Going back-to-back in the same event is an incredible feat, with Cummings winning his second bracelet after topping a 635-player field to win $157,172. He defeated Travis Erdman heads-up after the pair vied for the chip lead throughout the final table, with Erdman settling for second place and $104,739.
Cummings came into the final day seventh in chips, and despite being just ten eliminations away from history, he wasn't dwelling on his shot at making history.
"I definitely thought about [going back-to-back]" Cummings told PokerNews. "But it's still a long battle to get there. I was a little short coming into the day, so I knew it was going to be tough. But obviously there's a chance."
The people are always great. That's why I play it. It's always fun and the people are what makes it fun.
Like last year, Cummings says things went smoothly. He won all the big pots, and things just went his way. In a tough field, he had to battle past former bracelet winners, but says that the field is what makes an event like 2-7 Triple Draw fun.
Aaron Cummings
"The people are always great. That's why I play it. It's always fun and the people are what makes it fun."
From midway through the final table, it appeared that the pair were destined for heads-up, but things didn't go his way to start out as Erdman opened a massive lead.
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"In this game, I feel like you just have to play the hands the best you can and let the chips fall where they fall," said Cummings. "I just continued to do that, and it turned around, and everything went my way after that.
"One of my old friends has this quote, which is perfect for this. He says 'It's like déjà vu all over again' And that's all I've been thinking about for the last 15 minutes. Everything's identical, it's just crazy."
'It's like déjà vu all over again' And that's all I've been thinking about for the last 15 minutes. Everything's identical, it's just crazy.
A place in history for Cummings, who wins his second bracelet after doing it all over again.
Aaron Cummings
Final Day Recap
A sedate start to the day eventually saw play reach the final table in only a couple of hours, with Jon Turner and Brandon Shack-Harris among those eliminated.
Start-of-day chip leader Hideki Nakamura bubbled the final table, with Erdman leading the final seven. Two-time bracelet winner Nathan Gamble saw his stack dwindle, and tripled up twice before falling in seventh.
With the chip lead changing almost every orbit, Andres Korn went on a march, winning three hands in a row before giving it all back and ultimately being eliminated by Kristan Lord. Lord then sent David Mead to the rail, before Lord himself was eliminated by Erdman.
Erdman and Cummings were at the top of the counts, and it felt almost inevitable that the pair would meet heads-up. James Tilton fell in third with stacks level entering heads-up play.
Travis Erdman
Heads-Up Play
It felt like one-way traffic to open up heads-up play, as Erdman won a flurry of hands to open a more than 3:1 lead over his opponent. However, Cummings found his footing and battled back to once again level the stacks.
Then it was Cummings' turn. Forging a lead that looked likely to be permanent, it was Erdman's turn as he battled back with three-in-a-row to even things up.
In limit games, you have to go on a streak. And that's what Cummings did. Making three nines in three hands to break Erdman's resistance. Despite Erdman doubling once, the second all-in saw Cummings secure victory and a historic back-to-back title.
That concludes the PokerNews coverage for this event. Stay tuned for more coverage from the 2025 WSOP, with live updates for all upcoming events available by clicking here.
Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He now works as Managing Editor.
He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.
