Todd Bui Wins Event #16: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw ($124,510)!
When the final table started in Event #16: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball, Todd Bui was sitting with the second shortest stack and he only had five big bets. Less than six hours later, he overcame that deficit and emerged victorious to win his first bracelet over eventual runner-up "Captain" Tom Franklin. In addition to the bracelet, Bui also collected $124,510 in first-place prize money.
When asked about that deficit he had to overcome, Bui had this to say: "In this format, I wasn't too worried. You have to produce a hand. I wasn't trying to move up spots. I came in trying to win and had one goal. I achieved it."
Bui is originally from Sacramento, CA and came up learning to play poker with JC Tran. "He's my best friend in poker," said Bui. "We started playing low limits together and then I moved down to Los Angeles because of the poker scene there. I started with limit hold'em, but branched off into other games."
Bui went on to explain that he doesn't play tournaments often. In fact, he said: "This is my first tournament win of any kind."
"I said before I came here this year that I was going bracelet hunting," Bui added. "The very next event I played after saying that was this one."
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Todd Bui | $124,510 |
| 2 | Tom Franklin | $76,943 |
| 3 | David Bell | $49,944 |
| 4 | Vladimir Shchemelev | $33,388 |
| 5 | Aaron Steury | $22,935 |
| 6 | David Gee | $16,170 |
To get the victory, Bui had to best a field of 348 players. Among those that would take part in the tournament were notables like Josh Arieh, David Benefield, Ted Forrest, Daniel Negreanu, Justin Bonomo, Phil Galfond, Phil Ivey, Tom Schneider, and Scott Clements. Mike Leah would end with the Day 1 chip lead, and he was joined by players like Jason Mercier, Stephen Chidwick, Todd Brunson, and Dan Smith in moving on to Day 2.
At the end of Day 2, only eight players remained and it was eventual runner-up Tom Franklin who held the chip lead. Among those who made the money but came up short of a bracelet were Dan Kelly (35th - $2,767), Brunson (31st - $2,767), Layne Flack (30th - $3,359), Daniel Idema (25th - $3,359), Chidwick (24th - $3,359), Smith (21st - $4,082), and Leah (11th - $6,586).
The final table would be a tough one as it contained players like WSOP bracelet winner Aaron Steury (5th - $22,935), one-time $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. runner-up Vladimir Shchemelev (4th - $33,388), and David Bell (3rd - $49,944). Three-handed play between Bell, Franklin, and Bui started with Bui being the shortest of the three stacks, but he would go on a run winning six of seven hands to move into the chip lead. It was a lead he would never relinquish on his way to victory.
Thank you for following PokerNews with our coverage of this event and stay tuned the rest of the summer for more exciting WSOP action.