button in SafariAlessio Isaia Leads Final 12 Players in $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw
Limits: 40,000-80,000
Another full day of triple draw action inside the Paris Ballroom saw 125 players return for Day 2 of Event #58: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw. Following ten hour-long levels, just 12 players remained, with Alessio Isaia leading the pack after bagging up 2,200,000.
Isaia is a poker veteran with tournament results dating back to 2008 and more than $3.5 million in live-tournament earnings. The Italian grinder holds various titles from poker festivals and has made four WSOP final tables, but he is still searching for his first WSOP bracelet.
Sitting in second place is Slovakian poker pro Oliver Tot with 1,815,000, and rounding out the podium spots is one-time bracelet winner Nick Pupillo, who finished the day with 1,745,000. A victory for Pupillo would mark his second win in a triple draw event, with his first coming in a mixed-format tournament in 2023.
End of Day 2 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alessio Isaia | Italy | 2,200,000 | 22 |
| 2 | Oliver Tot | Slovakia | 1,815,000 | 18 |
| 3 | Nick Pupillo | United States | 1,745,000 | 17 |
| 4 | Horacio Chaves | Paraguay | 1,685,000 | 17 |
| 5 | Michelle Chin | United States | 1,560,000 | 16 |
| 6 | Evan Sandberg | United States | 1,320,000 | 13 |
| 7 | Ian Pelz | United States | 1,315,000 | 13 |
| 8 | Michael Rodrigues | Portugal | 1,100,000 | 11 |
| 9 | Steve Billirakis | United States | 1,065,000 | 11 |
| 10 | Daniel Strelitz | United States | 1,025,000 | 10 |
| 11 | David May | United States | 965,000 | 10 |
| 12 | Sean Troha | United States | 695,000 | 7 |
Day 2 Action
From a starting field of 657, just 125 players returned to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas hoping to survive the money bubble and make a deep run. With only 26 eliminations needed to reach the money, the action was tense from the start as players battled to secure a cash.
Among the unfortunate players to leave empty handed were Matt Grapenthien, Max Neugebauer, Everett Carlton, Caitlin Comeskey, Andrew Kelsall, and Sebastian Schulz, who couldn't catch his seven draw to fade being eliminated on the soft bubble.
Hand-for-hand play arrived by the second level of play and Jon Turner was among the first to find themselves at risk. Fortunately for Turner, he was able to score a double with an eighty-seven to keep his run alive. A few rounds later, Tobias Hausen got all in against Adas Povilavicius and broke a nine, only to realize he was already drawing dead against Povilavicius' pat seven.
Two-time bracelet winner Daniel Strelitz went on a hot streak before the second break as he became the first player to build a seven-figure stack after making a wheel against Frederic Moss in a large pot. Strelitz had a turbulent last half of the day, but still managed to bag a seven-figure stack worth 1,025,000.
Meanwhile, Day 1 chip leader Stephen Hubbard was unable to gain any real momentum and saw his run end in 47th after running into Logan Pease's seven holding an eighty-six. The result adds to an already excellent summer for Hubbard, who won his first bracelet in the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball earlier this series.
Following the break, a steady wave of eliminations saw plenty of notables hit the rail, including Jon Kyte (41st), James Tilton (37th), Nick Guagenti (31st), Jonathan Glendinning (28th), Jerry Wong (27th), and Dave Stann (23rd), who found himself drawing live to scoop in a capped three-way pot, but bricked out to be eliminated.
Michelle Chin made an unlikely comeback after being as short as two big bets late in the evening. Chin first kept her run alive by doubling through Strelitz, and not long after she was sent a massive four-way pot in which every card was dealt. Chin made number two and thanks to that pot, she ended with a top five stack worth 1,560,000.
The final 12 players have already secured a $8,211 payout from the $872,167 prize pool; however, they will be competing for the $161,313 first-place prize and coveted gold bracelet in tomorrow's finale. Here's a look at the remaining payouts:
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $161,313 | 7 | $18,165 |
| 2 | $107,504 | 8-9 | $13,613 |
| 3 | $72,152 | 10-11 | $10,445 |
| 4 | $49,458 | 12 | $8,211 |
| 5 | $34,641 | ||
| 6 | $24,804 |
Players will return tomorrow at 1 p.m. local time and play down to a winner. Action will resume on Level 26, which features 50,000/100,000 betting limits.
With just a dozen players remaining and the bracelet within view, the stakes have never been higher. For all the latest updates, stay tuned to PokerNews right up until the latest $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw champion has been crowned.