2007 WSOP Event #54 – Erik Seidel Wins $5,000 World Championship No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball with Re-Buys

It was a small field by World Series of Poker standards, but Erik Seidel will take it.  In emerging triumphant over the other 226 players in the $5,000 2-7 lowball event, Seidel won his eighth WSOP bracelet, good for fourth on the all-time list.   

Because this was a pricey tournament that included re-buys, as well as being a fairly obscure game, the small field was dense with top pros.  The final table was evidence of this, as Seidel had to outduel Chad Brown, Shawn Sheikhan, Andy Black, Freddy Deeb, and Todd Brunson.  On top of that, such players as Barry Greenstein, Allen Cunningham, Chip Reese, Chris Ferguson just missed the final table. 

Seidel had some work when play was down to eight, but upon eliminating Barry Greenstein to narrow the field to the final table, he leapt up into third place, a very comfortable position for someone of his caliber.  He got off to a quick start, adding around $200,000 in chips to his stack, but then lost his traction, falling all the way to the bottom of the pack by the fiftieth hand (there were six players left at that point). 

But on hand fifty-three, just before dinner, Seidel doubled through Black, vaulting to second in chips.  He finished the job not long thereafter, eliminating Black in 5^th place. 

Once play got to three-handed between Seidel, Brown, and Sheikhan, it took a long time to get to heads-up.  Chip swings were large, as the blinds were significant compared to the stacks, but no player was able to serve up a death blow.  Finally, Sheikhan bowed out in 3^rd place, after having been the chip leader for quite some time. 

Going into heads-up, Brown had an almost 2.5-to-1 chip lead on Seidel.  Seidel came out swinging, though, winning seven of the first eight pots to take the lead.  Brown quickly took the lead back, and after almost an hour of heads-up play, he had almost a 3-to-1 lead. 

Seidel was undeterred, however, even has he was still behind only six hands before the end of the tournament.  On hand 169, he doubled-up to take the lead, and on hand 174, he won the bracelet with an 8-high hand versus Brown’s 9-high.