John Monnette added a third WSOP gold bracelet to his list of poker achievements by winning the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship last night. The player claimed the title after a star-studded eight-handed final table of WSOP regulars, with 2014 champion Paul Volpe being among the finalists.
Aside from the gold piece of WSOP jewelry, Monnette’s efforts were also rewarded with $256,610 in prize money, thus bringing his WSOP winnings to more than $2.1 million.
Final day play kicked off with Monnette holding a commanding chip lead over his eight remaining opponents. Organizers described the tournament’s final table as one of the most fast-paced ones to have taken place within the 2017 edition of the Series. The initial eight-handed field was reduced to just three players within a little less than two-and-a-half-hour quality poker action.
Paul Volpe was not the only notable to participate in that concluding stage of the tournament. The likes of Mike Leah, Mike Gorodinsky, and Darren Elias were also headed for the title, but as it seems, the No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship was not meant for them this year.
Monnette’s style throughout the final table was characterized by continued application of pressure to his opponents and building his stack further. The player had a solid lead by the time there were only three players left at the table. At a certain point, Sweden’s Per Hildebrand swept past Darren Elias, accumulating the second largest stack. It was not long after when Elias was eliminated in third place, setting the heads-up match between Monnette and the Swede.
Monnette was well ahead of his final opponent at the beginning of the heads-up duel and it looked as if it would not take much longer before the name of the champion was clear. However, Hildebrand proved to be a tougher nut to crack than expected and he did not give up on the title that easily, although he never managed to overcome the big chip advantage Monnette had.
On the final hand, Hildebrand opened to 125,000 to see his opponent three-bet. The Swede then shoved and Monnette asked for a count. Once he got it, he called. At that point, Monnette patted, and his opponent drew a card. The eventual champion showed [8x][6x][5x][4x][3x] for an eight-six and Hildebrand revealed [8x][7x][6x] to hit the rail in second place, good for $158,596.
Commenting on winning his third gold bracelet, Monnette said that he considered that third piece very special as it was the first one he has won since he got married. The player said that his wife has always been very patient and very supportive of him in his poker endeavors.
Here it is also interesting to note that Monnette has won all three bracelets gold in events different from Texas Hold’em. He claimed his first piece in 2011 when he took down a $2,500 8-Game Mix tournament. Bracelet number two came in 2012, when he emerged the victor from a $5,000 Seven Card Stud.
