Xixiang Luo Goes Boom and Wins Gold For China in Event #41: NLH / PLO Bomb Pot Mix
After three days of battle, only one stood up to be the inaugural Double Board Bomb Pot Mix Champion, having defeated a field of 1,312 entries, taking the largest portion of the $1,751,520 total prize pool with a tremendous first-place prize of $270,820 and the WSOP gold bracelet. Xixiang Luo was that champion, and he couldn’t be happier.
Winner's Reaction
A cast of smiling faces celebrating China’s newest gold bracelet helped to translate Luo’s reaction when asked how he felt, “I’m so excited. To win with my friends here and for China… that makes it even better.”
Luo is off a recent sixth place finish in Event #23: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. and was thrilled to be able to close this one out.
The 2024 World Series of Poker, hosted by Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, has been special for many reasons, but Event #41: $1,500 Mixed NLH / PLO Double Board Bomb Pot makes this year stand out in particular, as it’s an event that has never before been on the schedule. The game alternated between No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha, with the top of each round highlighted by a double-board bomb pot.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize [USD] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xixiang Luo | China | $270,820 |
| 2 | Daniel Hachem | Australia | $180,541 |
| 3 | William Kopp | United States | $127,925 |
| 4 | David Funkhouser | United States | $91,891 |
| 5 | Quan Zhou | China | $66,930 |
| 6 | Marcos Exterkotter | Brazil | $49,439 |
| 7 | Gabi Livshitz | Israel | $37,044 |
| 8 | Robert Cote | United States | $28,161 |
| 9 | Joseph Dulaney | United States | $21,725 |
Heads Up Play
Heads up was such a long affair that they were less than 15 minutes away from slating a Day 4 of competition but a timely hand for Lou closed the door on Joe Hachem’s son, Daniel Hachem, getting his first bit of WSOP gold. Lou held the chip lead for most of the final table battle, but once it got down to heads up, Hachem was able to pull ahead multiple times; however, he was unable to ever run away with it.
Path to the Final Table
Day 1 of this unique event saw plenty of bloodshed; the field lost well over a thousand runners before 167 bags were distributed to those who made Day 2. Several notables made the money but were unable to find the bag, including the likes of Ethan Yau, Jordan Spurlin, and Erik Mason.
Eliminations happened quickly for the majority of Day 2, but play slowed down significantly at the final three tables. Dario Sammartino was poised for a deep run before falling in 58th place ($4,754), as was Patrick Leonard in 56th place ($4,754). Shaun Deeb eclipsed the million chip mark and was well in contention before his big slick lost to aces, followed by a downward spiral that saw him fall in 47th place ($6,314). Esther Taylor-Brady (26th; $8,952) and John Riordan (25th; $8,952) came up just short of the final three tables.
Initially, Day 2 was slated to play down to five contenders, but play was halted at the final two tables when only 16 remained.
The pace of play continued full throttle on Day 3, as Frankie Muzzio (14th place) and Dario Alioto (13th); both bust in the same PLO Bomb pot for a prize of $13,524. Aaron Frank (10th - $17,012), came just short of the unofficial final table when the tens of Joseph Dulaney outclassed his pair.
Final Table Action
Joseph Dulaney was first to fall in ninth, after needling David Funkhouser. Israel’s Gabi Livshitz had quite the rail before he ran into the kings of Xixiang Lou and was thwarted in seventh place.
China had not one but two chances at the gold at this final table before Quan Zhou (fifth) ran into Funkhouser’s aces in Pot-Limit Omaha.
William Kopp went from chip leading to the short stack and back again on his way to the podium, but eventually, he ran into a made hand when he was short, cutting his chance at a second bracelet short.
Heads-up was hard fought on both sides, but in the end, Luo's tireless and explosive personality made his people proud. With a smile on his face, a Lucky 7 was always coming.
The 2024 World Series of Poker, hosted by Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, isn’t even halfway through; continue to check back with PokerNews for all the most up-to-date poker action.