All-time bracelet leader Phil Hellmuth sat on the button and called when Steven Friedlander made it 2,000 to go in the cutoff.
Both players drew one card and checked it down. Friedlander flashed a Kx, leaving Hellmuth to take the pot with Jx9x7x3x2x for a jack-low.
Hellmuth has obtained a record 17 bracelets throughout his illustrious career and is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, some wager his next one will be won in no-limit 2-7 single draw.
The action was picked up post-draw. Small blind Abel Lin placed a small bet of 3,000 into a sizable pot of 13,000. Ralph Porter folded from the big blind before last year's winner, David Funkhouser, made it 20,100 to go in the cutoff, leaving about 7,000 back.
Lin thought for a while but eventually slammed in a call.
"Eight-seven-six," Funkhouser announced, but his cards were never seen as Lin showed down 7x6x5x4x2x for the winning hand.
Hand #2
Funkhouser folded his hand in the hijack.
Hand #3
Funkhouser made it 900 to go in middle position, and Bryan Micon called in the big blind. Micon drew two, Funkhouser stood pat, and Funkhouser won when he placed a small bet after the draws.
Hand #4
Funkhouser was first to act and quickly passed his cards to the dealer.
Hand #5
Funkhouser folded his big blind to Marcel Vonk's raise under the gun.
Hand #6
Funkhouser sat in the small blind and folded to a raise from Sebastian Schulz on the button.
Hand #7
Micon opened to 1,600 in the hijack before Funkhouser moved all in for 7,100 on the button. Micon snap-called once it folded back to him and stood pat, leaving Funkhouser to draw one card.
David Funkhouser: 7x5x4x3x
Bryan Micon: Jx10x7x5x3x
Funkhouser peeled a 10x to beat the jack of Micon and double up to over 30 big blinds.
"The champion is locked in," Christopher Claassen concluded.
Patrick Leonard has just lost his semi-final match in the $25,000 Heads Up Championship, pocketing $180,000, but that did not deter him from jumping straight into the next opportunity to capture his second bracelet in the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw.
Leonard's early proceedings have been going well, the English crusher was spotted sitting on one and a half times the starting stack.
