Event #17: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better

It was an all-out battle tonight at the final table of Event #17: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better at the 2023 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. On a final table that took close to nine hours to play out, half of those nine hours were a marathon back and forth heads up match between Nick Kost and eventual winner Jim Collopy.

Neither player was ever willing to give an inch, but after the dust settled, Collopy stood up from his seat with renewed energy at the realization that he had just taken down his third career WSOP bracelet and the first-place prize of $262,542 and with Limit Omaha 8 or Better being one of his favorite games, this win was special.

Event #17: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low 8 or Better Final Table Results

Winner's Reaction

Collopy is no stranger to the winner's circle. He told PokerNews that he likes to play hi-lo split games in general and has been working on these types of games a lot, so winning a bracelet in one of his favorite variants was not only a lot of fun, but also really rewarding.

When asked how it felt to get his third bracelet in a split event, he said, "It was terrific that over 1,000 people were here to play this event, so it's just really special to close out the bracelet in a tournament like this."

He's also no stranger to marathon heads-up matches as he was one-half of one of the longest heads-up battles in WSOP history a number of years ago, so when it came to his ability to wait out his opponent and maneuver his spots, he came well-equipped.

Final Day Recap

When the final table began, Kost held the chip lead and did so for most of the final table, but as heads-up play approached, Collopy made himself more and more of a force at the table.

Brian Kelley was the first finalist to fall, and only a few hands later, Igor Zektser bowed out in eighth.

Then came the untimely demise of Kyle Cartwright, who seemed to have too many outs against James Obst's two pair.

Aubrey Gilbert crashed out in sixth before Australia's Obst fell at the hands of Collopy in a massive pot.

Four-handed play ended when Kost eliminated Qinghai Pan, and heads-up was reached when start of Day 2 chip leader Kyle Burnside bowed out, with Collopy again doing the damage.

By the time heads-up play began, Collopy held a slight lead and would go on to trade blows for over four hours before the final hand came down

Collopy pulled away from Kost over and over again, and even though it was a back-and-forth battle, Collopy never let his opponent get him worse than even in chips. Kost would even go on to mention how strong of an opponent Collopy is, saying that he's incredibly tough to play against.

Collopy made the final push toward the bracelet over the course of the last dozen or so hands that would see him take Kost from close to even in chips to out of the tournament. By finding spots to draw extra bets out of his opponent that many others may not have found, he was able to close out a very special win and add to his legacy.

With how well Collopy is playing right now, we could very well see him making other deep runs this summer, and after the performance he put on at this final table, it would come as no surprise if he found himself with a shot at a fourth bracelet sooner rather than later.

As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage of the 2023 World Series of Poker from Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas!

After a couple of fast hands, Nick Kost had gotten short when on the button, he raised and was three-bet by Jim Collopy.

Kost called and the flop came    . Collopy checked and Kost put out a bet. Collopy quickly raised and Kost called for the rest of his chips.

Nick Kost:     
Jim Collopy:     

The board ran out   , offering no improvement and sending Kost home in 2nd place for $162,266.

Jim Collopy	28,500,000	10,700,000
Nick Kost	0	-10,700,000

Jim Collopy limped the button and called a raise from Nick Kost to head to a flop of    .

Kost bet and Collopy called to see the   hit the turn. Both players checked and did the same on the   river, leading to Kost tabling the     , prompting Collopy to toss his cards in the muck.

Nick Kost	14,300,000	-200,000
Jim Collopy	14,200,000	200,000

On a flop of    , Nick Kost bet and Jim Collopy called.

Kost continued betting on the   turn and   river as Collopy called him down.

"Find a scoop," one of Kost's supporters yelled from the rail. Kost turned over      for the flopped straight and a low as Collopy shook his head in frustration before mucking.

Nick Kost	18,500,000	4,300,000
Jim Collopy	10,000,000	-4,300,000

Jim Collopy three-bet before the flop and Nick Kost called.

The flop came     and Collopy bet. Kost called to the   turn and called another bet.

The   fell on the river and Collopy checked over to Kost, who put in a bet. Collopy quickly called and Kost turned over    for the rivered full house.

"Are you serious? The only ten," Collopy cried out as he mucked   . Kost has now pulled in front in the heads-up match with that pot.

Nick Kost	14,500,000	7,500,000
Jim Collopy	14,000,000	-7,500,000

Nick Kost raised the button and Jim Collopy three-bet from the big blind to see a flop of    .

Collopy bet out and faced a raise from Kost before calling to see the  . This time he check-called a bet from Kost to arrive at the  .

Both players checked through to showdown and Collopy showed the     .

When Kost tossed his cards in the muck, indicating that the naked kings were good, Collopy simply said, "Wow."

Nick Kost

11,700,000

400,000

Jim Collopy raised the button and Nick Kost called.

Both players checked the     and headed directly to the   turn card. Kost bet and Collopy came along to see the   River.

Both players checked through and Kost turned over the     , good enough for the whole pot as Collopy tossed his cards into the muck.

Jim Collopy	16,600,000	-5,200,000
Nick Kost	11,900,000	5,200,000

Nick Kost raised the button and Jim Collopy came along to a     flop.

Collopy bet, receiving a two-bet from Kost as a response. Collopy made it three bets and Kost called to see a   hit the turn.

Collopy bet and Kost called as both players headed to a river card of the  .

Collopy checked and Kost bet. Collopy responded with a raise and Kost quickly called and showed the      which prompted a frustrated Collopy to toss his card toward the muck and send the whole pot to Kost.

Jim Collopy	16,900,000	-600,000
Nick Kost	11,600,000	600,000

Nick Kost limped the button and Jim Collopy raised. Kost called and both saw a flop of    .

Collopy bet and Kost called to see the  .

Collopy bet again and Kost came along to a river of the  .

Collopy bet once more and Kost called to see Collopy turn over      for the nut flush, good enough to scoop the pot and create the first real bit of distance between the two heads up opponents.

Jim Collopy	22,000,000	1,700,000
Nick Kost	6,500,000	-1,700,000