Jean-Robert Bellande Leads No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship Final Table; Paul Volpe Eyes Second Bracelet in this Event
Day 2 of the Event #21: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship has come to a conclusion at the 2019 World Series of Poker with the 91-entrant field reduced to the final seven players who will all return on Tuesday, June 11, at 12 noon (PDT) to conclude the final table.
With registration open until the start of play on Day 2, a total of seven new players entered the tournament before cards were in the air; Jake Schwartz, Kane Kalas, Chris Klodnicki, Matt Glantz, and Dan Smith entered for their first bullet, while Mike Watson and Per Hildebrand re-entered. A prize pool of $855,400 was created with the final 14 players finishing in-the-money, and the first-place prize set at $253,817.
The action was quick at the start of the day as players headed to the rail at a rapid rate. Eventually, as play closed in on the money bubble, it would be defending champion Brian Rast eliminated in 15th place to leave the final 14 players with a guaranteed $15,167 payday. From there, Alex Balandin (14th), Mike Watson (13th), Dan Shak (12th), Julien Martini (11th), Majid Yahyaei (10th), and Ajay Chabra (9th) all fell short of the final table. With the remaining eight players spread across two tables, and chips moving around freely, eventually it would be Galen Hall eliminated in eighth place when he paired up and ran an unsuccessful bluff on Paul Volpe, and the final seven players were left to bag their chip stacks before having a day off on Monday.
Event #21: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship Final Table Line-Up
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pedro Bromfman | Brazil | 395,000 | 33 |
| 2 | Darren Elias | United States | 887,000 | 74 |
| 3 | Jean-Robert Bellande | United States | 1,231,000 | 103 |
| 4 | Prahlad Friedman | United States | 1,019,000 | 85 |
| 5 | Vince Musso | United States | 360,000 | 30 |
| 6 | Paul Volpe | United States | 938,000 | 78 |
| 7 | Jim Bechtel | United States | 655,000 | 55 |
There is 43:40 remaining in Level 17 (6,000-12,000 blinds, and a 18,000-big blind ante).
Leading the final table is WSOP bracelet winner Jean-Robert Bellande who finished with 1,231,000 in chips. Although Bellande peaked at a higher chip count, he remained composed and battled hard to remain the chip leader heading into his fourth WSOP final table. Sitting behind Bellande is WSOP bracelet winner Prahlad Friedman who is sitting at his second final table following his victory in 2003 and who has 1,019,000 in chips.
Third overall is Paul Volpe (pictured above) with 938,000 in chips and is looking to collect his fourth WSOP bracelet, and second in this very event following his victory in 2014 for $254,524. Four-time WPT Champions Club member Darren Elias sits in fourth overall with 887,000 after being the shortest stack on the money bubble. Elias is the most successful player in WPT history, but is yet to taste victory on the WSOP felt. Jim Bechtel is fifth overall and is at his second WSOP final table since he won the WSOP Main Event in 1993. Sitting behind Bechtel is Day 1 chip leader and Brazilian musician Pedro Bromfman, while rounding the final table is Vince Musso who has five No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw cashes at the WSOP to his name.
Players are currently guaranteed $31,556, while $253,817 awaits the eventual Event #21 winner along with the coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
Play resumes at 12 noon (PDT) on Tuesday, June 11, with the final seven players returning to battle on the Main Stage in the Amazon Room where action will be live streamed on a 60-minute delay on both PokerGO and CBS All Access. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be providing continuous live updates of the Event #21 conclusion, so stay tuned to PokerNews.com as the next No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship bracelet winner is crowned.