The 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #17: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw originally attracted 309 runners, which created a $687,525 prize pool. On Friday, just 17 players returned to action looking to capture the bracelet and $164,243 first-place prize.
After 10 hours of play, 29-year-old Dominick Sarle of Long Beach, New York defeated poker pro Jerry Wong in heads-up play to win the tournament for $164,243 and his first gold bracelet.
It was a bit of redemption for Sarle, who last summer lost a 6:1 chip lead in the 2021 WSOP.com Online Bracelet Event #26: $500 NLH The Big 500 ENCORE. He ultimately finished runner-up to Eric “8Bracelets” Van Auken in a field of 1,118 entries.
“This one was kind of giving me a little panic,” Sarle admitted. “I thought I would have to quit the game forever if I lost a 45:1 chip lead … I’m going to be around for a while. I love poker. I would play every day for free if they let me, so the fact that I get to play for money and win, I’ll be here for as long as I’m able to be.”
Prior to the victory, Sarle had just $52,328 in live tournament earnings dating back to 2016 according to The Hendon Mob.
“I didn’t play many bracelet events or live events during that time,” explained Sarle, who was taught poker by his brother, then friends (shout out to Ricky Pine and Aaron Kupin), and eventually learned Mixed Games online. “I started playing a little bit more during the WSOP in 2019, then online, and then last year played a full schedule I didn’t play a lot of tournaments over the last six years, mostly online cash games.”
It’s online that Sarle plays under the moniker “Flow Cold,” which he adopted after a high school friend’s brother wrote a song with that title. Sarle liked it so much that he made it his online handle across all platforms.
Event #17: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Final Table Results
Place
Player
County
Prize
1
Dominick Sarle
USA
$164,243
2
Jerry Wong
USA
$101,514
3
Daniel Strelitz
USA
$67,820
4
John Monnette
USA
$46,294
5
Matthew Schreiber
USA
$32,033
6
Alex Epstein
USA
$23,052
7
Philip Eisman
USA
$16,833
At the start of Day 3, Bariscan Betil sat with the big stack. Unfortunately for him, his luck turned and he exited in 11th place for $9,638. Others to cash but fall short of the final table were Alejandro Torres (8th - $12,584), Andrew Brown (9th - $12,584), Frank Kassela (10th - $9,638), Maury Barrett (12th - $7,565), Yehuda Buchalter (13th - $7,565), bracelet winners Ralph Perry (14th - $7,565) and Galen Hall (15th - $7,565), John Torrez (16th - $7,565), and the “Bald Eagle” himself, Steve Zolotow (17th - $7,565).
Final Table Action
Philip Eisman began the final table as the extreme short stack with just over one big bet, so it was no surprise to see him exit early in a hand of Badugi. The remaining six players had deeper stacks and got to play for a bit before bracelet winners Alex Epstein and Matthew Schreiber followed him out the door in sixth and fifth place respectively.
Four-handed play proved to be both an extended and back-and-forth affair, but eventually, it was four-time bracelet winner John Monnette growing short and bowing out after a couple of rough hands of 2-7 triple draw.
Not long after, the last bracelet winner in the field, Daniel Strelitz, took his leave in third place after losing his stack in a round of Ace-5 triple draw, and that ensures a first-time bracelet winner would be crowned.
Jerry Wong
Wong began heads-up play with a 2:1 chip lead but it didn’t take Sarle long to battle his way into the chip lead after making a wheel in ace-to-five. Sarle whittled away at Wong, who put up a strong fight doubling numerous times when all in. However, the final hand came in Ace-5 Triple Draw when Wong had a nine-seven and Sarle drew to a seven-six.
“A little bit of relief. I was able to build a pretty big chip lead once I got heads up,” Sarle said after the win. “I ran really well to get the chip lead. He was able to fight and claw his way back to a pretty reasonable stack, so it was nice to go on the break, come back, and close it out.”
Wong, considered one of the best without a bracelet, had to settle for a runner-up finish for the second year in a row after doing so in the 2021 WSOP Event #74: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet. He also has a third, two fourths, a fifth, two sixths, and a pair of eighth-place finishes in WSOP events.
Congratulations to Dominick Sarle on winning the 2022 WSOP Event #17: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw for his first gold bracelet!
Event #17 champ Dominick Sarle
That concludes PokerNews coverage of Event #17: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw, but there are still plenty of events both remaining and currently in action on the 2022 WSOP schedule. Click here to see what other tournaments you can follow!
2022 World Series of Poker Hub
Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2022 WSOP is here.
