Scott Seiver Captures Fifth Bracelet in $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship For $426,744
Scott Seiver added to his poker legacy tonight as he emerged victorious in Event #10, the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship at the 2024 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas for $426,744 and his fifth bracelet. He defeated Jonathan Cohen in a heads-up battle that lasted just thirty minutes.
This prestigious event spanned four grueling days and attracted 197 of the best Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better players in the world, creating a prize pool of $1,832,100. Seiver, a longtime pro and one of the most recognizable faces in the high-stakes poker world, skillfully maneuvered his way to victory to join other five-time bracelet winners like John Juanda, Benny Glaser and John Monnette.
“This was exhausting," he told PokerNews in a winner's interview. "I wouldn’t be surprised if this was one of if not the longest non-Main Event tournament there has been. I feel great now that I’ve won.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Seiver | United Staes | $426,744 |
| 2 | Jonathan Cohen | Canada | $284,495 |
| 3 | Calvin Anderson | United States | $197,582 |
| 4 | Paul Zappulla | United States | $140,273 |
| 5 | Sami Saad El-Dein | United States | $101,853 |
| 6 | Benny Glaser | United Kingdom | $75,678 |
| 7 | Jake Schwartz | United States | $57,570 |
| 8 | Jared Bleznick | United States | $44,864 |
| 9 | Patrick Moulder | United States | $35,838 |
"This Bracelet Actually Means a Lot to Me"
After a few winner’s photos were taken, he kindly shared his thoughts about his emotions following the event and his plans for the 2024 WSOP.
“This bracelet actually means a lot to me," he said. "Everyone [who] plays a tournament, they always want to win. But I came into this summer with a real desire to try and win as many bracelets as I can."
In response to his comeback from being the short stack during three-handed play, Seiver said, “I think my style of play, especially in Omaha 8 or Better or split pot games in general, allows me to survive on a short stack for a long time."
Seiver will be eligible for the Poker Hall of Fame next year and has his sights set on the shortlist.
"Honestly, I’ve been one of the best in the world at cash games, heads-up no-limit tournaments, literally almost any form of poker there has been. And I just feel that it was important to let people know that I’m still here and doing this.”
Seiver's Path to Victory
Seiver secured the chip lead at the end of Day 1 and never looked back. Late registration remained open for the first level of Day 2 and once all the entries were tallied, it was determined that 30 players would be awarded at least a min-cash of $20,309. Unfortunately, Patrick Leonard earned the unlucky title of bubble boy just missing out on the money.
Patrick Moulder entered the final table with a middling stack but was never able to gain momentum under the lights. He ultimately exited the event in ninth place, falling at the hands of Benny Glaser.
Next to fall was the ever-talkative Jared Bleznick, who finished in eighth place. Bleznick lost multiple pots at the final table before eventually getting it in preflop against the overall tournament runner-up, Cohen. Unfortunately, the deck provided no help and Bleznick was sent to the cashier’s desk.
Jake Schwartz managed to climb a few pay jumps at the final table before ultimately becoming the short stack. He got all his chips in the middle ahead against Paul Zappulla, but a disastrous turn card sent him packing in seventh place.
The most decorated mixed-game player at the final table was Glaser, boasting five WSOP bracelets from a variety of games as well as multiple online mixed-game championships. Glaser entered the final table with his eyes firmly on the gold bracelet. However, a string of unfortunate runouts left Glaser as the short stack with six players remaining. Ultimately, it was Seiver who sent Glaser to the showers in sixth place.
Sami Saad El-Dein ended Day 2 as the overnight chip leader and seemed to pull away from the rest of the field during the early levels of Day 3. However, shorthanded play before the final table wasn’t kind to El-Dein and he entered the final table as the shortest stack. El-Dein finished the tournament in fifth place, falling to Seiver. Despite this, he secured a six-figure score, by far his biggest to date and something he will surely be very proud of.
After El-Dein's elimination in fifth place, the remaining four players bagged up for the night and returned on Day 4 to play to a winner, with Seiver at the top of the counts.
Of the four players returning for Day 4, Zappulla was the only one without a WSOP bracelet. Coming in as the short stack, it was going to be a monumental task to emerge victorious. It took less than one level of play on Day 4 for Zappulla to hit the rail after running into the quads of Calvin Anderson. Zappulla settled for a fourth-place finish and his biggest cash to date.
That meant the remaining three players had guaranteed themselves a podium finish and a cash prize just shy of $200,000. Three-handed play was fast and furious, with each player holding the chip lead and the shortest stack multiple times. It took more than four hours of play for another elimination to occur. Finishing in third was four-time bracelet winner Calvin Anderson, who, after getting short-stacked, couldn't improve against the eventual champion Seiver when all the chips went in preflop.
Seiver had a commanding chip lead going into heads-up play against Cohen, with an almost 4:1 chip advantage. Seiver had Cohen on the brink of elimination multiple times, but Cohen showed a knack for surviving and didn’t go down without a fight. Ultimately, Seiver’s relentless aggression paid off as he finished off Cohen in just thirty minutes, claiming his fifth bracelet.
As always, PokerNews will provide real-time updates in all 99 bracelet events over the summer, so keep it here to stay in the loop with the latest action throughout the series.