Racener Leads WSOPE Omaha Event

What started out as a typical tournament turned into a long struggle for survival, as the World Series of Poker Europe’s £5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha began late this week.

The tournament began with a field of 120 players, and began to proceed as most tournaments do, with the number of players being reduced to 49 at the end of the first day. The second day played out at a normal pace too, until the bubble was reached.

With just 19 players left in play, and with 18 players set to make the money, it was no surprise that play got a little more defensive. After all, this is only natural on the bubble, as most players fear being eliminated just one spot from winning a substantial cash prize. Thus, it’s not unheard of for it to take some time for the last player to be eliminated before the money is reached.

But what happened during the WSOPE event was quite remarkable. The 19 remaining players reportedly battled for four hours before someone was finally eliminated. The unlucky player was John Kabbaj, who was knocked out by John Racener, one of the November Nine who will be returning to Las Vegas next month to play out the final table of the World Series of Poker’s main event.

Not only did Racener send Kabbaj to the rail, but when play ended early Saturday morning, Racener had taken the chip lead with just 15 players remaining. That puts him in prime position to win the £159,514 first prize. In total, there is a £600,000 prize pool, with each remaining player earning at least £10,104.

Several notable players are still in contention. Racener leads the tournament with 276,000 chips, but other big names who are still around include Jeffrey Lisandro (131,000), Jeff Mandsen (126,500), and Chris Bjorin (122,000).

The 2010 World Series of Poker Europe features five events, all of which take place in the Casino at the Empire in London, England. The WSOPE culminates in the Championship No Limit Hold’em event, which begins on Thursday, September 23.