Three days could not contain all of the storylines in Event #60: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw. A record-shattering starting field of 548 that exceeded the planned structure of the event and a final table that has a Hall of Famer and 19 WSOP bracelets worth of experience on one side, and two veteran players seeking their first compelled PokerGO to stream it on its YouTube channel, making Day 4 necessary. But with all the breathtaking Day 3 action by poker's biggest names, who wouldn't want to see more?
With Event #69: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship also kicking off, Thursday, June 29th will be a festival of lowball, drawing an elite roster of the biggest names in poker in one the ultimate tests of poker skill, all vying for the two of the most prestigious bracelets in the game, and the admiration of their peers.
In addition to the chance to win that bracelet, each of the five remaining players at the final table in Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas is guaranteed $31,114 from a prize pool of $731,580, with $151,276 up top.
Brad Ruben (4,265,000) emerged as the Day 3 chip leader, scoring knockouts in the top ten of Richard Ashby and Nick Guagenti. A bracelet in this event, at his sixth WSOP lowball or mixed-game final table, would be his second lowball bracelet, and fifth overall after notching one in 2021 in razz. He distinguished himself on Day 3 with well-timed aggression, hunting stacks at risk and then punishing them.
Erik Seidel (3,065,000) comes into Day 4 second in chips. Seidel dominated for a long stretch on Day 3 before taking a couple of sizable hits near the end. He was a quiet assassin all day long, executing a score of knockouts with a finely-honed utilization of convertible hands, seemingly knowing exactly when to strike, and when to lure opponents into the crosshairs of his better holdings.
A victory here would launch the Hall of Famer onto the tier of Johnny Chan, Phil Ivey, and Doyle Brunson with ten WSOP bracelets, earn him his third lowball bracelet. Seidel's latest bracelet win was back in 2021 when he won a $10,000 NLHE event on GGPoker for nearly $1,000,000.
Jason Mercier was one of the players who seemed to finally find a chink in Seidel’s previously impenetrable armor, taking nearly a million from him when he hit an 8x6x5x4x2x against Seidel’s pat hand. Mercier joked at the final table that it was four consummate pros and he the one recreational player, but with two of his five WSOP bracelets coming in lowball or mixed events, including winning the 2016 $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship, none of his tablemates were buying it. On Day 3 Mercier demonstrated a preternatural sense of when to pounce, putting his opponents to nearly impossible decisions that most were unable to make correctly.
One of the two players without a bracelet, but with a long career excelling in the lowball streets, is Canadian pro Mike Watson (2,350,000). Watson refused to die, fighting back from off the felt on several occasions, while also making bold moves to capitalize on short-stacked opponents. Watson finished in second place in the 2016 $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship, fourth the following year, and has eight top-20 lowball finishes. Having fought his way through one of the toughest lowball fields, and the largest ever, he will be looking to wield that experience to finally put himself over the top, and take one of the premiere bracelets in the game.
Also looking for his first bracelet after what may be the most WSOP final tables and 116 WSOP cashes is Jon Turner (1,390,000). Seven of those final tables are in lowball and mixed events, and on Day 3 he showed an ability gained from those experiences to maneuver through difficult situations, including playing several hours at a table with a combined 27 bracelets, and a determination to stay alive that carried him to another final table. In a WSOP that has already seen several players attain their first bracelets after many grueling years of effort, it would be incredibly inspiring to see Turner grasping a bracelet after fighting his way through a final five with this resume.
The action on Day 3 was a riveting display of lowball savvy, but also overall poker skill of the highest order. Having brought us to this Day 4 assemblage of five of the sharpest, and highest-regarded minds in poker, you won’t want to miss a second of it, or to see which one can battle their way to becoming a lowball legend.
Day 4 will begin at 12:00 p.m. PDT with blinds at 50,000/100,000/150,000, and play down to a champion, with 15-minute breaks every two levels.
Stay tuned to PokerNews as we chronicle every thrilling step on the way to carving one player’s legacy into the annals of World Series of Poker history.