| 2011 World Series of Poker Event #9 - 2-7 Draw Lowball (No Limit) |
2011 World Series of Poker Event #9 Results
2011 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event # 9
Buy In: $1,500
Date: June 4 - June 6, 2011
Game: 2-7 Draw Lowball (No Limit)
Number of Entries: 275
Net Prize Pool: $371,250
First Place Prize: $102,105
Total Spots Paid Out: 28
Final Results
Event # 9
Buy In: $1,500
Date: June 4 - June 6, 2011
Game: 2-7 Draw Lowball (No Limit)
Number of Entries: 275
Net Prize Pool: $371,250
First Place Prize: $102,105
Total Spots Paid Out: 28
| Matthew Perrins |
Final Results:
Place
Name
Hometown
Prize
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Matthew Perrins
Chris Bjorin
Robin Rightmire
Bernard Lee
Thomas Fuller
Josh Brikis
Jason Mercier
Aaron Schaff
Travis Pearson
Avery Cardoza
Dan Kelly
Romik Vartzar
Rami Boukai
Don Mcnamara
Don Zewin
Sean Snyder
Donald Walsh
Greg Mueller
Nick Brancato
Dario Alioto
Daniel Smith
Thien "Tim" Phan
Lance Vankooten
Stuart Rutter
Eli Elezra
Paul Volpe
Brian Brubaker
Tom Franklin
Chris Bjorin
Robin Rightmire
Bernard Lee
Thomas Fuller
Josh Brikis
Jason Mercier
Aaron Schaff
Travis Pearson
Avery Cardoza
Dan Kelly
Romik Vartzar
Rami Boukai
Don Mcnamara
Don Zewin
Sean Snyder
Donald Walsh
Greg Mueller
Nick Brancato
Dario Alioto
Daniel Smith
Thien "Tim" Phan
Lance Vankooten
Stuart Rutter
Eli Elezra
Paul Volpe
Brian Brubaker
Tom Franklin
United Kingdom
London, UK
Glenwood Sprgs, CO
Wayland, MA
Boulder, CO
Murrysville, PA
Davie, FL
East Brunswick, NJ
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
Potomac, MD
Glendale, CA
San Diego, CA
San Jose, CA
Las Vegas, NV
San Diego, CA
Park Ridge, IL
Bramberger, Canada
Jersey City, NJ
Palermo, Italy
Manalapan, NJ
Tustin, CA
Hays, KS
Birmingham, UK
Henderson, NV
West Chester, PA
Manhattan Beach, CA
Gulfport, MS
London, UK
Glenwood Sprgs, CO
Wayland, MA
Boulder, CO
Murrysville, PA
Davie, FL
East Brunswick, NJ
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
Potomac, MD
Glendale, CA
San Diego, CA
San Jose, CA
Las Vegas, NV
San Diego, CA
Park Ridge, IL
Bramberger, Canada
Jersey City, NJ
Palermo, Italy
Manalapan, NJ
Tustin, CA
Hays, KS
Birmingham, UK
Henderson, NV
West Chester, PA
Manhattan Beach, CA
Gulfport, MS
$102,105
$63,112
$41,643
$28,422
$19,906
$14,296
$10,524
$7,937
$6,129
$6,129
$6,129
$4,844
$4,844
$4,844
$3,961
$3,961
$3,961
$3,961
$3,961
$3,961
$3,961
$3,237
$3,237
$3,237
$3,237
$3,237
$3,237
$3,237
$63,112
$41,643
$28,422
$19,906
$14,296
$10,524
$7,937
$6,129
$6,129
$6,129
$4,844
$4,844
$4,844
$3,961
$3,961
$3,961
$3,961
$3,961
$3,961
$3,961
$3,237
$3,237
$3,237
$3,237
$3,237
$3,237
$3,237
| 2011 World Series of Poker Official Results Event #9 2-7 Draw Lowball (No Limit) $1,500 Buy-in June 4, 2011 |
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TOURNAMENT HEADLINES:
Matt Perrins Wins His First WSOP Gold Bracelet
Young Englishman Wins Deuce-to-Seven Lowball Championship
Perrins Masters the Game First Time He Plays – Hundreds of Experienced Lowball
“Specialists” Left Stunned
“Beginner” Delivers Knockout Punch at Star-Studded Final Table
Two-Time Gold Bracelet Winner Chris Bjorin Finishes as Runner Up
WSOP Strong Numbers Continue – Tournament Attendance Up 4 Percent Over Last Year
Eight Gold Bracelets Won – 51 More Still Up For Grabs
OVERVIEW
What are the odds that two poker players from a tiny town located in the north of England
would fly halfway around the globe to the 2011 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and
each win gold bracelets within just a week’s time?
If you’re keeping track at the moment, the odds are 100 percent.
Matt Perrins, from the small suburban town called Rochdale, situated within a short
distance of the bigger and meaner industrial city of Manchester, matched the feat of his
close neighbor by winning a WSOP title in the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven
Lowball Championship. The three-day competition concluded today at the Rio in Las
Vegas. Perrins victory took place only days after Jake Cody, also from Rochdale, won the
$25,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Championship.
Perrins victory was impressive for at least one additional reason. Incredibly, he had never
played this game until this tournament began.
Perrins later explained he was tired of playing Hold’em and decided to try something
“different.” For most people, that means sitting down in a small-stakes cash game. Or
perhaps, entering one of the many daily tournaments spread around Las Vegas, during
WSOP-time. For Perrins, that meant ponying up a $1,500 entry fee and entering a
tournament filled with many hard-core Lowball enthusiasts. Indeed, many of the players in
this tournament had been playing Lowball for decades.
Before taking his tournament seat, Perrins had to familiarize himself with some rules and
basic strategy of the game. Since there aren’t too many tutorials out there on mastering
No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball, he turned to the place where virtually no one else goes
to learn a new poker game.
YouTube.
That’s right, YouTube – the site famous for music videos, pranks, and pet tricks.
Apparently Perrins found a YouTube link that must had some pretty good stuff. He watched
what he estimated to be a total of 30 minutes of video about Lowball Single-Draw basics. A
short time later, he owned a WSOP gold bracelet.
Sick. Amazing. Absurd. Ridiculous....take your pick of adjectives. But the reality is – the
best single-word description of all would be IMPRESSIVE.
Indeed, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
This was the first of four Lowball events to be held at this year’s World Series of Poker. The
winner Perrins is a professional poker player. This was the first year he has attended the
WSOP. Perrins earned $102,105 in prize money. He was also presented with the supreme
symbol of achievement in the game of poker – the WSOP gold bracelet. This marked his
first-ever WSOP victory.
The runner up was Chris Bjorin, one of the game’s finest gentlemen. If any player,
particularly from abroad, deserves serious consideration as the first international Poker Hall
of Fame inductee, it is most certainly the amiable gambler from London. Bjorin owns two
WSOP gold bracelets. He ranks sixth on the all-time list of WSOP career cashes.
Unfortunately, he just missed what would have been his first WSOP victory in 11 years.
This was the ninth official tournament event on this year’s WSOP SCHEDULE. The
tournament attracted 275 entries. Attendance increased ten percent from last year’s
turnout when there were 250 players. The overall trend at this year’s WSOP thus far has
been a slight increase in attendance in tournament participation and a large increase in
action both in cash games and satellites.
Perrin’s account for his own inexperience playing the game beforehand was reminiscent of
at least two legendary past poker accomplishments. Jennifer Harman famously declared
after winning the $5,000 buy-in version of this game (in 2000) that she had never played
the game before. She took a five-minute course from another player moments before the
action began and ended up winning her first to two gold bracelets. A similar story occurred
in 1980 when Stu Ungar won the WSOP Main Event Championship. That was only the
second time Ungar had played in a No-Limit Hold’em tournament. The runner up that year
(Doyle Brunson) quipped afterward that he was astonished by Ungar’s ability to learn so
much so quickly and pick up things about the game as he went along. No doubt, Perrins’
victory in this tournament (with a much larger field size) will entice some comparison.
EVENT #9 CHAMPION – MATTHEW “MATT” PERRINS
The 2011 World Series of Poker $1,500 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball champion is Matt
Perrins.
Perrins is from Rochdale, UK which is adjacent to the much larger English city of Manchester.
Perrins considers himself to be a No-Limit Hold’em specialist. He does not normally play
other forms of poker.
Perrins collected a $102,105 for first place. He was also awarded his first WSOP gold
bracelet.
Perrins had never played the game he won in any capacity prior to his victory. Incredibly,
he learned the basics from watching a few free poker videos that were posted online. He
admits to be unfamiliar with the game when he began Day One. By Day Three (final table),
Perrins had come to several realizations about strategy that allowed him to succeed.
During the tournament, Perrin was late to arrive on Day Two. The tournament was played
over three days. The second day began at 2:30. However, Perrin arrived one hour late
because he could not get a ride to the Rio in time.
According to official records, Perrins now has 1 win, 1 final table appearance, and 1 in-the-
money finish at the WSOP.
This is the first year Perrins has attended the WSOP.
Perrins currently has $102,105 in career WSOP winnings. He has an estimated $650,000
win live tournament career winnings, according to several major popular websites.
Perrins biggest tournament victory up to this point was a first-place finish in the Italian
Poker Tour’s championship held in Venice, in 2009.
Perrins is a close friend of the winner of Event #4, Jake Cody. Both Perrins and Cody reside
in the same town of Rochdale, UK. In fact, the two new poker champions have known each
other since they were children.
Perrins is to be regarded as a professional poker player, since he works and plays poker
successfully full-time.
WINNER QUOTES
(Note: The winner was interviewed at tableside moments after the victory)
On winning his first WSOP gold bracelet: “This is great. To have all my mates here and to
come for the first time and win it. It’s really amazing. I can’t describe it right now.”
On what motivated him to play a new game for the first time at the WSOP: “My friends
talked me into it. They said it was fun. So, I decided to give it a try. I guess that kind of
went well.”
On how he was able to grasp the complexities of the game so quickly: “During Day One
and the first three of four hours, I was not sure what was going on. I was getting into a
few hands, and I was not sure what I should do here. So, I ended up speaking to some of
my mates. I started to pick it up. As the tournament got deeper, it was kind of similar to
Hold’em as in where being aggressive and three-betting will get you a lot of chips. That’s
where I started moving toward the final table.”
On playing versus a very tough lineup at the final table: “I knew that everyone had a lot
more experience than me. But since I was able to play it a bit like Hold’em, they would
fold. When I three-bet and was aggressive, it worked.”
On his future goal in poker: “To win another bracelet.”
THE FINAL TABLE
The final table was comprised seven players.
The final table contained two former gold bracelet winners – Chris Bjorin and Jason Mercier.
Two nations were represented at the final table – including Great Britain (2 players) and
the United States (5 players).
It was an all-British finale when play became heads-up. The top two finishers were from
the UK.
The runner up was Chris Bjorin, from London, UK. He is originally from Sweden. Bjorin
holds two WSOP gold bracelets, won in 1997 ($1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha) and 2000 ($3,000
No-Limit Hold’em).
With this cash, Chris Bjorin currently ranks in a sixth-place tie with Humberto Brenes for
most career cashes – at 59.
With this final table appearance, Chris Bjorin currently ranks in a tenth-place with Doyle
Brunson for most career final tables – at 25.
The third-place finisher was Robin Rightmire, from Glenwood Springs, CO.
The fourth-place finisher was Bernard Lee, from Wayland, MA. He is a well-known poker
personality and player. Lee is a columnist for The Boston Herald (newspaper) as well as
ESPN. He also hosts a radio talk show, called “Inside Deal.” Lee now has more than
$800,000 in WSOP earnings.
The fifth-place finisher was Thomas Fuller, from Boulder, CO. He now has more than
$250,000 in career WSOP winnings.
The sixth-place finisher was Josh Brikis, from Pittsburgh, PA. He is a 31-year-old poker pro.
Brikis has more than $1.5 in worldwide tournament winnings. His best showings at the
WSOP were a second-place finish in 2009 and finishing 55th in last year’s Main Event
Championship.
The seventh-place finisher was former gold bracelet winner Jason Mercier, from Davey, FL.
He is one of the most respected all-around poker players in the world. Mercier won the
$1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha title in 2009. He now has more than $900,000 in career
tournament winnings at the WSOP.
The final table began at 3:10 pm. Final table play ended at 8:20 pm. Hence, the final table
lasted about five hours, ten minutes.
The final table had an unusual atmosphere for a Lowball Draw game. On most occasions,
loud cheering sections can be found only at No-Limit Hold’em finales. Rarely does a Lowball
match generate much crowd interest, and certainly raucous celebrations are almost
unheard of. Nevertheless, an all-British finale guaranteed some fireworks in the stands.
The gallery was packed with English players, most of who rooted for Matt Perrins. The
crowd was respectful toward Bjorin and the other players. But Perrins was the
overwhelming crowd favorite. When cards were revealed during all-in situations and
players were drawing, the atmosphere was as exciting as any No-Limit Hold’em finale.
The final table was played in ESPN new main stage, which is getting raves in terms of
design and appearance. No stage in the history of poker has ever looked as spectacular.
Early reports from the television crew are that this year’s preliminary footage looks
“spectacular.” Viewers will be able to see ESPN’s coverage again once the WSOP Main
Event begins.
Action was streamed live over WSOP.com. Viewers can tune in and watch most of this
year’s final tables. Although hole cards are not shown, viewers can follow an overhead
camera as well as a pan-shot of the table. The floor announcer provides an official account
of the action.
OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS
The top 28 finishers collected prize money, which meant the last four tables of players were
paid.
The defending champion was Yan Chen, from Los Angeles, CA. He did not cash this year.
Former WSOP gold bracelet winners who cashed in this event included Chris Bjorin, Jason
Mercier, Dan Kelly (11th), Rami Boukai (13th), Greg Mueller (18th), Dario Alioto (20th), Eli
Elezra (25th), and “Captain” Tom Franklin (25th).
The 10th-place finisher was Avery Cardoza, from Las Vegas, NV. He is the founder and
owner of Cardoza Publishing (and the Gamblers Bookstore in Las Vegas), which printed and
distributed many best-selling poker books. Among Cardoza’s catalogue is Doyle Brunson’s
autobiography, which was released last year.
The 14th-place finisher was Don McNamara, from Menlo Park, CA. He finished third in the
Limit counterpart to this tournament, at last year’s WSOP.
The 15th-place finisher was Don Zewin, from Las Vegas, NV. He has been playing at the
WSOP more than twenty years. Zewin finished third in the 1989 Main Event Championship,
topped in the final only by Johnny Chan (second) and Phil Hellmuth (winner).
The 16th-place finisher was Sean Snyder, from San Diego, CA. When asked details about
his background by the media, Snyder called himself a “professional losing player.” He also
insisted his favorite poker player is “Bill Frist,” which is an inside joke to all of those who
have been involved in the online poker scene since 2006.
The 17th-place finisher was Don Walsh, from Park Ridge, IL. He insists he has played more
No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Single-Draw poker than anyone in the world. Most of Walsh’s
hours were accumulated playing the game online.
Tournament results are to be included in the WSOP official records. Results are also to be
included in the 2011 WSOP “Player of the Year” race.
ODDS AND ENDS
This is the 901st gold bracelet awarded in World Series of Poker history. This figure
includes every official WSOP event ever played, including tournaments during the early
years when there were no actual gold bracelets awarded. It also includes the 16 gold
bracelets awarded to date at WSOP Europe (2007-2010). Moreover for the first time ever,
one gold bracelet was awarded for this year’s winner of the WSOP Circuit National
Championship.
The tournament was played over three consecutive days.
Perrin’s account for his own inexperience playing the game beforehand was reminiscent of
at least two legendary previous poker accomplishments. Jennifer Harman famously
declared after winning the $5,000 buy-in version of this game in 2000 that she had never
played the game before. She took a five-minute course from another player moments
before the action began and ended up winning her first to two gold bracelets. A similar
story occurred in 1980 when Stu Ungar won the WSOP Main Event Championship. That
was only the second time Ungar had played in a No-Limit Hold’em tournament. The runner
up that year (Doyle Brunson) quipped afterward that he was astonished by Ungar’s ability
to learn so much so quickly and pick up things about the game as he went along. No
doubt, Perrins’ victory in this tournament (with a much larger field size) will entice some
comparison.
The official WSOP gold bracelet ceremony takes place on the day following the winner’s
victory (or some hours later when the tournament ends very late). The ceremony takes
place inside The Pavilion, which is the expansive main tournament room hosting all noon
starts this year. The ceremony begins at the conclusion of the first break of the noon
tournament. The ceremony usually starts around 2:20 pm. The national anthem of the
winner’s nation is played. The entire presentation is open to the public and media. Video
and photography is permitted by both the public and members of the media.
Perrin’s gold bracelet ceremony is set to take place on Tuesday, June 7th. The National
Anthem of Great Britain will be played in honor of his victory.
WSOP LOWBALL RECORDS
Poker Hall of Fame inductee Billy Baxter holds every conceivable meaningful record in the
Lowball game category. He has dominated this form of poker in a manner that is
unprecedented for any player in any game in history. Perhaps only late poker legend Bill
Boyd, who enjoyed similar domination in the game of Five-Card Draw poker (which is no
longer spread at the WSOP) can arguably rival Baxter’s mastery of a single poker game.
All of Billy Baxter’s seven WSOP gold bracelets were won playing various forms of Lowball.
Billy Baxter holds 16 WSOP cashes in Lowball events, the most of any player in this form of
poker. To give some perspective of Baxter’s excellence, the current second-place leaders in
Lowball career cashes are Bobby Baldwin and “Oklahoma Johnny” Hale, with nine each.
EVENT HISTORY
Deuce-to-Seven Lowball made its tournament debut at the 1973 WSOP. The game is rarely
played anywhere except at the very highest levels. It’s rarely spread inside public
cardrooms -- either as cash games or tournaments. In fact, the WSOP is one of the few
places where this poker variant is offered. The game was initially tacked onto the WSOP
schedule because it was the preferred game of many high-stakes cash game players and
has since become a tradition.
The very first Deuce-to-Seven Lowball champion was Aubrey Day. Since then, the Deuce-to-
Seven gold bracelet has been won by a royal court of poker champions, including Jack
Straus, Sailor Roberts, Billy Baxter, Doyle Brunson, Bobby Baldwin, Sarge Ferris, Stu Ungar,
Dewey Tomko, Seymour Lebowitz, Bob Stupak, John Bonetti, Freddy Deeb, Johnny Chan,
Erik Seidel, Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, O’Neil Longsen, Barry Greenstein and others.
Deuce-to-Seven Draw Lowball means the worst, or lowest ranked hand wins the pot. The
very best possible 2-7 lowball hand is 2-3-4-5-7 of mixed suits. An ace counts as a high
card. Flushes and straights count against the player. While a wheel (A-2-3-4-5) is the
perfect hand in standard lowball, in Deuce-to-Seven it is usually a losing hand since the
straight counts against the player.
In the “Triple-Draw” variant of this game, players may draw up to three times to make their
hand. This tournament employed a “Single-Draw” format.
This same game was played at last year’s WSOP at the $1,500 level. The buy-in for the
“cheapest” Loball event declined from $2,500 to $1,500 in an effort to encourage more
players to enter and perhaps learn more about the game. The lower buy-in boosted
attendance from 147 (in 2009) up to 250 (in 2010). This year, there were 275 entries
which seems to confirm the reality that if tournaments are more affordable, more players
will take a chance and play (what is for many) a new game.
There is some difference of opinion as to where and when this game originated. Since the
1930s, variations of standard Lowball have been spread throughout California and
Nevada. According to poker theorist David Sklansky, Limit 'Double-Draw' Lowball was first
spread at the (now defunct) Vegas World during the early 1980s. Others cited a game
called “Ten-Handed Triple-Draw Lowball” as the forbearer of Triple Draw, which was played
at Amarillo Slim's' Super Bowl of Poker tournaments in Reno and Lake Tahoe during the
period 1979 through 1984. Since ten-handed poker could only accommodate perhaps three
or four players at most due to the number of cards needed to complete a hand, reducing
the number of cards (to five) enabled more players to sit in the game.
TOURNAMENT PLAY
The tournament officially began on Saturday, June 4th at 5 pm. The tournament officially
ended on Monday, June 6th, at 8:20 pm.
2011 WSOP STATISTICS
Through the conclusion of Event #9 (sans Event #8 which is still being played at press
time), the 2011 WSOP has attracted 4,424 entries. $13,831,800 in prize money has been
awarded to winners, so far.
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the nationality of gold bracelet winners has
been:
United States (6)
Great Britain (2)
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the national origin (birthplace) of winners has
been:
United States (4)
Great Britain (2)
Ukraine (1)
Israel (1)
Through the conclusion of this event, the home-states of winners have been:
California (1)
Illinois (1)
New York (1)
New Jersey (1)
Florida (1)
Nevada (1)
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the breakdown of professional poker players to
semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets is as follows:
Professional Players (6): Jake Cody, Cheech Barbaro, Eugene Katchalov, Allen Bari,
Harrison Wilder, Matt Perrins
Semi-Pros (2): Sean R. Drake, Amir Lehavot
Amateurs (0): None
All of the first eight tournaments completed so far have been won by first-time champions
(non-winners from previous years).
Four of the first eight winners this year also enjoyed their first-ever WSOP cash with the
victory.
Every WSOP over the past 11 years has included at least one multiple gold bracelet
champion (wins within the same year). 1999 was the last year the WSOP was comprised
exclusively of single-event winners. The record for most multiple gold bracelet winner in a
single year was in 2009, when five players managed to win two or more titles.
The streak of male WSOP gold bracelet winners has now reached 170 consecutive events.
Aside from the annual Ladies Championship, the last female player to win a WSOP
tournament open to both sexes was Vanessa Selbst, in 2008.
The highest finish by a female player (open events) at this year’s WSOP was Maria Ho, who
finished second ($5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em).
Note: Various categories and statistics will be updated with each gold bracelet event as
they are completed.
Matt Perrins Wins His First WSOP Gold Bracelet
Young Englishman Wins Deuce-to-Seven Lowball Championship
Perrins Masters the Game First Time He Plays – Hundreds of Experienced Lowball
“Specialists” Left Stunned
“Beginner” Delivers Knockout Punch at Star-Studded Final Table
Two-Time Gold Bracelet Winner Chris Bjorin Finishes as Runner Up
WSOP Strong Numbers Continue – Tournament Attendance Up 4 Percent Over Last Year
Eight Gold Bracelets Won – 51 More Still Up For Grabs
OVERVIEW
What are the odds that two poker players from a tiny town located in the north of England
would fly halfway around the globe to the 2011 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and
each win gold bracelets within just a week’s time?
If you’re keeping track at the moment, the odds are 100 percent.
Matt Perrins, from the small suburban town called Rochdale, situated within a short
distance of the bigger and meaner industrial city of Manchester, matched the feat of his
close neighbor by winning a WSOP title in the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven
Lowball Championship. The three-day competition concluded today at the Rio in Las
Vegas. Perrins victory took place only days after Jake Cody, also from Rochdale, won the
$25,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Championship.
Perrins victory was impressive for at least one additional reason. Incredibly, he had never
played this game until this tournament began.
Perrins later explained he was tired of playing Hold’em and decided to try something
“different.” For most people, that means sitting down in a small-stakes cash game. Or
perhaps, entering one of the many daily tournaments spread around Las Vegas, during
WSOP-time. For Perrins, that meant ponying up a $1,500 entry fee and entering a
tournament filled with many hard-core Lowball enthusiasts. Indeed, many of the players in
this tournament had been playing Lowball for decades.
Before taking his tournament seat, Perrins had to familiarize himself with some rules and
basic strategy of the game. Since there aren’t too many tutorials out there on mastering
No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball, he turned to the place where virtually no one else goes
to learn a new poker game.
YouTube.
That’s right, YouTube – the site famous for music videos, pranks, and pet tricks.
Apparently Perrins found a YouTube link that must had some pretty good stuff. He watched
what he estimated to be a total of 30 minutes of video about Lowball Single-Draw basics. A
short time later, he owned a WSOP gold bracelet.
Sick. Amazing. Absurd. Ridiculous....take your pick of adjectives. But the reality is – the
best single-word description of all would be IMPRESSIVE.
Indeed, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
This was the first of four Lowball events to be held at this year’s World Series of Poker. The
winner Perrins is a professional poker player. This was the first year he has attended the
WSOP. Perrins earned $102,105 in prize money. He was also presented with the supreme
symbol of achievement in the game of poker – the WSOP gold bracelet. This marked his
first-ever WSOP victory.
The runner up was Chris Bjorin, one of the game’s finest gentlemen. If any player,
particularly from abroad, deserves serious consideration as the first international Poker Hall
of Fame inductee, it is most certainly the amiable gambler from London. Bjorin owns two
WSOP gold bracelets. He ranks sixth on the all-time list of WSOP career cashes.
Unfortunately, he just missed what would have been his first WSOP victory in 11 years.
This was the ninth official tournament event on this year’s WSOP SCHEDULE. The
tournament attracted 275 entries. Attendance increased ten percent from last year’s
turnout when there were 250 players. The overall trend at this year’s WSOP thus far has
been a slight increase in attendance in tournament participation and a large increase in
action both in cash games and satellites.
Perrin’s account for his own inexperience playing the game beforehand was reminiscent of
at least two legendary past poker accomplishments. Jennifer Harman famously declared
after winning the $5,000 buy-in version of this game (in 2000) that she had never played
the game before. She took a five-minute course from another player moments before the
action began and ended up winning her first to two gold bracelets. A similar story occurred
in 1980 when Stu Ungar won the WSOP Main Event Championship. That was only the
second time Ungar had played in a No-Limit Hold’em tournament. The runner up that year
(Doyle Brunson) quipped afterward that he was astonished by Ungar’s ability to learn so
much so quickly and pick up things about the game as he went along. No doubt, Perrins’
victory in this tournament (with a much larger field size) will entice some comparison.
EVENT #9 CHAMPION – MATTHEW “MATT” PERRINS
The 2011 World Series of Poker $1,500 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball champion is Matt
Perrins.
Perrins is from Rochdale, UK which is adjacent to the much larger English city of Manchester.
Perrins considers himself to be a No-Limit Hold’em specialist. He does not normally play
other forms of poker.
Perrins collected a $102,105 for first place. He was also awarded his first WSOP gold
bracelet.
Perrins had never played the game he won in any capacity prior to his victory. Incredibly,
he learned the basics from watching a few free poker videos that were posted online. He
admits to be unfamiliar with the game when he began Day One. By Day Three (final table),
Perrins had come to several realizations about strategy that allowed him to succeed.
During the tournament, Perrin was late to arrive on Day Two. The tournament was played
over three days. The second day began at 2:30. However, Perrin arrived one hour late
because he could not get a ride to the Rio in time.
According to official records, Perrins now has 1 win, 1 final table appearance, and 1 in-the-
money finish at the WSOP.
This is the first year Perrins has attended the WSOP.
Perrins currently has $102,105 in career WSOP winnings. He has an estimated $650,000
win live tournament career winnings, according to several major popular websites.
Perrins biggest tournament victory up to this point was a first-place finish in the Italian
Poker Tour’s championship held in Venice, in 2009.
Perrins is a close friend of the winner of Event #4, Jake Cody. Both Perrins and Cody reside
in the same town of Rochdale, UK. In fact, the two new poker champions have known each
other since they were children.
Perrins is to be regarded as a professional poker player, since he works and plays poker
successfully full-time.
WINNER QUOTES
(Note: The winner was interviewed at tableside moments after the victory)
On winning his first WSOP gold bracelet: “This is great. To have all my mates here and to
come for the first time and win it. It’s really amazing. I can’t describe it right now.”
On what motivated him to play a new game for the first time at the WSOP: “My friends
talked me into it. They said it was fun. So, I decided to give it a try. I guess that kind of
went well.”
On how he was able to grasp the complexities of the game so quickly: “During Day One
and the first three of four hours, I was not sure what was going on. I was getting into a
few hands, and I was not sure what I should do here. So, I ended up speaking to some of
my mates. I started to pick it up. As the tournament got deeper, it was kind of similar to
Hold’em as in where being aggressive and three-betting will get you a lot of chips. That’s
where I started moving toward the final table.”
On playing versus a very tough lineup at the final table: “I knew that everyone had a lot
more experience than me. But since I was able to play it a bit like Hold’em, they would
fold. When I three-bet and was aggressive, it worked.”
On his future goal in poker: “To win another bracelet.”
THE FINAL TABLE
The final table was comprised seven players.
The final table contained two former gold bracelet winners – Chris Bjorin and Jason Mercier.
Two nations were represented at the final table – including Great Britain (2 players) and
the United States (5 players).
It was an all-British finale when play became heads-up. The top two finishers were from
the UK.
The runner up was Chris Bjorin, from London, UK. He is originally from Sweden. Bjorin
holds two WSOP gold bracelets, won in 1997 ($1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha) and 2000 ($3,000
No-Limit Hold’em).
With this cash, Chris Bjorin currently ranks in a sixth-place tie with Humberto Brenes for
most career cashes – at 59.
With this final table appearance, Chris Bjorin currently ranks in a tenth-place with Doyle
Brunson for most career final tables – at 25.
The third-place finisher was Robin Rightmire, from Glenwood Springs, CO.
The fourth-place finisher was Bernard Lee, from Wayland, MA. He is a well-known poker
personality and player. Lee is a columnist for The Boston Herald (newspaper) as well as
ESPN. He also hosts a radio talk show, called “Inside Deal.” Lee now has more than
$800,000 in WSOP earnings.
The fifth-place finisher was Thomas Fuller, from Boulder, CO. He now has more than
$250,000 in career WSOP winnings.
The sixth-place finisher was Josh Brikis, from Pittsburgh, PA. He is a 31-year-old poker pro.
Brikis has more than $1.5 in worldwide tournament winnings. His best showings at the
WSOP were a second-place finish in 2009 and finishing 55th in last year’s Main Event
Championship.
The seventh-place finisher was former gold bracelet winner Jason Mercier, from Davey, FL.
He is one of the most respected all-around poker players in the world. Mercier won the
$1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha title in 2009. He now has more than $900,000 in career
tournament winnings at the WSOP.
The final table began at 3:10 pm. Final table play ended at 8:20 pm. Hence, the final table
lasted about five hours, ten minutes.
The final table had an unusual atmosphere for a Lowball Draw game. On most occasions,
loud cheering sections can be found only at No-Limit Hold’em finales. Rarely does a Lowball
match generate much crowd interest, and certainly raucous celebrations are almost
unheard of. Nevertheless, an all-British finale guaranteed some fireworks in the stands.
The gallery was packed with English players, most of who rooted for Matt Perrins. The
crowd was respectful toward Bjorin and the other players. But Perrins was the
overwhelming crowd favorite. When cards were revealed during all-in situations and
players were drawing, the atmosphere was as exciting as any No-Limit Hold’em finale.
The final table was played in ESPN new main stage, which is getting raves in terms of
design and appearance. No stage in the history of poker has ever looked as spectacular.
Early reports from the television crew are that this year’s preliminary footage looks
“spectacular.” Viewers will be able to see ESPN’s coverage again once the WSOP Main
Event begins.
Action was streamed live over WSOP.com. Viewers can tune in and watch most of this
year’s final tables. Although hole cards are not shown, viewers can follow an overhead
camera as well as a pan-shot of the table. The floor announcer provides an official account
of the action.
OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS
The top 28 finishers collected prize money, which meant the last four tables of players were
paid.
The defending champion was Yan Chen, from Los Angeles, CA. He did not cash this year.
Former WSOP gold bracelet winners who cashed in this event included Chris Bjorin, Jason
Mercier, Dan Kelly (11th), Rami Boukai (13th), Greg Mueller (18th), Dario Alioto (20th), Eli
Elezra (25th), and “Captain” Tom Franklin (25th).
The 10th-place finisher was Avery Cardoza, from Las Vegas, NV. He is the founder and
owner of Cardoza Publishing (and the Gamblers Bookstore in Las Vegas), which printed and
distributed many best-selling poker books. Among Cardoza’s catalogue is Doyle Brunson’s
autobiography, which was released last year.
The 14th-place finisher was Don McNamara, from Menlo Park, CA. He finished third in the
Limit counterpart to this tournament, at last year’s WSOP.
The 15th-place finisher was Don Zewin, from Las Vegas, NV. He has been playing at the
WSOP more than twenty years. Zewin finished third in the 1989 Main Event Championship,
topped in the final only by Johnny Chan (second) and Phil Hellmuth (winner).
The 16th-place finisher was Sean Snyder, from San Diego, CA. When asked details about
his background by the media, Snyder called himself a “professional losing player.” He also
insisted his favorite poker player is “Bill Frist,” which is an inside joke to all of those who
have been involved in the online poker scene since 2006.
The 17th-place finisher was Don Walsh, from Park Ridge, IL. He insists he has played more
No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Single-Draw poker than anyone in the world. Most of Walsh’s
hours were accumulated playing the game online.
Tournament results are to be included in the WSOP official records. Results are also to be
included in the 2011 WSOP “Player of the Year” race.
ODDS AND ENDS
This is the 901st gold bracelet awarded in World Series of Poker history. This figure
includes every official WSOP event ever played, including tournaments during the early
years when there were no actual gold bracelets awarded. It also includes the 16 gold
bracelets awarded to date at WSOP Europe (2007-2010). Moreover for the first time ever,
one gold bracelet was awarded for this year’s winner of the WSOP Circuit National
Championship.
The tournament was played over three consecutive days.
Perrin’s account for his own inexperience playing the game beforehand was reminiscent of
at least two legendary previous poker accomplishments. Jennifer Harman famously
declared after winning the $5,000 buy-in version of this game in 2000 that she had never
played the game before. She took a five-minute course from another player moments
before the action began and ended up winning her first to two gold bracelets. A similar
story occurred in 1980 when Stu Ungar won the WSOP Main Event Championship. That
was only the second time Ungar had played in a No-Limit Hold’em tournament. The runner
up that year (Doyle Brunson) quipped afterward that he was astonished by Ungar’s ability
to learn so much so quickly and pick up things about the game as he went along. No
doubt, Perrins’ victory in this tournament (with a much larger field size) will entice some
comparison.
The official WSOP gold bracelet ceremony takes place on the day following the winner’s
victory (or some hours later when the tournament ends very late). The ceremony takes
place inside The Pavilion, which is the expansive main tournament room hosting all noon
starts this year. The ceremony begins at the conclusion of the first break of the noon
tournament. The ceremony usually starts around 2:20 pm. The national anthem of the
winner’s nation is played. The entire presentation is open to the public and media. Video
and photography is permitted by both the public and members of the media.
Perrin’s gold bracelet ceremony is set to take place on Tuesday, June 7th. The National
Anthem of Great Britain will be played in honor of his victory.
WSOP LOWBALL RECORDS
Poker Hall of Fame inductee Billy Baxter holds every conceivable meaningful record in the
Lowball game category. He has dominated this form of poker in a manner that is
unprecedented for any player in any game in history. Perhaps only late poker legend Bill
Boyd, who enjoyed similar domination in the game of Five-Card Draw poker (which is no
longer spread at the WSOP) can arguably rival Baxter’s mastery of a single poker game.
All of Billy Baxter’s seven WSOP gold bracelets were won playing various forms of Lowball.
Billy Baxter holds 16 WSOP cashes in Lowball events, the most of any player in this form of
poker. To give some perspective of Baxter’s excellence, the current second-place leaders in
Lowball career cashes are Bobby Baldwin and “Oklahoma Johnny” Hale, with nine each.
EVENT HISTORY
Deuce-to-Seven Lowball made its tournament debut at the 1973 WSOP. The game is rarely
played anywhere except at the very highest levels. It’s rarely spread inside public
cardrooms -- either as cash games or tournaments. In fact, the WSOP is one of the few
places where this poker variant is offered. The game was initially tacked onto the WSOP
schedule because it was the preferred game of many high-stakes cash game players and
has since become a tradition.
The very first Deuce-to-Seven Lowball champion was Aubrey Day. Since then, the Deuce-to-
Seven gold bracelet has been won by a royal court of poker champions, including Jack
Straus, Sailor Roberts, Billy Baxter, Doyle Brunson, Bobby Baldwin, Sarge Ferris, Stu Ungar,
Dewey Tomko, Seymour Lebowitz, Bob Stupak, John Bonetti, Freddy Deeb, Johnny Chan,
Erik Seidel, Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, O’Neil Longsen, Barry Greenstein and others.
Deuce-to-Seven Draw Lowball means the worst, or lowest ranked hand wins the pot. The
very best possible 2-7 lowball hand is 2-3-4-5-7 of mixed suits. An ace counts as a high
card. Flushes and straights count against the player. While a wheel (A-2-3-4-5) is the
perfect hand in standard lowball, in Deuce-to-Seven it is usually a losing hand since the
straight counts against the player.
In the “Triple-Draw” variant of this game, players may draw up to three times to make their
hand. This tournament employed a “Single-Draw” format.
This same game was played at last year’s WSOP at the $1,500 level. The buy-in for the
“cheapest” Loball event declined from $2,500 to $1,500 in an effort to encourage more
players to enter and perhaps learn more about the game. The lower buy-in boosted
attendance from 147 (in 2009) up to 250 (in 2010). This year, there were 275 entries
which seems to confirm the reality that if tournaments are more affordable, more players
will take a chance and play (what is for many) a new game.
There is some difference of opinion as to where and when this game originated. Since the
1930s, variations of standard Lowball have been spread throughout California and
Nevada. According to poker theorist David Sklansky, Limit 'Double-Draw' Lowball was first
spread at the (now defunct) Vegas World during the early 1980s. Others cited a game
called “Ten-Handed Triple-Draw Lowball” as the forbearer of Triple Draw, which was played
at Amarillo Slim's' Super Bowl of Poker tournaments in Reno and Lake Tahoe during the
period 1979 through 1984. Since ten-handed poker could only accommodate perhaps three
or four players at most due to the number of cards needed to complete a hand, reducing
the number of cards (to five) enabled more players to sit in the game.
TOURNAMENT PLAY
The tournament officially began on Saturday, June 4th at 5 pm. The tournament officially
ended on Monday, June 6th, at 8:20 pm.
2011 WSOP STATISTICS
Through the conclusion of Event #9 (sans Event #8 which is still being played at press
time), the 2011 WSOP has attracted 4,424 entries. $13,831,800 in prize money has been
awarded to winners, so far.
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the nationality of gold bracelet winners has
been:
United States (6)
Great Britain (2)
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the national origin (birthplace) of winners has
been:
United States (4)
Great Britain (2)
Ukraine (1)
Israel (1)
Through the conclusion of this event, the home-states of winners have been:
California (1)
Illinois (1)
New York (1)
New Jersey (1)
Florida (1)
Nevada (1)
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the breakdown of professional poker players to
semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets is as follows:
Professional Players (6): Jake Cody, Cheech Barbaro, Eugene Katchalov, Allen Bari,
Harrison Wilder, Matt Perrins
Semi-Pros (2): Sean R. Drake, Amir Lehavot
Amateurs (0): None
All of the first eight tournaments completed so far have been won by first-time champions
(non-winners from previous years).
Four of the first eight winners this year also enjoyed their first-ever WSOP cash with the
victory.
Every WSOP over the past 11 years has included at least one multiple gold bracelet
champion (wins within the same year). 1999 was the last year the WSOP was comprised
exclusively of single-event winners. The record for most multiple gold bracelet winner in a
single year was in 2009, when five players managed to win two or more titles.
The streak of male WSOP gold bracelet winners has now reached 170 consecutive events.
Aside from the annual Ladies Championship, the last female player to win a WSOP
tournament open to both sexes was Vanessa Selbst, in 2008.
The highest finish by a female player (open events) at this year’s WSOP was Maria Ho, who
finished second ($5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em).
Note: Various categories and statistics will be updated with each gold bracelet event as
they are completed.
