Just 4 Remain in $15k Pot-Limit Omaha Final Table with Kempton, Lamb, Shuda, and Zamani Eyeing $279,000

On the verge of the midway point in the 2023 U.S. Poker Open, the final four-card event of the series kicked off on Wednesday with Event #6: $15,000 Pot-Limit Omaha taking center stage from inside the PokerGO Studio.

The 62-entrant field created a $930,000 prize pool that would pay the final nine spots. Once the dust settled and play concluded for Day 1, just four players remained with Isaac Kempton holding the chip lead over Gregory Shuda, Martin Zamani, and Ben Lamb. The final four have locked up $93,000 in prize money, but all eyes remain on the $279,000 first-place prize, 279 PGT points, and Golden Eagle trophy.

With three players making their series debut in Event #6, the play would be fast until the final two tables were reached at roughly 7:30 p.m. The PokerGO Studio tournament staff implemented soft hand-for-hand as Joao Simao and Matthew Wantman were the first to fall. Play then reached a halt as chips were passed back-and-forth before Daniel Negreanu was rivered to be eliminated in 11th place. With the final ten on the money bubble, a unique moment was presented with Roussos Koliakoudakis, Masashi Oya, Chris Brewer, Jim Collopy, and Michael Wang all nursing short stacks, and the chip leaders of Kempton, Shuda, and Zamani given free reign to pick up the blinds and antes for nearly two hours. 

With three players holding less than a big blind, it would be Oya that would fall on the money bubble to Kempton to leave the final nine guaranteed not to go home empty-handed. Michael Wang exited the next hand on the opposing table, while still under hand-for-hand play, Chris Brewer was eliminated to leave the final seven redrawing to one table. With less than a big blind in his stack and fortunately in middle position, Collopy committed his final chips holding aces and was up against Shuda and Erik Seidel. Shuda put Seidel all-in on the flop, and he obliged with two pair to be against Shuda's flush draw. The diamond arrived on the turn and Shuda scored the double knockout on the first hand of the final table.

Koliakoudakis was down to less than six big blinds and requested one more orbit, and after the remaining players agreed, it would only take one hand as he was eliminated by Shuda in fifth place as play concluded for Day 1 with just four players remaining. 

Kempton's domination on the bubble saw him push his stack to 3,200,000 to hold the chip lead heading into the PokerGO-streamed final table on Thursday, March 30. He sits ahead of Shuda with 2,510,000 who was making his PokerGO Studio debut in Event #6. Zamani sits third overall with 1,220,000 in chips, while Ben Lamb rounds out the final four with 820,000 in chips. 2023 U.S. Poker Open Event #6: $15,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Final Table

The button is on Gregory Shuda and there is 18:30 remaining in Level 14 with blinds at 15,000/30,000 and a 30,000 big blind ante.

Cards are expected to be in the air for the Event #6 final table at 12 p.m. PT on Thursday, March 30, with all the action being broadcast exclusively on PokerGO.com starting at 1 p.m. PT.

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