Darren Elias’ list of poker accolades is long and impressive: four World Poker Tour titles, the most of anyone in history; three PokerGO Tour titles; and more than $13,000,000 in live earnings.
One thing his resume lacks, however, is a World Series of Poker bracelet. Elias is in a position to change that after bagging the chip lead on Day 3 of Event #30: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship.
Six 90-minute levels weren’t enough to crown a champion, and the final six players will return tomorrow at 1 p.m. local time for an unscheduled Day 4. Elias has the lead with 3,475,000, followed by Oscar Johansson (2,910,000) and Nick Schulman (2,670,000). Chad Eveslage (1,905,000), Ben Yu (1,870,000), and Dan Smith (905,000) round out the talent-packed final table lineup.
Final Six Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darren Elias | United States | 3,475,000 | 43 |
| 2 | Oscar Johansson | Sweden | 2,910,000 | 36 |
| 3 | Nick Schulman | United States | 2,670,000 | 33 |
| 4 | Chad Eveslage | United States | 1,905,000 | 24 |
| 5 | Ben Yu | United States | 1,870,000 | 23 |
| 6 | Dan Smith | United States | 905,000 | 11 |
Elias has been in this position before. He has six previous WSOP final tables, including two third-place finishes in this same event. So has Schulman, whose six WSOP bracelets include two wins in this event from 2009 and 2012. A win tomorrow would make Schulman just the 12th player with seven bracelets, bolstering his Hall of Fame credentials in his first year of eligibility. Johansson, like Elias, is looking for his first bracelet after finishing runner-up twice, including in the $10,000 2-7 Triple Draw Championship in 2023.
Day 3 began with 16 players remaining out of a field of 233, the largest in history for this event that was first introduced to the WSOP schedule in 2008. George Alexander began as chip leader with 1,835,000, followed by Smith (1,775,000) and Daniel Negreanu (1,620,000). Ben Diebold was eliminated on the first hand of the day by Alexander, while Negreanu took out Bariscan Betil in 15th to set the final two tables.
Poker Hall of Famer Brian Rast was left short against James Chen and busted shortly afterward in 14th after Chen patted a 10-9 and Rast couldn’t complete a draw to an eight. Chen went for another knockout against Johansson but drew a king against Johansson’s queen to hand over the double up. Chen was eventually eliminated in 12th place, while PPC champion Elior Sion (13th), bracelet winner Ali Eslami (11th), and Stuart Rutter (10th) followed to the payout desk.
Negreanu patted a nine to double off Johansson on the final table bubble. Fellow Canadian Greg Mueller then drew one to an eight after Schulman patted a nine, but Mueller pulled a queen and was sent to the rail in ninth place to set the final table.
Schulman led with 2,800,000 at the start of the final table, with Elias in second at 2,350,000. Eveslage began as a short stack but found an early double, then made No. 3 and got paid by Elias as he climbed up to 2,000,000.
Action was slow and cagey at the final table, and it took nearly two hours for an elimination. Alexander got his last 430,000 in with a 10-8, but Eveslage drew a 9-7 to bust the start-of-day chip leader in eighth place. Elias, meanwhile, doubled up off Johansson with a better 9-8 to take the chip lead.
Negreanu then moved all in for 605,000 as Eveslage took his shot at busting another player, drawing to a 9-7 while Negreanu had a 9-6 draw. Negreanu pulled a king, and Eveslage made his draw with a six to send Negreanu to the rail in seventh.
Johansson made a big move up the leaderboard when Smith raised to 900,000 after the draw and Johansson moved all in with a 7-6. Smith tanked for several minutes before laying down an 8-7, saving his last 860,000. Johansson then made an 8-7 against Yu’s 9-7 and moved all in again, Yu eventually folding for his last 690,000 as Johansson climbed above 4,000,000.
Yu doubled up off Johansson to climb back into contention, while Smith patted a 10 against Schulman’s jack to double. Play was then called for the night as nearly 12 hours of play couldn’t bring the tournament anywhere close to a conclusion.
Final Table Payouts/Results
| Place | Player | Country | Earnings |
| 1 | $497,356 | ||
| 2 | $336,421 | ||
| 3 | $231,321 | ||
| 4 | $161,721 | ||
| 5 | $114,989 | ||
| 6 | $83,179 | ||
| 7 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $61,231 |
The action Wednesday will pick up on Level 25 with blinds of 40,000/80,000 and a 120,000 big blind ante. The six finalists are guaranteed $83,179, while the champion will take home $497,356, the WSOP gold bracelet, and the prestige that comes with conquering such an impressive field.
The final table was as star-studded as any on the WSOP schedule, and poker fans will get an additional treat tomorrow in what promises to be another marathon day. Stay tuned as PokerNews follows all the action until a champion is crowned.
