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Wednesday, January 17, 2024 4:14 PM Local Time
Event #8: $600 Omaha 8 or Better Winner Scott Buller
Scott Buller entered the final day of Event #8: $600 Omaha 8 or Better with a sizeable chip lead over his 13 remaining opponents. It took less than an hour to get to the final table with Buller extending his lead. And then those last 8 opponents never had a chance.
Buller finished off his final 13 opponents in just over three hours, raising and re-raising with unmatched aggression against the baker's dozen of inevitable victims, because well, Buller had a plane to catch!
"My wife's birthday is tomorrow and we're going to The Price is Right. I've got to get to Burbank, I've got to make the plane at 4:30 so I can get down there so I played really, really fast. Most of these guys aren't accustomed to somebody playing that fast and it really worked great.
Buller scored his final elimination just before 3:30 p.m. local time to claim the title and was still kind enough to speak to WSOP.com and Poker.org before racing to the airport. Some answers were quicker than others including describing the amount of adversity his maniacal style Wednesday produced for him.
"None. Not a bit."
indeed there wasn't. Buller's impressive win gives him his fourth career WSOP Circuit ring, which includes another Omaha 8 or Better win at Council Bluffs in 2016 and back-to back Seniors titles in 2019 at Choctaw Durant in Oklahoma.
For now, Buller is taking that ring, his $14,335 first prize and a seat into 2024 WSOP Tournament of Champions this summer, and hoping the rungood continues with a call of "come on down!" as he and his wife head off to world's most famous game show.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 12:30 PM Local Time
Event #8: $600 Omaha 8 or Better Final Table
After just 30 minutes of play, the Day 2 starting field of 14 has been thinned to a final table of nine with several of the short stacks being quickly eliminated.
Three-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Scott Buller has extended his chip lead, while defending champion Shirley Rosario was one of the day's early eliminations.
Here's a look at how the rest of the field shapes up:
Seat 1: Gregory Drake - 150,000
Seat 2: James Maxwell - 179,000
Seat 3: Scott Buller - 700,000
Seat 4: Lemuel Cardeno - 102,000
Seat 5: Volodymyr Kondratenko - 150,000
Seat 6: Todd Fitzhugh - 340,000
Seat 7: Craig Carrillo - 392,000
Seat 8: Nelson Wong - 41,000
Seat 9: Kevin Lutz - 236,000
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 10:00 AM Local Time
While three-time Circuit ring winner Scott Buller (522,000) takes a sizeable chip lead into Day 2 of Event #8: $600 Omaha 8 or Better here at the WSOP Circuit series at Thunder Valley Casino Resort, a strong field with other notable contenders and former Circuit ring winners will be hot on his heels.
Play resumes at noon PT with not only defending champion Shirley Rosario (69,000) still in the field but recent Thunder Valley HORSE champion Volodymr Kondratenko (197,000) who opens the day third in chips.
Other former ring winners still in the star-studded field include January 2022 Thunder Valley O8 champion Terry Giles (196,000) and September 2023 champ Kevin Lutz (188,000).
Each of the final 14 players have earned at least $1,000, but the $14,335 first prize along with the prestigious WSOP Circuit ring and entry into the 2024 WSOP Tournament of Champions is just 13 eliminations away.
Play continues Wednesday until a champion (and potentially a two-time champion) is crowned.