Event #56: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball | 2025 World Series of Poker

06-21-2025 13:59 UTC-8

Thornton Picks Off Balan

Ryan Lashmar

Level 24 : Limits 50,000/100,000, 0 ante

Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Limits: 50,000/100,000

2-7 Triple Draw

Schuyler Thornton opened from the button and Michael Balan defended from the big blind, drawing one while Thornton drew two.

After the first draw Balan bet and Thornton called. Both players drew one, checked and drew one more. Balan then bet and Thornton called.

Balan had paired and could only show 5x4x3x2x2x while Thornton had a jack with Jx5x4x2xAx to win the hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
Schuyler Thornton	2,300,000 1,100,000	1,100,000
Michael Balan	1,800,000 450,000	450,000

Tags: Michael Balan Schuyler Thornton

06-21-2025 13:57 UTC-8

Balan Coolers Matsumoto

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 24 : Limits 50,000/100,000, 0 ante

Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Limits: 50,000/100,000

2-7 Triple Draw

Action was picked up between three players just after the first draw and over 800,000 in the middle. Michael Balan bet from the small blind, Takuro Matsumoto raised from the big blind and Mark Klecan folded from under the gun. Balan made it three big bets and Matsumoto called.

Matsumoto had 7x6x4x3x2x for number two but Balan had 7x5x4x3x2x for a wheel to take down a massive pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Balan	2,250,000 575,000	575,000

Mark Klecan	900,000 470,000	470,000
Takuro Matsumoto	850,000 730,000	730,000

Tags: Mark Klecan Michael Balan Takuro Matsumoto

06-21-2025 13:54 UTC-8

Balan Getting Larger

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Liam Gannon

Level 24 : Limits 50,000/100,000, 0 ante

Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Limits: 50,000/100,000

2-7 Triple Draw

Michael Balan raised on the button and in the big blind Mark Klecan called. Klecan drew two while Balan drew one and the action saw Klecan check-call a bet from Balan.

On the second draw, Klecan drew one and Balan stood pat. The betting action repeated identically.

Both players stood pat and Klecan checked over to Balan, who bet, and Klecan folded.

Balan showed 8x5x4x3x2x as he raked in the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Balan	2,825,000 775,000	775,000

Mark Klecan	430,000 845,000	845,000

Tags: Mark Klecan Michael Balan

06-21-2025 13:52 UTC-8

More for Becker, Less for Alexander

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 24 : Limits 50,000/100,000, 0 ante

Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Limits: 50,000/100,000

Badugi

David "Bakes" Baker opened from the cutoff, George Alexander called from the button, Johannes Becker three-bet from the big blind and both opponents called. Becker drew one, Baker drew two and Alexander drew one.

After the first draw Becker bet, Baker folded and Alexander called, drawing one while Becker stood pat. Action then repeated itself with Alexander calling a bet from Becker.

For the final draw Becker stood pat again while Alexander took one. Both players then checked.

Becker showed a jack-badugi with J♠4♣3♥A♦ and Alexander mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
David "Bakes" Baker	2,250,000 170,000	170,000

Johannes Becker	1,300,000 165,000	165,000

George Alexander	615,000 275,000	275,000

Tags: George Alexander Johannes Becker

06-21-2025 13:48 UTC-8

Glaser Gets Value from Klecan

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 24 : Limits 50,000/100,000, 0 ante

Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Limits: 50,000/100,000

Badugi

Mark Klecan raised from the button and Benny Glaser defended from the big blind, drawing one while Klecan took two.

Glaser checked after the first draw and Klecan bet. Glaser check-raised and Klecan called, drawing one while Glaser stood pat.

After the second draw Glaser bet and Klecan called. Glaser stood pat again on the final draw and Klecan took one. Glaser then bet and Klecan called.

Glaser showed an eight-badugi with 8♥7♦5♣2♠ to win the hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
Benny Glaser	1,800,000 780,000	780,000

Mark Klecan	1,275,000 65,000	65,000

Tags: Benny Glaser Mark Klecan

06-21-2025 13:43 UTC-8

Matsumoto Makes Eight Badugi; Woods Raises with Full House

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Liam Gannon

Level 24 : Limits 50,000/100,000, 0 ante

Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Limits: 50,000/100,000

Badugi

Takuro Matsumoto raised on the button and in the big blind, Schuyler Thornton called.

Both players drew two and Thornton check-called a bet from Matsumoto.

Thornton drew two on the second draw and Matsumoto drew one. Thornton check-called a second bet from Matsumoto.

The final draw saw both players draw one and Matsumoto bet after Thornton checked over to him, to see Thornton call.

Matsumoto turned over 8♠6♦3♣A♥ for an eight badugi.

A-5 Triple Draw

At the other table, James Woods opened under the gun and Johannes Becker called in the big blind.

Becker drew two on the first draw while Woods stood pat and Becker check-called a bet from Woods.

On the second draw, Becker drew two again while Woods stood pat and Becker check-folded to a bet from Woods.

Woods tabled 3x3x3xAxAx for threes full of aces. He pumped his fist as his hand got him the pot and Woods' stack continued to grow.

Player	Chips	Progress
Takuro Matsumoto	1,580,000 750,000	750,000
James Woods	1,280,000 130,000	130,000
Schuyler Thornton	1,200,000 930,000	930,000

Tags: James Woods Schuyler Thornton Takuro Matsumoto

06-21-2025 13:36 UTC-8

A Near Double For Kerber

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Liam Gannon

Level 24 : Limits 50,000/100,000, 0 ante

Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Limits: 50,000/100,000

2-7 Triple Draw

Johannes Becker raised on the button and in the small blind Kelvin Kerber raised. Becker called.

Kerber drew two on the first draw, while Becker drew three and Kerber check-called a bet from Becker.

On the second draw, Kerber drew another two while Becker drew one and Kerber checked over to Becker again. Becker bet and Kerber raised leaving himself with just a couple of chips behind, and Becker called.

On the final draw, Kerber stood pat Becker drew one. The action checked through.

Becker flashed a Qx which was no good against Kerber, who showed 7x6x5x3x2x for number three, and he raked in a sizable pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Johannes Becker	1,465,000 585,000	585,000

Kelvin Kerber	990,000 775,000	775,000

Tags: Johannes Becker Kelvin Kerber

06-21-2025 13:28 UTC-8

Yuval Bronshtein Eliminated in 12th Place ($10,495)

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 24 : Limits 50,000/100,000, 0 ante

Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Limits: 50,000/100,000

A-5 Triple Draw

Michael Balan raised from the hijack and Yuval Bronshtein called from the button. Both players drew two, checked and drew two again.

After the second draw Bronshtein bet, committing his remaining stack of 60,000. Balan called to put him at risk and drew two while Bronshtein drew one.

Yuval Bronshtein: 8x6x4x3x All in
Michael Balan: 5x2xAx

Balan drew JxAx for a pair of aces but Bronshtein caught a 3x for a bigger pair and was sent to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Balan	2,050,000 400,000	400,000

Yuval Bronshtein	Busted

Tags: Michael Balan Yuval Bronshtein

06-21-2025 13:23 UTC-8

Kerber Survives

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Liam Gannon

Level 24 : Limits 50,000/100,000, 0 ante

Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Limits: 50,000/100,000

2-7 Triple Draw

After losing most of his chips to David "Bakes" Baker in a nine versus nine situation, Kelvin Kerber raised all in from under the gun for his last 65,000, George Alexander completed the bet on the button and Johannes Becker called in the big blind.

Becker drew two, Kerber drew three, and Alexander drew two. Becker check-called a bet from Alexander.

On the second draw, Becker drew two while Kerber and Alexander drew one. This time Becker check-folded to a bet from Alexander.

Kerber drew one and Alexander stood pat.

Kelvin Kerber: 7x6x4x3x2x All in
George Alexander: 9x5x4x3x2x

Kerber caught a 6x on the final draw to make number two and double up through Alexander.

Player	Chips	Progress
David "Bakes" Baker	2,080,000 245,000	245,000

George Alexander	890,000 110,000	110,000

Kelvin Kerber	215,000 460,000	460,000

Tags: George Alexander Johannes Becker Kelvin Kerber

06-21-2025 13:12 UTC-8

Woods Folds Out Becker

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 24 : Limits 50,000/100,000, 0 ante

Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Limits: 50,000/100,000

Badugi

Johannes Becker opened from the button and James Woods defended from the big blind. Both players drew two.

After the first draw Woods check-called a bet from Becker and drew two. Becker took one.

Woods check-called another bet from Becker after the second draw. Both players drew one.

With no draws remaining, Woods bet and Becker folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Johannes Becker	2,050,000 200,000	200,000

James Woods	1,150,000 500,000	500,000

Tags: James Woods Johannes Becker