Yueqi Zhu Bags the Lead in Day 1 of $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw
Limits: 5,000-10,000
It was another record-setting day at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas as 635 entrants made their way to Event #63: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw, surpassing last year's 574 entries in this increasingly popular tournament.
In just 10 hours of play, the field shrank to 113 hopefuls. By the time the last draw was dealt, WSOP veteran and bracelet winner Yueqi Zhu found himself sitting atop the leaderboard after amassing 395,000 in chips. Sitting second is Colton Blomberg with 359,000 and rounding out the top three is two-time bracelet winner Brandon Shack-Harris with an even 350,000.
Zhu has been a mainstay at the World Series of Poker since the 1990s, with over 20 final table appearances in WSOP events (including online). His lone bracelet came in a mixed PLO/Omaha event in 2018, and more recently, Zhu had a close call after placing third in the No-Limit 2-7 Lowball event a couple of weeks ago.
End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yueqi Zhu | China | 395,000 | 33 |
| 2 | Colton Blomberg | United States | 359,000 | 30 |
| 3 | Brandon Shack-Harris | United States | 350,000 | 29 |
| 4 | Raymond Henson | United States | 344,000 | 29 |
| 5 | Michael Wagner | United States | 326,000 | 27 |
| 6 | Alexander Brenneke | United States | 308,000 | 26 |
| 7 | James Tilton | United States | 291,000 | 24 |
| 8 | Peter Neff | United States | 288,000 | 24 |
| 9 | Nathan Gamble | United States | 280,000 | 23 |
| 10 | Jon Turner | United States | 276,000 | 23 |
Also still in the field are six-time bracelet winners Shaun Deeb (80,000) and Brian Hastings (49,000), five-time bracelet winners Robert Mizrachi (233,000) and Adam Friedman (233,000), three-time bracelet winners Greg Mueller (206,000) and Nick Guagenti (135,000), and defending champion Aaron Cummings — who ended with a below average but still respectable 93,000 as he looks to defend his title.
The record breaking field generated an $842,963 prize pool that will be divided up between 96 players. Just 17 eliminations are needed before the money bubble bursts, at which point everyone remaining will have secured a $3,004 payday. The eventual winner can look forward to a $157,172 payout in addition to the gold bracelet.
$1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $157,172 | 12-17 | $7,954 |
| 2 | $104,739 | 18-23 | $6,422 |
| 3 | $70,121 | 24-29 | $5,321 |
| 4 | $47,969 | 30-35 | $4,529 |
| 5 | $33,546 | 36-41 | $3,962 |
| 6 | $23,995 | 42-47 | $3,566 |
| 7 | $17,563 | 48-53 | $3,304 |
| 8-9 | $13,163 | 54-65 | $3,154 |
| 10-11 | $10,106 | 66-96 | $3,004 |
Among the less fortunate who entered but found themselves on the rail include Ryan Leng, Tyler Brown, Huck Seed, Jonathan Tamayo, Allen Kessler, Michael Moncek, Adam Owen, Jeff Madsen, Scott Seiver, Ryutaro Suzuki, and Liam Gannon — who busted in the final level of the night to Steve Zolotow after Zolotow drew to Number Two against Gannon's nine.
Day 2 is set to get underway on Tuesday, June 24 at 1 p.m. local time. Play will resume at Level 16, which features 3,000/6,000 blinds with 6,000/12,000 betting limits. Level lengths will be increased to 60 minutes each for the duration of the tournament and breaks will be held after every two hours of play. An extended 60-minute dinner break will take place at the end of Level 21 (~7:30 p.m.)
With the bubble fast approaching, the stakes are beginning to heat up. Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we move closer to crowning the next $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw champion!