Josh Arieh Rolls to the Top in Day 1 of Event #34: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha
Josh Arieh, who has three of his six World Series of Poker bracelets in Omaha events, as well as six other WSOP Omaha final tables, is at it again. From the moment he sat down in Event #34: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, he began accumulating chips until his stack dwarfed most if not all of those in the field, and it now stands at 1,196,000.
Arieh's Omaha skills are unquestionable, of course, but fortune seemed to favor him today, also. One particular hand that helped Arieh on his way to the top of the chip leaderboard was an improbable one. Josh Arieh had a short stack at risk holding J-J-7-8 with spades, and the opponent had almost the same hand, J-J-T-8 with hearts. Arieh looked at his opponent and said, "Good game, buddy," then flopped a flush draw, turned a spade, and it left his opponent drawing dead.
End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Arieh | United States | 1,196,000 | 120 |
| 2 | Matthew Parry | United States | 1,102,000 | 110 |
| 3 | Eric Fields | United States | 1,015,000 | 102 |
| 4 | Taehyung Kim | South Korea | 951,000 | 95 |
| 5 | Robert Mizrachi | United States | 829,000 | 83 |
| 6 | Steve Foutty | United States | 803,000 | 80 |
| 7 | Todd Hatch | United States | 779,000 | 78 |
| 8 | Daniel Grassi | United States | 714,000 | 71 |
| 9 | Anson Tsang | Hong Kong | 708,000 | 71 |
| 10 | Joe Firova | United States | 694,000 | 69 |
Other notables to bag on Day 1 include Matthew Parry (1,102,000), Eric Fields (1,015,000), Steve Foutty (803,000), Todd Hatch (779,000), Anson Tsang (708,000), Daniel Negreanu (446,000), Ronald Keijzer (407,000), and Tommy Le (73,000).
A field of 1,355 generated a $1,808,925 prize pool, with first place receiving $298,192 and the coveted WSOP bracelet. The 98 players who bagged chips on Day 1 are each guaranteed $3,002.
Day 2 stars at 10:00 a.m. local time. Ten levels will be played with 15-minute breaks after every two levels, and a 60-minute dinner break after Level 23 (approximately 4:30 p.m.). Play resumes at Level 18 with blinds of 5,000/10,000 and a 10,000 big blind ante.
Stay tuned to PokerNews, as this 2023 World Series of Poker tournament provides more four-card action on Day 2.