Event 16 - $10,000 2-7 Lowball Championship - Live Updates

Simply put, John Juanda dominated this heads-up match, particularly since our last update. But don't take my word for it; check out these Twitter reviews from Mike Matusow and Daniel Negreanu.

@themouthmatusow: Poor phil this is a pure poker lesson and I feel bad watching it maybe he will get lucky go @phil_hellmuth

@RealKidPoker: Watching Juanda/Hellmuth doesn't seem like a fair fight. If PH wins this I'll be both uber impressed/shocked. Juanda is too good.

The heads-up match lasted a little more than 3 hours, and there were several big chip swings -- though there were only two all-in situations. In the first (described in an earlier post), Hellmuth doubled up his short stack. In the second, Hellmuth didn't.

Juanda builds drama in the final hand by counting his outs.

 

The Final Hand

Hellmuth was down to 555,000, and moved all in from the button. Juanda called and drew one card. Hellmuth stood pat and quickly showed Q-10-8-5-2.

Juanda turned over J-6-3-2, and needed a 10 or lower that didn't pair him to win. When the dealer slid the new card to Juanda, every eye in the ESPN arena was on Juanda as he paused to carefully count his outs (as pictured at left). Juanda determined that he was a favorite, and only then did he go through the usual drawn-out squeezing process. Eventually, Juanda turned over an 8 to win the pot -- and his fifth WSOP bracelet.

Hellmuth will have to wait for bracelet #12.

 

Hellmuth knocks on the door of winning his 12th bracelet, but history won't let him in. Instead, John Juanda moves up the ladder of all-time bracelet winners. When asked if he was motivated to stop Hellmuth reaching history, Juanda remarked that he didn't want to be the guy who lost heads-up for history.

Hellmuth earned $226,907 for his runner-up finish, increasing his impressive career earnings total to nearly $11.7 million. But that isn't the stat that Hellmuth wants to pad. He wants bracelets. Lots and lots of bracelets.

John Juanda Kicks Ass at Deuce-to-Seven

With this victory (worth $367,170), John Juanda actually swaps places with Hellmuth on the all-time money list, sliding into fifth place with more than $11.7 million, as Hellmuth slips to sixth.

There were murmurs early on in the day that the crowd for this final table was surprisingly small with so much history on the line, but the stands were packed after the dinner break when Hellmuth and Juanda were heads-up. It was standing-room only in the ESPN arena.

Juanda is scary good at deuce-to-seven, and now has the bracelet to prove it.

 

A few more words (via Twitter) from Daniel Negreanu this evening:

@RealKidPoker: Fun Juanda story: he actually built a large portion of his early bankroll playing people HU 2-7 at Commerce. No one ever beat him.

@RealKidPoker: Last thought: Juanda is the best all around 2-7 player I've ever played with, especially in tournaments. He reads people very well.

Juanda has had some excellent results in deuce-to-seven events at the WSOP -- he finished fourth in this event in 2009 and 2010, and added another fourth-place finish in $2,500 Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw in 2009. This is Juanda's first bracelet in deuce-to-seven, though he does have an ace-to-five bracelet from 2002.

Here are the official payouts from the final table:

1st: John Juanda - $367,170
2nd: Phil Hellmuth - $226,907
3rd: Richard Ashby - $143,833
4th: Steve Sung - $97,416
5th: Nick Schulman - $69,216
6th: David "Bakes" Baker - $51,485
7th: Hasan Habib - $40,020

Note: Every player at the official seven-handed final table was a previous bracelet winner. This is the first WSOP bracelet of 2011 won by a previous bracelet winner.

At the start of the last level, John Juanda had evened things up with Phil Hellmuth. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster since then, with Juanda taking a huge lead, reversing the original heads-up stacks to make it more than 2.5-to-1 in Juanda's favor.

But then Hellmuth battled back and doubled up in a big spot. Juanda reraised all in before the draw, and Hellmuth tank-called.

Juanda thought for a while before standing pat, and Hellmuth did the same, quickly turning over 10-8-5-3-2. Juanda flipped over J-10-6-5-2, and saw that he should have drawn one card. Hellmuth won the pot to double up into a slight chip lead.

Hellmuth won another pot after both players drew two cards. Hellmuth bet, Juanda raised, and Hellmuth quickly called with Q-10-7-5-4. Juanda showed A-7-6-4-3, and Hellmuth took another pot to make it a nearly 2-to-1 chip lead in his favor.

Juanda got some of his chips back since then to even things up a bit. Here are the updated chip counts as the blinds increase to 20,000-40,000 with a 10,000 ante.

Phil Hellmuth - 2,080,000 (52 bb)
John Juanda - 1,700,000 (42 bb)

This final table is cruising along at a quick pace, though as they say in the financial markets, past trends are no guarantee of future results. (This could still be a fairly long night.)

Minutes after the dinner break, John Juanda reraised all in against Richard Ashby, Ashby called, and they both drew one card. They had nearly identical hands at that point, with a 10-5-4-2 for Juanda and a 10-5-4-3 for Ashby.

Richard Ashby busts in 3rd.

 

Juanda's new card was a nearly perfect 6, giving him a 10-6 low. Ashby pulled up a 3, which gave him a pair to lose the pot. Juanda doubled up to about 800,000, and Ashby dropped down to about 200,000.

Shortly after that, Ashby moved all in from the small blind, and Phil Hellmuth called. Both players drew one card, and Ashby showed Q-10-4-3 to Hellmuth's 8-6-3-2. Contrary to most of the players in this event, Hellmuth says he'll flip over his new card right away, and he needs something less than a queen that doesn't pair to clinch the pot.

Hellmuth flips over a 10, and Ashby is drawing dead. Ashby turns over his meaningless 6 for a Q-10 low, but it's no good. Hellmuth takes the pot with a 10-8 low. Richard Ashby is eliminated in third place, earning $143,833.

Heads-Up For the Bracelet: #12 vs. #5

With an incredible final nine players, it has come down to the two most accomplished -- John Juanda and Phil Hellmuth. John Juanda has four bracelets (including the 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event), and Hellmuth has a record 11 bracelets (including the 1989 WSOP Main Event).

Both players have a little more than $11.4 million in career earnings -- that's nearly $23 million combined. Hellmuth is going for history, and Juanda faces an uphill battle to stop him.

When heads-up play began, Hellmuth appeared to have about a 3.5-to-1 chip lead. But Juanda would battle back.

This Juanda kid knows how to play poker.

 

Juanda won a few pots to move up over one million in chips, and then they played a huge pot where Juanda four-bet it preflop to 575,000. Hellmuth called and drew one card, while Juanda stood pat.

Hellmuth checked, and Juanda moved all in. Hellmuth folded 9-7-7-5-3 face up, and Juanda picked up a pot worth nearly 1.2 million to get within shooting distance of Hellmuth's chip stack. They weren't even, but they were close.

So much for that dominating chip lead that Hellmuth built up before the dinner break.

Here's where they stand in Level 24, with blinds at 15,000-30,000 and a 7,000 ante.

Phil Hellmuth - 2,000,000 (66 bb)
John Juanda - 1,800,000 (60 bb)

A lot of Hellmuth haters like to point out that while he has 11 WSOP bracelets, all of them are in hold'em. They say this as if that's the only game he knows how to play. But this is Hellmuth's 16th WSOP final table in a non-hold'em event, where he has four finishes in the top three.

The point is that while Hellmuth is a hold'em specialty, his ineffectiveness in other forms of poker has been greatly exaggerated.

Hellmuth may be on the verge of putting those haters to rest, as he is dominating the final table of the $10,000 2-7 No-Limit Championship with four players remaining.

Hasan Habib Out in 7th ($40,020)

With seven players left, Hasan Habib moved his short stack all in before the draw, and Richard Ashby called. Habib drew one card, while Ashby stood pat with 10-9-5-4-2. Habib had 8-6-4-2, and needed a ten or lower that didn't give him a pair.

Habib's new card was a 2, and he lost the pot with a pair of deuces to Ashby's 10-9 low. Hasan Habib was eliminated in seventh place.

David Baker put up a good fight, but can't defend his title.

 

Defending Champion David "Bakes" Baker Out in 6th ($51,485)

Steve Sung and David Baker got it all in with nearly even stacks -- Sung stood pat, while Baker drew one card.

Sung showed J-7-5-3-2, and Baker turned over 8-4-3-2, needing a ten or lower that didn't give him a pair to win the pot. Baker got his new card, and flipped over an 8 -- a pair. Steve Sung won the pot, and crippled Baker down to just 14,000 (less than a big blind).

Baker more than quadrupled up on the next hand, but busted to Hellmuth's 10-9 a few hands later. Both players drew one card, and Baker ended up with an A-9. Defending champion David Baker was eliminated in sixth place.

Phil Hellmuth Takes Half the Chips w/ 5 Players Left

The biggest pot of the tournament to this point played out between chipleader Phil Hellmuth and Richard Ashby.

Hellmuth raised, Ashby reraised, Hellmuth four-bet it to 400,000, and Ashby called. Both players stood pat.

Hellmuth bet 550,000, and Ashby tanked for several long minutes before he folded, and Hellmuth pulled in a pot worth more than 800,000 in chips. That took Hellmuth up to 1.9 million in chips -- a little more than half the chips in play with five players remaining.

Nick Schulman Out in 5th ($69,216)

The Phil Hellmuth train kept rolling, as he three-bet Nick Schulman all in with J-6-5-4-2. Schulman drew one card, and turned over 8-6-4-2. But Schulman's new card was an 8, and he lost the pot with a pair to be eliminated in fifth place.

Steve Sung busted fourth.

 

Steve Sung Out in 4th ($97,416)

In the battle for second place (is it too early to say Hellmuth has this locked up?) (Yes.), John Juanda raised, and Steve Sung reraised all in for 270,000. Juanda only had 355,000 himself, and he tanked for a long time before he called.

Sung stood pat, and Juanda drew one card. Sung showed J-9-7-6-3, and Juanda turned over 10-6-4-3. Juanda would need a nine or lower that didn't pair his hand to win the pot.

The dealer gave Juanda a new card, and in typical fashion for everyone in this event, he carefully squeezed it to draw out the drama as much as possible. Juanda eventually showed everyone a 5, which gave him the victory, and sent Steve Sung home in fourth place.

Phil Hellmuth Has 70% of the Chips

With three players left, Phil Hellmuth has 70% of the chips in play. It's a huge lead, but hardly safe, because if Ashby busts Juanda, Hellmuth's lead will be less than 2.5-to-1.

Still, Hellmuth is in complete command right now and playing well as he is just a few steps away from winning his 12th WSOP bracelet, and his first in a non-hold'em event.

Play will resume shortly before 9:00 pm when the players return from dinner. At that point, the blinds will be 12,000-24,000 with a 6,000 ante, and here are the official chip counts:

Seat 4. Phil Hellmuth - 2,662,000 (110 bb)
Seat 6. John Juanda - 700,000 (29 bb)
Seat 7. Richard Ashby - 409,000 (17 bb)

Phil Hellmuth can seem cocky and over-confident at times, but on the ESPN stage, it helped him to eliminate Joe Cassidy and catapulted Hellmuth to the top of the chip counts.

Hellmuth was down to second-to-last in chips, but managed to gain enough to put him ahead of Cassidy for the key hand. It was an action pot, with Cassidy raising, Steve Sung calling, and David Baker calling from the button. From the big blind, Hellmuth reraised, and Cassidy moved all in. Sung and Baker folded.

Hellmuth confidently stood pat, and Cassidy tanked for a long time before drawing one card. As soon as he discarded, Hellmuth turned over 10-9-7-6-5.

Joe Cassidy fell victim to Hellmuth's confidence.

 

Cassidy yelled, "Damn it," and said he had forfeited a 9-8 low. Hellmuth's confidence scared Cassidy into thinking it was no good, so he gave up the nine and was left drawing to an 8-7-5-2.

Cassidy's new card was a 7, giving him a pair to lose the pot, and he was eliminated in eighth place.

Hellmuth's overconfidence won him that pot and propelled him into the chip lead with seven players remaining. Most of you know that Phil Hellmuth is seeking his 12th WSOP bracelet tonight, extending his lead over Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson, who have 10 each.

Here are the official final table chip counts with blinds at 6,000-12,000 and a 3,000 ante:

Seat 1. Steve Sung - 576,000 (48 bb)
Seat 2. David "Bakes" Baker - 402,000 (33 bb)
Seat 3. Nick Schulman - 464,000 (38 bb)
Seat 4. Phil Hellmuth - 763,000 (63 bb)
Seat 5. Hasan Habib - 233,000 (19 bb)
Seat 6. John Juanda - 598,000 (49 bb)
Seat 7. Richard Ashby - 620,000 (51 bb)

John Juanda started the day as the short stack with nine players left in the $10,000 2-7 No-Limit Championship, but he quickly turned things around by doubling through Greg Raymer -- they were all in before the draw, both players stood pat, and Juanda won with a 9-7-6-3-2.

That knocked Raymer down to the short stack, where he stayed until the end of the level when he moved all in before the draw, and Juanda called from the button. Both players stood pat again, and Juanda showed 10-8-6-5-4 to beat Raymer's J-7-6-5-3.

Raymer's elimination left eight players, and they racked up their chips and moved to the ESPN stage. However, the official final table in a deuce-to-seven event is only seven players, so technically, the next player to bust will be the final table bubble boy.

Richard Ashby is still the chipleader, and 11-time WSOP bracelet winner and defending champion David "Bakes" Baker are both in the middle of the pack. Here are the counts as the blinds advance to 6,000-12,000 with a 3,000 ante:

Seat 1. Joe Cassidy - 530,000 (44 bb)
Seat 2. Steve Sung - 420,000 (35 bb)
Seat 3. David "Bakes" Baker - 370,000 (30 bb)
Seat 4. Nick Schulman - 295,000 (24 bb)
Seat 5. Phil Hellmuth - 400,000 (33 bb)
Seat 6. Hasan Habib - 475,000 (39 bb)
Seat 7. John Juanda - 475,000 (39 bb)
Seat 8. Richard Ashby - 835,000 (69 bb)

The $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Championship is nearly down to the final table (in this event, that's seven players), and there is an all-star lineup ready to battle for the bracelet today.

The headline probably belongs to 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, though he'll have to get through defending champion David "Bakes" Baker to win #12.

So far this year, 14 WSOP bracelets have been awarded, and each one has gone to a first-time winner. That's unlikely to happen here, as only one of the remaining players is bracelet-less -- Joe Cassidy, who is no slouch. Everyone else has at least one bracelet, though Juanda has four and Hellmuth, as you all know, has 11.

Here are the official chip counts, with the blinds starting at 5,000-10,000 and a 3,000 ante.

Richard Ashby - 700,000 (70 bb)
Joe Cassidy - 540,000 (54 bb)
David "Bakes" Baker - 492,000 (49 bb)
Steve Sung - 441,000 (44 bb)
Hasan Habib - 437,000 (44 bb)
Greg Raymer - 355,000 (35 bb)
Phil Hellmuth - 339,000 (34 bb)
Nick Schulman - 306,000 (31 bb)
John Juanda - 171,000 (17 bb)

With nine players remaining, they will move to the ESPN stage as soon as they get down to eight. But for the official records, only the final seven will get credit for a WSOP final table in this event.

Stay tuned to PokerListings.com for live updates until one of these nine guys wins the bracelet.