Nelson Mari Sanchez Strikes Gold to Win WSOP $777 Lucky 7’s for $777,777

Event #90: $777 Lucky 7’s No-Limit Hold’em is not just another tournament; it is one of the most unique and action-packed events on the World Series of Poker schedule. As the only seven-handed event of the series and the only one with a guaranteed $777,777 prize for the winner, it draws a massive field chasing poker glory.

Nelson Mari Sanchez navigated through 8,012 runners to capture the lion’s share of the $5,447,118 prize pool and his first World Series of Poker bracelet. After entering heads-up play with a three-to-one chip lead, Sanchez was able to close out the victory against Yu Liu under the glow of the Horseshoe Las Vegas.

$777 Lucky 7's Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Nelson Mari Sanchez	Mexico	$777,777
2	Yu Liu	Canada	$332,777
3	Nicola Bracchi	Italy	$244,777
4	Allen Shen	Canada	$181,777
5	Kieran Walsh	Ireland	$135,777
6	Hertsel Levy	Panama	$101,777
7	Hayato Kitajima	Japan	$77,777
8	Patrick Leonard	United Kingdom	$59,470

Winner's Reaction

Sanchez has been playing poker for twelve years and competing at the World Series for two. His largest previous score was $6,006, according to The Hendon Mob but today's win will be more than one hundred times that amount.

"This is a huge change for my bankroll. I’m not sure what’s next, but I know I’ll be back to defend this title next year," he told PokerNews in a winner's interview.

Sanchez didn’t have a set strategy for the final table, nor did he adjust his game under the pressure of the big stage. He mentioned being aware that Patrick Leonard was a well-known professional, but since Leonard lasted only one hand, he wasn’t much of a concern beyond that.

Sanchez would like to thank his wife, Erika, for supporting him today and cheering him on to victory.

Final Table Action

Eight players returned on Day 3, with Leonard hitting the rail on the very first hand off the deck when he ran his ace-jack into Nicola Bracchi's ace-king. Hertsel Levy made his presence felt at the final table, wearing a path between his chip stack and the center of the table as he moved plenty of chips before ultimately falling in sixth place.

A crucial hand unfolded five-handed between Sanchez and Kieran Walsh. Walsh attempted an all-in bluff on the river, but Sanchez was sitting on a full house and added many crucial chips to his stack when sending Walsh to the rail.

Short-Handed Play

When play became short-handed, Sanchez ramped up his aggression and applied pressure on the shorter stacks in pursuit of additional pay jumps. He was locked in, and the deck cooperated when needed. Sanchez eliminated the final four players on his way to the bracelet.

Heads-up play was brief, with Sanchez entering the match at a significant advantage. Liu struggled to gain any momentum. The final hand saw Liu move all in with ace-three, but he ran into Sanchez’s bigger ace and was unable to improve.