Once again, the great game did not disappoint.
The highlight of the Aria Poker Classic has been the incredible turnout for the beloved Pot Limit Omaha events. The $1,600 BetMGM Pot Limit Omaha Championship started with 880 players and, as expected, was the biggest PLO event of the series. The generous $500,000 guarantee was met by the first break of Day 1, and by the time the final player registered, the prize pool had ballooned up to $1,258,400.
The 111 remaining players that bagged Day 1 returned to the felt to battle down to the eventual winner, who would take home the massive first-place prize of $220,214. A few familiar faces were in the mix, including legends of the game Steve Zolotow and Freddy Deeb, who both made decent runs, and some wildcards like former UFC Welterweight champion Colby Covington.
However, when the final chip fell, Daisuke Ogita took down the final pot and raised the trophy in victory. Ogita played out of his mind. He ran pure, but he also played with unrelenting aggression and no fear in the face of uncomfortable spots. This might not be Ogita’s largest win ever, as he is a formidable player in the no-limit holdem streets with over $1,900,000 in winnings already recorded on Hendon, but it is his biggest tournament win in a pot-limit Omaha event by a long shot.
Final Table Results
- Daisuke Ogita – Japan - $220,214
- Evan Haskell - Hollywood, FL - $154,280
- Andrew Denick - Rockledge, FL - $99,779
- Jared Hyman - Washington DC - $73,742
- Igor Zektser - W Hollywood, CA - $55,873
- Mark Berente – Hungary - $44,547
- Nikola Minkov – Bulgaria - $36,871
- Gary Bolden - Las Vegas, NV - $29,321
- Jose Planells – Spain - $22,022
Final Table Action
He made his way to this victory through a wild final table that saw players pushing their equities and going for the win. The words “These guys don’t care about ICM at all” were heard from the rail multiple times. Ogita claimed the knockout of five different players at the final table. This feat comes from some fantastic play and some absolute run good.
He cracked the aces of Nikola Minkov with kings to bust him in seventh. He made a massive hero call on the flop to hold and get a massive double against Mark Berente. He cracked top set of kings when his wrap completed to bust Igor Zektser in fifth. He was on the wrong end of a 60/40 flip on the flop that he ended up winning to bust Jared Hyman in fourth. Oh, and he hit a four outer on the river to win the whole tournament and bust his heads-up opponent, Evan Haskell.
The run good was there, but he was also putting opponents in the blender. His favorite word seemed to be “Pot” for the whole day. The win is massive, but the grind doesn’t stop. Ogita says he will be firing the Main tomorrow and hopes the run good will continue.
Congratulations Daisuke!
and was called by Daisuke Ogita. The cards hit their backs with Haskell all in and at risk.
turn was clean, but the 
river brought in the gutter that Ogita needed, and he made a wheel to send Haskell to the rail in second place.
