Welcome back to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and the 2014 World Series of Poker for the Event #18: $10,000 Seven-Card Razz Championship!
Today marks a massive day for all the razz fans out there in the poker world. Today marks the first time since 2009 that there has been an increase in the buy-in for the razz tournament. It is also the first time that two razz events have been featured on the same World Series of Poker schedule since 1977. However, the biggest note to this tournament is that today's $10,000 buy-in is the biggest razz buy-in since the 2003 $5,000 Razz tournament won by Huck Seed for $71,500 over Phil Ivey (2nd), Ted Forrest (3rd) and John Juanda (4th) — and, yes, they only played four places that year.
The earlier Event #7: $1,500 Seven-Card Razz tournament was won by Ted Forrest for $121,196 after he defeated Phil Hellmuth heads-up to grab his sixth WSOP bracelet. A total of 352 players took to the felt to try their hand at the game in Event #7, but today will more likely resemble the big buy-in small-field type events of roughly 100 players that the WSOP has become accustomed to in these non-hold'em and Omaha tournaments. Here is a look at the big buy-in events from the series so far.
No.
Event
Champion (Prize)
Entrants
#2
$25,000 Mixed Max No-Limit Hold'em
Vanessa Selbst ($871,148)
131
#5
$10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball
Tuan Le ($355,324)
120
#10
$10,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Low
Brock Parker ($443,407)
178
#13
$10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball
Paul Volpe ($253,524)
87
#18
$10,000 Seven-Card Razz
???
???
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand from 4:00 p.m. (PDT) providing continuous live updates of all the bring-ins, wheels, and outdraws live from the Amazon Room and the 2014 World Series of Poker!
Jason, Donnie, and Rich celebrate National Doughnut Day and talk about final table railing, vuvuzelas, the recent bracelet winners, and more. They are then joined by RunGood Team Pro and WSOP bracelet winner Bryan Campanello to talk Texas high school football, grinding the live circuit, and more.
When it comes to poker legends, Doyle Brunson stands above the rest. With 10 World Series of Poker gold bracelets and a pioneer in the game, the man they call "Tex Dolly" doesn't get to play much tournament poker these days because of the wear and tear that the long, strenuous days put on his body. Despite that, Brunson has made it out to the largest buy-in razz poker tournament ever held.
With $93,000 in live tournament earnings from razz-only events — which came from a bracelet victory in 1998 — Brunson is 29th on the WSOP's All-Time Razz Money List.
Now while Brunson may stay away from the Rio more so than he is in here playing day in and day out during the hot Vegas summer, the "Godfather of Poker" did manage a deep run in the last year's Main Event, finishing 409th out of 6,352 players. While that feat isn't quite as prominent as his two Main Event victories from 1976 and 1977, lasting several days in the most mentally and physically taxing poker tournament in the world at the age of 80 is one heck of an amazing accomplishment. Earning $28,063 isn't too bad, either.
He may not be able to play 30 or 40 events at the WSOP anymore, but it's a real treat to see such a living legend stay involved when he can — especially in the big buy-in tournaments that mean the most.
Catching the action on fourth street we found Brandon Shack-Harris betting out and both Andrey Zaichenko and Jeremy Ausmus calling before Ausmus took the lead on fifth street with both players calling. Sixth street was checked by all three players as each player's board read as follows:
With Shack-Harris' pair of fives the worst hand, he bet out 1,000 only to have Zaichenko raise. Ausmus folded and Shack-Harris called tabling his only to be beaten by Zaichenko's for a perfect eight.
Daniel Negreanu has just entered this tournament with ... a splash of color!
As Negreanu walked from one side of the room to the other to take his seat, everyone's eyes darted to see what Negreanu was wearing ... a sparkly bright purple jacket straight out of the 1970s disco era.
Once Negreanu was settled he played one of his first pots against Roland Israelashvili where Negreanu bet fifth and sixth streets before betting the river dark.
The $10,000 Seven-Card Razz Championship here at the 2014 World Series of Poker marks the biggest buy-in razz tournament ever held, and the field represents some real poker greats as a top, but select, field of competitors has come out. Going back to 2000 prior to this year's WSOP, only one razz event has been held per year.
This year there is both a $1,500 razz tournament and this $10,000 one on the schedule.
While razz is often classified as a "boring" game by many, this field is certainly far from that. With players like the living legends Doyle Brunson and Billy Baxter, juggernaut Phil Ivey, superstar Daniel Negreanu, and two-time bracelet winner Jason Mercier, this field is far from boring. In the past, some very prominent poker players have won razz bracelets, and that can very much be expected this year with such a packed field due to the high buy-in.
Here's a look at all the WSOP razz champions dating back to the turn of the millennium:
Year
Buy-in
Champion
Prize
Entrants
2014
$1,500
Ted Forrest
$121,196
352
2013
$2,500
Bryan Campanello
$178,052
301
2012
$2,500
Phil Hellmuth
$182,793
309
2011
$2,500
Rep Porter
$210,615
363
2010
$2,500
Frank Kassela
$214,085
365
2009
$2,500
Jeff Lisandro
$188,390
315
2008
$1,500
Barry Greenstein
$157,643
453
2007
$1,500
Katya Thater
$132,653
341
2006
$1,500
James Richburg
$139,576
409
2005
$1,500
O'Neil Longson
$125,690
291
2004
$1,500
TJ Cloutier
$90,500
195
2003
$5,000
Huck Seed
$71,500
30
2002
$1,500
Billy Baxter
$64,860
115
2001
$1,500
Berry Johnston
$83,810
144
2000
$1,500
Huck Seed
$77,400
129
Less than a week ago, Ted Forrest scooped up the $1,500 Seven-Card Razz title from this WSOP, defeating Phil Hellmuth in the process. By winning, Forrest joined the likes of Huck Seed, Gary “Bones” Berland, and Mike Hart as two-time razz bracelet winners. Hellmuth already has one razz bracelet and could join that club, but he'll have to wait for now as he still remains in the $3,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em across the room. Forrest is in the field already.
Billy Baxter has just been sent to the rail after seeing the last of his chips enter the pot on fifth street against Brian Townsend as both player's boards read as follows:
Baxter: /
Townsend: /
Baxter caught the on sixth as Townsend found the . On seventh Baxter squeezed out a unable to improve while Townsend also found the to send Baxter to the rail.
Todd Brunson was all in against Mike Wattel and Scott Seiver as the two active players continued to exchange bets until each player's board read as follows:
Seiver tabled his for a nine-eight as Wattel flashed his for three pair while Brunson flashed an assortment of cards and mucked before heading to the rail.
Jason Mercier limped and Jeff Lisandro completed to 800. Mercier called, and proceeded to call on fourth and fifth streets before he bet sixth. Lisandro check-called before both players checked seventh street.
Nine-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Phil Ivey began the day chasing that 10th piece of WSOP hardware and moving in the right direction. He was up over 50,000 in chips early, but has since fallen back below starting stack. After losing this recent pot to Yuval Bronshtein where he couldn't beat a six, Ivey dropped back to just 12,000 in chips.
Picking up the action on fourth street, Ivey led with a bet, and both of his opponents made the call to see fifth street. After the dealer pitched the next card, Ivey bet, Seiver folded, and Bronshtein called. After sixth street, Ivey fired another bet, and Bronshtein called.
"Give me a dark bet one time," said Bronshtein as the dealer burned before tossing each player his seventh street card. Ivey didn't react, nor did he fire a bet in the dark.
After seventh was received face down, Ivey checked, Bronshtein bet, and Ivey tank-called.
"Six," said Bronshtein, as he turned over .
Ivey couldn't beat it, and his hand hit the muck without display. Bronshtein moved to 82,000 in chips.
![[user80015]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
/ (X)
/ (X)
/ (X)
only to be beaten by Zaichenko's 
for a perfect eight.
/ (X)
/ (X)
for the third nuts and scooped the pot.
/ 
/ 
unable to improve while Townsend also found the 
/ (X)
/ (X)
/ (X)
