The agreed upon theme of the 2023 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas could only be described as "record-breaking" and Event #17: Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better helped to etch that notion into stone as the tournament field broke last year's already record-breaking field by 76 entries, with its 1,143 player field making it the largest Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better tournament in WSOP history.
Along with breaking the record for field size for a second straight year, the event also generated a prize pool of $1,525,905, which is a record of its own. When the 394 remaining players return for Day 2, they will be looking to finish in the top 172 of the field to secure a $2,404 in-the-money finish, with the goal of everyone in the room being to finish in the top spot worth a staggering $262,542 and a coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adel Shakerian | United States | 239,000 | 60 |
| 2 | Benjamin Vidal | United States | 210,500 | 53 |
| 3 | Colin Burton | Canada | 202,500 | 51 |
| 4 | Sergey Zaporozhets | Russia | 187,000 | 47 |
| 5 | Nitesh Rawtani | United States | 177,500 | 44 |
| 6 | Jason Daly | United States | 176,500 | 44 |
| 7 | Ryan Scully | United States | 175,000 | 44 |
| 8 | Smith Sirisakorn | United States | 169,000 | 42 |
| 9 | Hlias Azakas | United States | 167,000 | 42 |
| 10 | Glen Munro | United States | 166,500 | 42 |
There are a number of notable names left in the field including but certainly not limited to Chris Tryba (146,500), Phil Hellmuth (45,000), Mike Matusow (68,500), Max Pescatori (130,000) and Ryan Leng (85,500).
Colin Burton is among the chip leaders, having bagged 202,500. Benjamin Vidal crammed 210,500 chips into his overnight bag, while Adel Shakerian leads the way with a 239,000 stack.
The reigning champion of this event, Amnon Filippi, did enter on Day 1 with intentions of defending his title from last year but fell before the night ended. Other notables that busted short of Day 2 were Allen Kessler and Norman Chad, both of whom never got much going in terms of momentum.
The 394 players to bag Day 1 will return to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 7 for the start of Day 2 with ten 60-minute levels of play scheduled. Stay tuned to PokerNews all summer long for up-to-date action on this and all events at the 2023 World Series of Poker!
