Poker pro Jeffrey Lisandro became the third dual bracelet winner of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) on Saturday night, winning the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Seven Card Stud High-Low Split Eight or Better for $431,000.
Lisandro joins Brock “t soprano” Parker and Full Tilt Poker pro Phil Ivey as players who have won two bracelets during the 2009 WSOP. He solidified himself as one of the top Seven Card Stud players in the world after taking down a $1,500 buy-in tournament in the popular genre of poker (Event #16) two weeks ago. During the 2007 WSOP, Lisandro won his first bracelet in a $2,000 buy-in Seven Card Stud event for $118,000. Holding a dual citizenship in Italy and Australia, Lisandro requested that the Italian national anthem be played during his bracelet award ceremony today in the Amazon Room. When he won Event #16, he elected to have the Australian national anthem played.
Online poker player Justin “Boosted J” Smith was the first casualty of the final table. The Kissimmee, Florida native was ousted after he could muster just a pair of aces against Yan Chen’s queen-high diamond flush. Chen had a pair of tens up during the hand, which he bet on both sixth street and seventh street. Smith took home $54,896 for his efforts and the hand propelled Chen to third in chips.
Out in seventh place was “Texas Dolly,” Doyle Brunson. In pursuit of what would have been a record-tying 11th bracelet, Brunson instead had his tournament life on the line after paying the bring-in. He was sent packing at the hands of Farzad Rouhani, who showed 4-4-10-10 up and held another four in the hole for a boat. Brunson’s stack took a sizable hit in a hand against Abe Mosseri, setting up his all-in pre-flop against Rouhani. Brunson remains tied with Johnny Chan with 10 WSOP bracelets, one shy of Phil Hellmuth’s record of 11.
Mosseri was shown the exit in sixth place, cashing for $74,258. Mosseri showed queens and eights against Frank Mariani’s nines full of sevens; neither player held a qualifying low after Mosseri spiked a pair of eights on seventh street. Mosseri logged his first WSOP in the money finish since 2004, when he took 120th in the Main Event for $15,000. Chen was the next to go. Like Brunson, he was forced to commit his stack on the bring-in and Rouhani’s pair of sixes was enough to take the pot. Chen also final tabled Event #8 of the 2009 WSOP, a $2,500 buy-in Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball tournament.
After being crippled in a hand against Lisandro, Mariani’s ante on the next hand was enough to put him all-in. In the end, Rouhani’s two pair, queens and tens, scooped the high, while Lisandro’s 7-5 claimed the low. Mariani managed to make a pair of kings in the hand, but fell by the wayside in fourth place for $124,684. Mike Wattel was then eliminated in third. He was all-in on fourth street against Lisandro, who made two pair on the final card. Wattel held a pair of sevens and no qualifying low, but recorded his second final table appearance of 2009; he grabbed seventh in the World Championship Mixed Event.
Rouhani held roughly a 3:2 chip lead entering heads-up play against the poker veteran. However, Lisandro’s experience in Stud proved vital, as he slowly chipped away at the lead. In the end, Rouhani was all-in after fifth street against Lisandro’s two pair, tens and sixes. However, he could not catch up, propelling Lisandro to his third WSOP bracelet. Rouhani took home a $266,804 consolation prize and recorded his second in the money finish of this year’s tournament series. Here’s a look at the final payouts from the World Championship of Seven Card Stud High-Low Split Eight or Better (Event #37):
1. Jeffrey Lisandro – $431,656
2. Farzad Rouhani – $266,804
3. Mike Wattel – $176,605
4. Francis Mariani – $124,684
5. Yan Chen – $93,513
6. Abe Mosseri – $74,258
7. Doyle Brunson – $62,234
8. Justin Smith – $54,896
