$600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack (Event #25)

An extra day was needed to finish the huge Event #25: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack. The brand new event at the 2019 World Series of Poker attracted 2,577 entries and created a prize pool of $1,352,925 with a first-place prize of $205,605. Andrew Donabedian took home the grand prize and his first WSOP gold bracelet by beating Todd Dreyer heads-up who had to settle for $126,948.

When asked about the bracelet he just won Donabedian said: ''I play a lot of the circuits and I have a lot of seconds and thirds. Been saving the win for the bracelet I guess. It's pretty awesome.''

Donabedian mostly plays Omaha tournaments at the circuit events and he was surprised by the turnout in this event.

''PLO seems to be getting a lot more popular every year, I think it's great! It's a lot more fun than hold'em.''

Final Table Results

Final Day Action

The day started with twelve players left in the tournament. The player at the top of the leaderboard was Corey Wright, who ended Day 1 of the tournament as chip leader as well as Day 2. He had a great start of the day but the same can not be said about Cheli Lin. Lin busted in the first level of the day and had to settle for 12th place and $13,212. Others that started Day 3 but didn't make the final table include Eric Sain (11th - $13,212) and Michael Bartov (10th - $13,212).

Another player that missed the final table was Alexander Condon. Despite finishing in ninth and cashing for $16,971 he missed the final table as he busted in the same hand as Bartov, albeit on the other table.

The final table started with a lot of players doubling up their stacks. It took a little over two levels for the first player to be eliminated and that was Austria's Florian Fuchs. He started the final table second in chips but was eliminated in eighth for $22,006.

Others that didn't make it to the top three included WSOP bracelet winner "Captain" Tom Franklin. He won his first and only bracelet 20 years ago and has to wait a little longer to add a second bracelet to his prize cabinet. He finished in seventh for $28,803. Alexandru Ivan (6th - $38,051), Mihai Niste (5th - $50,732), and Wright (4th - $68,258) also didn't make it to the podium.

Todd Dreyer had an opportunity to end the tournament by eliminating both Donabedian and Robert Valden in one hand but he folded on a queen-high two-club flop with a club-flush draw. Donabedian would end up winning the hand with what turned out to be a smaller flush and Valden busted a couple of hands later in third for $92,672.

The heads-up was pulled in Donabedian's favor within a couple of minutes. The pots were kept small but Dreyer's stack kept dwindling down until he got his chips in the middle with a worse draw to an already made straight by Donabedian. The runout didn't change anything and Donabedian took down the tournament. He won the first-place prize of $205,605 and the WSOP gold bracelet. Dreyer had to settle for second and $126,948.

Andrew Donabedian made it 5,200,000 on the button and Todd Dreyer defended. The       board got checked down to the river, where Dreyer was the first to move with a bet of 4,000,000.

Donabedian responded with a min-raise to 8,000,000 and Dreyer winged his cards in the muck.

Andrew Donabedian	55,900,000	13,900,000
Todd Dreyer	21,400,000	-13,600,000

The two remaining players have taken a short break before level 43 commences. All the levels on the tournament clock have now been completed, and a manual extra level of 1,200,000/2,400,000 has been added.

Todd Dreyer made it 5,000,000 on the button, Robert Valden called from the small blind and Andrew Donadebian called from the big blind. The     saw two lightning-quick shoved from Valden — 15,000,000 --, and from Donabedian for 11,100,000.

Dreyer took minutes to assess the situation and held his hand on his hands. If he'd overcall all in, there was a chance he'd win the bracelet on the spot. Eventually, he opted to lay it down to leave it to the other two.

Andrew Donabedian:     
Robert Valden:     

"You both had draws?! I had a higher flush draw," Dreyer said upon seeing both wraps. It became even worse for him as the board ran out    , which would've given him the winner. Instead, it was Donabedian who tripled up with his flush and Valden was left short.

Andrew Donabedian	37,200,000	21,200,000
Todd Dreyer	35,900,000	-11,500,000
Robert Valden	3,900,000	-32,100,000

Todd Dreyer has been playing the waiting game for most of the final table. He tripled up moments ago and he just won a nice pot that put him in the second position.

Andrew Donabedian raised from the small blind to 6,000,000 and big blind Dreyer called. The flop fell     and Dreyer called another 2,500,000 bet from Donabedian.

The turn was the   and Donabedian checked to Dreyer this time. He announced all in but Donabedian quickly folded his hand.

Robert Valden	36,000,000	10,000,000
Todd Dreyer	24,000,000	6,100,000
Andrew Donabedian	16,000,000	1,000,000
Corey Wright	12,500,000	800,000

After a slow phase with nothing but walks and raise-and-take-its, there was a flop again when Todd Dreyer raised to 4,800,000 from the small blind and Robert Valden called from the big blind.

On an     flop, Dreyer shoved all in for 8,300,000. Valden thought for minutes and eventually folded in disgust.

Robert Valden	26,000,000	-1,000,000
Todd Dreyer	17,900,000	800,000

Start-of-the-day chip leader Corey Wright was down to 9,500,000 and raised it up first to act. Robert Valden reraised from the big blind to put Wright at risk and the latter got it in.

Corey Wright:     
Robert Valden:     

The     flop and   turn kept Valden way ahead, leaving only the queens, jacks, and eights as outs. The river was one of them, the  , and he celebrated the double-up.

"Gutshot Corey strikes again!" his friends joked from the rail.

Robert Valden	32,800,000	-9,200,000
Corey Wright	19,800,000	8,000,000

The players were moved to the Amazon Thunderdome stage during the break. In the first hand after the break, Mihai Niste got it all in for 6,700,000 against Andrew Donabedian.

Mihai Niste:     
Andrew Donabedian:     

The board came down       and Niste doubled up.

Andrew Donabedian	15,000,000	-6,700,000
Mihai Niste	14,200,000	7,500,000

Mihai Niste raised to 3,600,000 in middle position and Robert Valden called on the button. On the     flop, Niste checked, Valden shoved all in for 8,200,000, and Miste called him off.

Robert Valden:     
Mihai Niste:     

"Yes!" an exuberant Valden yelled while he jumped out of his seat. He had Niste nearly drawing dead on the flop and stacked the chips after the   turn and   river.

Robert Valden	25,400,000	11,800,000
Mihai Niste	6,700,000	-9,000,000