure with, the 
, but Xiao, committed to the pot, knocked with out with a weak flush, having the 
as back up to his big cards. Demott takes 9th for $923.
Congrats to Kent Demott for a great run in PLO.
$300+$40 Pot Limit Omaha (High)
Level 16: 3000/6000
Entries: 141
Players Remaining: 9
Average Chips: 235,000
Short stack Karen Vermilya got the money in thin, checkraising Caldwell on the button who again showed up with the goods, top vs. top and bottom.
Vermilya, center.
However, her weak hand included a 
which runnered the second nut straight. Caldwell remains unphased at around 500,000, while Karen rises to nearly 160,000.
The motley a763 from the small gets bailed out, and the dealer pushes her the pot.
$300+$40 Pot Limit Omaha (High)
Level 16: 3000/6000
Entries: 141
Players Remaining: 9
Average Chips: 235,000
Chip Leader Zachary Caldwell is all business so far, having a yogurt, not saying much and winning pots.
The breakfast of the potential champion? Caldwell.
First he took out the 10th place contestant, Kenneth Ruderman, who was forced to go with more of a hybrid holdem hand, 
, and he takes $821 for his strong run.
Ruderman takes 10th.
Immediately afterward, a little small ball left Mike Zhang with no where to go on 
. Caldwell had flatted Mike’s open limp behind and 3/4 potted the flop when checked to. Interestingly, Mike claimed to have it, but couldn’t go with it – a laddering decision? Now willing to fade diamonds? His stack meant going with it or not, and Mike declined.
Caldwell now is strong with about 620,000.
$300+$40 Pot Limit Omaha (High)
Level 16: Blinds 3,000/6,000
Total Entries: 141
Players Remaining: 10
Average Stack: 211,500
The Pot Limit Omaha event drew 141 entrants yesterday and after about ten hours of play, they reached the final ten. These players will return for the finale at 12 noon. Their seat assignments and chips counts are shown below.
| First Name | Last Name | city | state | Chip Count | Table | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZACHARY | CALDWELL | KERNERSVILLE | NC | 384,000 | 1 | 1 |
| KENNETH | RUDERMAN | NEW YORK | NY | 155,000 | 1 | 2 |
| KAREN | VERMILYA | FARMINGTON | CT | 127,000 | 1 | 3 |
| WILLIAM | HO | NIAGARA FALLS | NY | 96,000 | 1 | 4 |
| GEORGE | MEDRANO | BROOKLYN | NY | 250,000 | 1 | 5 |
| MIKE | ZHANG | CHESAPEAKE | VA | 226,000 | 1 | 6 |
| JACK | SCHROTH | TITUSVILLE | NJ | 110,000 | 1 | 7 |
| TING | XIAO | 350,000 | 1 | 8 | ||
| KENT | DEMOTT | LEOMINISTER | MA | 92,000 | 1 | 9 |
| BARRY | LEVENTHAL | BROOKLYN | NY | 329,000 | 1 | 10 |
$300+$40 Pot Limit Omaha (High)
Level 15: 2,500/5,000
Players Remaining: 10 of 141
Chip Leader Zach Caldwell
We have reached the final ten players! Play has ended for the night as the remaining players bag and tag their chips. They will return Saturday January 20th at noon to play down to winner.
Here’s a look at their counts:
Zach Caldwell – 384,000 (77 bb)
Ting Xion – 350,000 (70 bb)
Barry Levethal – 329,000 (66 bb)
George Medrano – 250,000 (50 bb)
Mike Zhang – 226,000 (45 bb)
Karen Vermlya – 127,000 (25 bb)
Ken Ruderman – 155,000 (31 bb)
Jack Schroth – 110,000 (22 bb)
William Ho – 96,000 (19 bb)
Kent DeMott – 92,000 (18 bb)
Poker Pro Barry Leventhal
$300+$40 Pot Limit Omaha (High)
Level 14: Blinds 2,000/4,000
Players Remaining: 11 of 141
The remaining eleven players are currently on the final table bubble, and are guaranteed $821.
Here is a list of the results of our 12th to 18h place finishers:
12th: Larry O’Halloran – $821
13th: Abraham Grace – $718
14th: Vyscheslav Niyazov – $718
15th: Colm Singh– $718
16th: Zhenjie Hou – $615
17th: Orod Ashegh – $615
18th: Jordan Richland – $615
$300+$40 Pot Limit Omaha (High)
Level 14: Blinds 2,000/4,000
Players Remaining: 14 of 141
Barry Leventhal (left) Jack Schroth (right)
Jack Schroth opens 16,000 from under the gun and Barry Leventhal calls from the big blind. Both players check the 
.
The turn brings the 
, Leventhal bets 50,000 and Schroth moves all in for 38,000 more. Leventhal calls with 
for two pair and a flush draw. Schroth turns over 
for a straight.
The river is the and Schroth’s straight holds to double him up.
Jack Schroth – 170,000 (43 bb)
Barry Leventhal – 210,000 (53 bb)
$300+$40 Pot Limit Omaha (High)
Level 13: Blinds 1,500/3,000
Players Remaining: 18 of 141
Steve Niyazov pots it from under the gun and gets two callers. The flop comes 
, the big blind moves all in for his short stack, and Niyazov reshoves. The player in middle position folds and its heads up.
The board runs out 
, 
, Niyazov makes the nut flush on the turn with his 
, to eliminate his opponent and burst the money bubble!
The remaining 18 players will now do a full table redraw.
$300+$40 Pot Limit Omaha (High)
Level 12: Blinds 1,000/2,000
Players Remaining: 24 of 141
The remaining 24 players are currently on a fifteen minute color up break. They will return with increased blinds of 1,500/3,000.