$1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (Event #30)

The 50th Annual World Series of Poker has given another prestigious WSOP gold bracelet away to a new champion in Luis Zedan who just shipped Event #30: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha for an immense $236,673.

Zedan was the last man standing of the 1,526 runners to take part in the record-breaking field for this event. He jumped into the top spot early on Day 2 and showed no fear of playing massive pots at any point thereafter. During the third day, he dropped towards the bottom of the counts, but didn't tilt and quickly built his stack back up, bouncing back up to a substantial chip lead when he headed into the final day.

"At the end of yesterday I felt very good and this morning I came in focused. I woke up at 9 a.m. and went to the spa, then had something to eat. This is my fourth final table and I had a very deep run in August. At that time I was very tense, I wanted to get everything in."

The Miami, Florida native claims that he felt more relaxed today, and he was always the most outgoing and positive person at every table he played throughout the tournament. He plans on donating 35% of his earnings after taxes to a friend's charity in Kenya.

"There is nothing like playing poker with friends, that's my saying. I was smiling and having fun. That's what poker should be, the idea is to make the game fun for the whole poker community," he said.

When asked if he was excited about winning a bracelet Zedan replied, "It's been my dream! I started to play poker seriously back in 2009 and after watching Moneymaker win in 2003, I believed that anybody could win. I've been coming here since 2011 or 2012. It's been my dream and I've gotten very deep in tournaments three times. Finally, I've gotten first place. I'm very, very happy!"

Final Table Results

Final Table Action

Erik Wilcke was the first to fall at the final table of nine, when he flopped bottom two pair with the danglers to his aces, but Zedan's top pair found a second pair on the turn to leave Wilcke headed out the door first for $18,188 and a ninth place finish. It was Thida Lin's turn to get in on the executioner's role next when Stanislav Parkhomenko's aces got cracked by Lin's full house with {a-Clubs}{7-Spades}{6-Diamonds}{5-Clubs} making fives full of sevens by the river. Parkhomenko takes $23,654 for his eighth-place finish back to Bulgaria.

Christopher Conrad was next to go in seventh, finding top pair on the flop, but Zedan's hot streak continued, as he flopped a set and rivered a flush to best Conrad, who managed to hit a runner-runner straight of his own. Conrad's second PLO cash of the series was good for $31,130. Gregory Donatelli would be the last elimination of Day 3 before the field returned for an extra day of play. A cooler scenario saw Donatelli flop a set of jacks and a gutshot, but Zedan held top set of aces and a blocker to Donatelli's straight, and no relief came for Donatelli, who settled for sixth-place and $41,453 in prize money.

The final five players returned on Day 4, and the action commenced immediately, as Ryan Goindoo of Trinidad and Tobago was the first to fall, the result of his aces being cracked by Lin's full house. Goindoo took home $55,845 for fifth-place. Ryan Robinson would be the next to fall victim to Zedan, as Robinson's flopped nut straight went down in flames to the flopped set of Zedan, when Zedan filled up on the turn and Robinson couldn't hit his overpair to survive, giving Robinson fourth-place and $76,101.

Sam Razavi started Day 4 as the short stack, and managed to ladder his way up to third, before finally succumbing to Zedan, when Razavi got his last few chips in with three kings and a seven preflop. Zedan made two pair by the turn, and Razavi couldn't catch up, meaning the British pro was rewarded with $104,888 for his third-place performance.

Heads-up play looked to be a lengthy affair, with Lin holding around 40 big blinds at the start to Zedan's whopping 150, but the last hand came just a few minutes in. Lin held two pair and an open-ended straight draw on the turn and got her last three million or so chips in, but Zedan had turned the nut straight, and Lin was runner up for $146,196 when she failed to fill up on the river.

That wraps up the coverage of Event #30: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha! Check out all of the live updates of Event #26: $2,620 No-Limit Hold'em Marathon now on PokerNews.

Thida Lin opened to 475,000 from the button and Luis Zedan defended his big. The dealer fanned out     and both players checked to the   turn card.

Zedan fired in 680,000 and Lin called to see the   river card. Both players checked and Zedan tabled      for a turned straight. Lin mucked her hand and Zedan scooped in the early pot.

Luis Zedan	26,400,000	1,400,000
Thida Lin	4,100,000	-900,000

Luis Zedan potted on the button, and Sam Razavi got his last 500,000 in from the big blind, which Zedan called.

Sam Razavi:     
Luis Zedan:     

"We three kings..." Razavi sung to his rail.

Zedan hit a pair on the     flop, and the   turn improved Zedan for two pair. Razavi called for a six to counterfeit Zedan, but the   river was a brick, ending Razavi's short-stacking day, although he did manage to ladder up two spots in the process.

Luis Zedan	25,000,000	450,000
Sam Razavi	0	-645,000

Luis Zedan opened to 400,000 from the button, Thida Lin called in the small blind and Ryan Robinson defended his big blind.

The dealer spread out     on the flop and action checked to Zedan who fired in 860,000. Lin folded to Robinson who announced pot and Zedan instantly raised pot, Robinson called and the two turned over their hands.

Robinson tabled      for the nut straight and Zedan showed     , giving him a set of fives. The turn came down an   and Zedan spiked his full house, taking the lead.

The   river changed nothing as Zedan scooped in the pot and Robinson was eliminated from the tournament in fourth place.

Luis Zedan	24,550,000	7,075,000
Thida Lin	6,900,000	-800,000
Sam Razavi	645,000	-355,000
Ryan Robinson	0	-4,650,000

Luis Zedan opened from the hijack to 450,000 and Ryan Robinson called in the small. The dealer fanned out     and both players checked to the   turn card.

Robinson checked to Zedan, he fired in 475,000 and was quickly check-raised to 1,000,000 from Robinson. Zedan just as quickly threw his cards into the muck, sending the pot to Robinson.

Luis Zedan	17,475,000	1,475,000
Ryan Robinson	4,650,000	-25,000

Thida Lin opened to 400,000 from the cutoff and Sam Razavi defended his big blind. The flop came down     and Razavi checked to Lin who pushed in 800,000.

Razavi instantly mucked and Lin pulled in her first pot of the day.

Thida Lin	6,250,000	60,000
Sam Razavi	625,000	-425,000

The extra day of Event #30: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha has now started.

The final five players in Event #30: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha required a fourth day to determine a winner of the $236,673 and the coveted WSOP gold bracelet. All five players are guaranteed $55,845 when they return to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino at 12 noon local time. The 1,526 initial entries have been whittled down to just five players, and Luis Zedan wields almost half of the chips in play with 15,670,000 going into the final day. The next closest player within striking distance is Thida Lin (pictured left) with 6,190,000, an almost ten million chip difference in the top two spots.

The other three players in contention include Ryan Robinson (4,675,000), Ryan Goindoo (2,985,000), and Sam Razavi (1,050,000), who has some work to do in a hurry, as he starts the final day with under seven big blinds. With the volatile nature of PLO, however, any one of the four players chasing Zedan could flip the script and make a run for the bracelet, much like Zedan did to Anton Morganstern in Day 3 play yesterday.

Final Five Chip Counts:

Play kicks off today in Level 31 (80,000/160,000) and levels will be 60 minutes in length. There will be a 15 minute break every two levels, and play will continue today until we crown a champion. Stay tuned for all the pots, wraps and double-suited aces as we prepare to report the award another WSOP bracelet!