Bigger, higher, stronger. It’s not quite the Olympic motto (‘Faster, higher, stronger’) but it’s not far off, and does a good job of bringing the feeling of this $100K PLO High Roller final table to life.
Bigger. The reputations don’t get much bigger than those of Phil Ivey, Alex Foxen, Ike Haxton and co.
Higher. The $100,000 buy-in is one of the highest of the summer series.
Stronger. There were no weak links in this chain of skilled PLO players.
When all was said and done, the WSOP’s inaugural PLO $100K event went the way of the seemingly invincible Shaun Deeb, who took down the $2.9M first prize and a seventh WSOP bracelet in an Olympian performance of grit, guile and graft.
At a final table which featured a number of highly experienced high rollers, Deeb ducked and dived his way through the day. Down to the shortest stack plenty of times, Deeb always found a way to survive, ending up heads-up versus Ike Haxton, taking down the win and booking the biggest win of his career by far.
“I’m not like Ike or some of these Triton guys who play for millions of dollars every day,” an emotional Deeb told PokerOrg following the win. “I grind my low stakes when I can… I shot-took in a $100K, it went perfect.”
Big names turn out for the biggest ever PLO High Roller
The PLO High Roller was a new addition to the schedule this year, a nod to the growing appetite for Omaha in particular and higher buy-ins in general. As expected, it drew a parade of — as Deeb would describe them — 'these Triton guys', like Stephen Chidwick, Jason Koon, Chris Brewer and Jesse Lonis.
Altogether, 121 entrants combined for the largest PLO tournament ever held at this buy-in level, creating a total prize pool of $11,803,550 in the process. By the time the field was reduced to seven for the final day’s play on Thursday, none of the above were still in the running.
Which is not to say the final line-up was short on household names. Phil Ivey, Isaac Haxton, Alex Foxen, Arthur Morris, Lautaro Guerra and Sean Rafael joined Deeb as the magnificent seven who survived all the way to the final day, and gathered at 1pm to somehow divide up around $8.5M in prize money.
Exactly how that would happen, only time would tell.
Haxton begins the massacre
Within the hour, the first casualty would be recorded, and it would be Sean Rafael. Having made the final table of the $10K PLO Championship last week, Rafael must be feeling good about his Omaha skills — or at least, he will be once the bruise has healed from his exit hand.
Rafael overplayed his top pair, top kicker on a board of 
, and ran into Ike Haxton who had turned a straight holding 
. Rafael banked $419,563 for his deep run, to add to the $462K he won in the $10K PLO.
Another final tablist in last week’s $10K PLO, Alex Foxen would be the next to fall. Haxton once again was the one to deliver the final blow, and this time it would be a key river card to tip a marginal hand his way.
With blinds at 200K/400K, Foxen raised to 1.4M from the cutoff and Haxton called from the button. Foxen continued for another 1.1M on the 
flop and Haxton stuck around. Foxen fired again on the 
turn, and Haxton called to see the 
on the river.
Foxen checked and Haxton put him all-in for his last 4.5M. After some thought, Foxen called. With 
, the ace on the turn had given Foxen the lead. With 
, Haxton overtook him on the river with a better two pair. Foxen left with $539,917.
Bodies pile up as Haxton keeps swinging
Ivey would go next, another victim of Ike Haxton’s commanding performance. Haxton’s lead was near-constant throughout the day and he put his chip advantage to good use. To dispatch Ivey, though, it was simply a case of getting his chips in with a good hand.
Haxton had 
and raised Ivey’s open, putting the 11-time bracelet winner all-in. Ivey called with 
, and was all but done when the flop brought a third ace to give Haxton top set. Nothing could save him this time, and Ivey was out in 5th for $715,614.
Lautaro Guerra was next to fall, again a victim of Ike Haxton, who continued to build an ever more significant lead as the rest of the table struggled to keep up — and Deeb struggled to stay alive. Haxton rivered a straight to send Guerra out in 4th with $976,082, before Deeb won two key pots against Arthur Morris — the first for a huge double and the second to send Morris to the rail in 3rd, $1,368,994 richer than at the start of the day.
The wind changes
That left just two: Haxton, who had wielded the big stack all day and who seemed destined for the win, and Deeb, who had done it all the hard way. With stacks more level than they’d been all day, the pair decided to take an early and extended dinner break.
Back to the poker table from the dinner table, and the mood changed; more hands started going Deeb’s way, and now anything seemed possible. Deeb had the best of the early exchanges, before a hand arose in which Deeb flopped a set and Haxton an open-ended straight draw. Haxton called some big bets, didn’t get there, and folded to Deeb’s pressure on the river. Suddenly, Deeb had the advantage and Haxton had his back to the ropes.
Then came a huge hand which delivered the killer blow, landed Deeb the title and summed up the spirit of Deeb’s Team Lucky, as he once again grasped victory from the jaws of defeat.
With blinds at 400K/800K Deeb opened to 2.4M, holding 
, and Haxton called with 
. The flop of 
was checked by Deeb, and Haxton bet 1.3M with his overpair. Deeb check-raised to 9.6M, and Haxton went all-in. Deeb, with an overpair of his own and a flush draw to boot, made the call. The 
on the turn changed nothing, but the 
on the river changed everything, giving Deeb the flush, the bracelet and the $2.9M first prize.
“I had great support from everyone on the rail,” said Deeb, “I felt like everyone was behind me and my opponents just seemed dejected the whole time, like they knew I was going to keep winning and winning, and they never, ever got me out.
“You keep me around, you’re going to end up losing. Obviously I got lucky at the end, but you’re going to get lucky in a lot of hands in poker. I’ve embraced the variance, I’m a proud member of Team Lucky.”
$100,000 PLO High Roller - final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun Deeb | $2,957,229 |
| 2 | Isaac Haxton | $1,972,860 |
| 3 | Arthur Morris | $1,368,994 |
| 4 | Lautaro Guerra | $976,082 |
| 5 | Phil Ivey | $715,614 |
| 6 | Alex Foxen | $539,917 |
| 7 | Sean Rafael | $419,563 |
