Justin Liberto wins his second WSOP bracelet 11 years later

Justin Liberto achieved a long-awaited victory at the 2024 WSOP, winning his second gold bracelet and the top prize of $265,297 in the Big O tournament.

As part of the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Event #14: $1,500 Mixed: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better/Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better (also known as “Big O”) has concluded at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas venues. The main star of the final table was Justin Liberto, who, 11 years after his first WSOP victory, captured his second gold bracelet and the top prize of $265,297. His road to this success was challenging and full of dramatic moments, and the final battle with Chris Lee became a true highlight of the tournament. Context: Tournament, Format, and Participants Event #14: $1,500 Mixed Omaha is a tournament featuring mixed Omaha variants: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better and Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, also known as “Big O.” In this format, players receive five cards each, and the pot is split between the best high hand and the best low hand, if there is one. The tournament attracted 1,287 participants, highlighting its popularity and high level of competition. The final day of the tournament took place on June 5, 2024. Twenty-four players returned to compete for the bracelet, including both seasoned professionals and ambitious amateurs. Justin Liberto started the day as the chip leader, already having three cashes at this year’s WSOP. Among the contenders were well-known players such as two-time bracelet winner Brandon Shack-Harris, five-time champion Brad Ruben, as well as Jean Laurent, Chris Lee, Joseph Weinberger, Naween Fernando, and others. Final Day Action: Key Hands and Climax The action was fast-paced from the very start. In the early stages, several short stacks were eliminated, and Jean Laurent quickly began building his stack, winning a big pot from Thomas Taylor. Brandon Shack-Harris made an impressive run, increasing his stack from 500,000 to 1,600,000, first doubling through Jordan Siegel, then winning a pot with a flush against David Yarbrough in Big O. Soon after, Taylor, Siegel, Yarbrough, as well as Dekel Balas, Matthew Beinner, Woody Deck, Benjamin Goldstein, George Wang, Kevin Choi, and Brandon Cantu were eliminated. The latter busted after his top pair was beaten by Lee Rough’s flush with a low. After the first break, Chris Lee and Joseph Weinberger managed to double up and stay in the game. Weinberger even tripled his stack in Big O by making a “wheel” (the lowest straight), while Lee won a pot against Michael Banducci by making a hand on the later streets. At this point, Jean Laurent had already taken the chip lead, winning a big pot with a set of deuces and the best low against Liberto and Lawrence Berg. Shortly after, Berg and Reagan Rich were eliminated, leaving 12 players in the field. Brad Ruben knocked out Banducci with a straight in Omaha Hi-Lo, but Liberto quickly regained the lead by winning a huge three-way pot with “Broadway” (a straight from ten to ace), eliminating Lee Rough. Ariel Mantel finished in tenth place, while Brian Battistone went out in ninth after losing a pot to Naween Fernando. Final Table: The Battle for the Bracelet At the final table, Liberto immediately took the initiative, winning a pot from Edward Spivack in Omaha Hi-Lo. Spivack was the first to bust at the final table, losing a pot to Jean Laurent. After that, Liberto became the first player to surpass 10 million chips, forcing Laurent to fold on the river in Big O. Joseph Weinberger, who had been short-stacked for a long time, finished in seventh place: his aces in Big O couldn’t hold against Chris Lee, who made a wheel on the river and scooped the pot. Soon after, Lee eliminated another opponent—Naween Fernando—cracking his kings and securing second place in chips. Lee continued to dominate, knocking out two experienced opponents in a row. Brad Ruben went all-in preflop in Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo with overcards against Lee’s tens, but the board didn’t help Ruben, and he finished fifth. A few hands later, Shack-Harris also lost to Lee, beaten by kicker and the best low, finishing fourth. In three-handed play, Laurent lost most of his stack after dropping several pots to Liberto and Lee in Big O. Despite doubling up, he was soon forced all-in blind with queens against Lee, who made a pair of kings and eliminated Laurent in third place. Heads-Up: Liberto vs. Lee In the final showdown, Liberto started with a slight chip advantage, but Lee quickly evened things up by winning several pots in a row. However, Liberto didn’t give up: he won a big pot from Lee with a check-raise on the river in Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo. Lee then managed to regain the lead, winning a series of small pots and making a set of fives in Omaha Hi-Lo, getting paid by Liberto. Despite this, Liberto managed to take back the lead in Big O. In the decisive hand, he called Lee’s preflop raise, called a bet on the flop with the nut flush draw, and when the flush completed on the turn, he check-raised. Lee shoved all-in with a straight, but Liberto showed the nut flush and the best low. The river sealed Liberto’s victory, and his supporters celebrated the long-awaited triumph. The Winner’s Emotions and the Significance of the Victory After the tournament, Justin Liberto shared his emotions with PokerNews. He noted that he had long wanted to win another WSOP bracelet, as in the 11 years since his first victory, he had reached several final tables, finishing second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth, but couldn’t become champion again. “I feel like this win was a long time coming, and I’m very happy,” Liberto admitted. The road to the bracelet wasn’t easy: despite starting as chip leader, by mid-day his stack had dropped to average, but that didn’t throw him off. “When you start the day with a big stack, even if you drop to two million, that’s still an average stack, so I was fine,” he said. Liberto emphasized that he always managed to stay calm regardless of the ups and downs. Before this tournament, Liberto had already cashed three times at this year’s series and felt very confident. “I believe in poker momentum. I believe in confidence in your decisions, and right now I feel very dangerous,” he added. Liberto expressed special gratitude to his family and friends who supported him throughout the final stage: “I’m incredibly happy to have so many people in my life who make everything easier for me. My wife, my wonderful kids, family, and friends—they’re amazing. I’m truly blessed.” Final Table Results for Event #14: $1,500 Mixed Omaha Place Player Prize 1 Justin Liberto $265,297 2 Chris Lee $173,659 3 Jean Laurent $120,828 4 Brandon Shack-Harris $85,098 5 Brad Ruben $60,757 6 Naween Fernando $44,055 7 Joseph Weinberger $32,454 8 Edward Spivack $24,294 Tournament Statistics and Interesting Facts Total number of participants: 1,287 Buy-in: $1,500 Prize pool: not specified in the original, but first place alone paid $265,297 Justin Liberto won his second WSOP bracelet 11 years after his first Over the years, Liberto reached WSOP final tables and finished from 2nd to 9th place, but couldn’t clinch the win Among the finalists were multiple bracelet winners: Brad Ruben (5), Brandon Shack-Harris (2) The final day started with 24 players, and the final table saw fierce competition with frequent changes in the chip lead What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, this news is a great example of how persistence and continuous improvement in poker lead to big results. Justin Liberto’s story shows that even if you don’t win right away, regular practice, working on your game, and participating in tournaments help you grow as a player and eventually achieve major victories. Final table setbacks are not a reason to give up, but a motivation to improve. Another important takeaway is the significance of self-confidence and community support. Liberto highlights the role of family and friends, and for PPPoker club players, this could be support from your club, sharing experiences with like-minded players, and reviewing hands and games together. A strong environment helps maintain motivation and emotional stability, which is critical in poker. Finally, a mixed-format Omaha Hi-Lo and Big O tournament is a great reason to try new disciplines on PPPoker. Learning different formats broadens your poker horizons and can give you a competitive edge in club leagues and online tournaments. Keep an eye on club series schedules, practice mixed games, and maybe you’ll be the next poker news hero!