Event #31: $1,500 Seven Card Stud
Day 3 Completed
2018 World Series of Poker
Event #31: $1,500 Seven Card Stud
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2018 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$418,500
Entries
310
Level
28
Limits
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
10,000
Level 28
: 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
The $1,500 Stud event has found its champion at the 2018 World Series of Poker and what a climactic finale it was. Chicago's Steven Albini emerged victorious after outlasting an incredibly experienced competition including two six-time bracelet winners. Albini takes home his first gold and the $105,629 top-prize.
"I've been playing stud my whole life. I love it, so I'm very comfortable playing stud. And I ran pretty f***ing good as well," Albini said.
While he called himself a mediocre player, Albini proved that he can successfully measure his skills with the heavyweights. Albini conquered a heads-up match against as tough of an opponent as it gets. He topped Jeff Lisandro, one of the all-time greats who has been decorated in stud events multiple times.
The final duel started with a practically even chip-spread. A two-hour battle followed with Albini and Lisandro switching the lead back and forth. Albini had a slow start to the heads-up as Lisandro was on the better side of board runouts. Lisandro was getting closer to becoming the first non-American player to win seven bracelets, but Albini had a tough skin. He bounced back, took over the lead and eventually finished Lisandro off, denying his historic coronation.
"I don't have that much heads-up stud experience," Albini admitted. However, he had an excellent mentor in former Poker Players' Championship winner Matt Ashton. "He and I had some conversation about what raising ranges would look like. I was using the sort of thumbnail version of his heads-up stud game strategy."
Networking has been Albini's advantage through endless years of playing poker. "There's a very active mixed game community in Chicago," Albini said, crediting Brandon Shack-Harris, Eric Rodawig and Matt Grapenthien for his development as a player. "Stud has been popular forever in Chicago. It's one of the places where people actively choose to play stud."
To find a city where stud games are pulsing isn't easy these days and Albini is grateful for the opportunity he's been given. Now he converted his amassed knowledge into engraving his name among the poker greats. "I owe an awful lot of my own development as a player to my peer group, to my group of friends," Albini said.
Albini wasn't scared of a final table competition that involved three multiple WSOP winners including last year's Player of the Year Chris Ferguson. Ferguson was a huge leader at the first stage, but a key hand towards the end of the fourth level saw Albini bite into his stack and take over the chip lead. Albini's board looked like a flush but he made a full house against Ferguson's ace-high flush in an inflated pot that saw Ferguson three-bet on the river.
"There was a hand that we played on Day 2 when he rivered aces full with a board that was very similar. In that hand, he whiffed a check-raise on the river. The way the hand played out was almost identical," Albini revealed. The dynamics of the previous confrontation convinced him to just call as he saw no value in four-betting, thinking that Ferguson wouldn't call with worse.
Ferguson was eventually coolered one more time and bowed out in fourth place. He was soon followed to the rail by Katherine Fleck who managed to outlast Ferguson in a battle of short stacks, laddering to the bronze place.
The final table also featured two-time bracelet winner Frankie O'Dell who came with the shortest stack. O'Dell kept successfully doubling and sailed through to fifth place for $21,035, finishing ahead of Paul Sexton (6th for 15,096), Michael Moore (7th for $11,095), Esther Rossi (8th for $8,355) and Stephen Rivers (9th for $6,451).
Event #31: $1,500 Stud final table results:
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Albini | United States | $105,629 |
| 2 | Jeff Lisandro | Australia | $65,282 |
| 3 | Katherine Fleck | United States | $43,765 |
| 4 | Chris Ferguson | United States | $29,999 |
| 5 | Frankie O'Dell | United States | $21,035 |
| 6 | Paul Sexton | United States | $15,096 |
| 7 | Michael Moore | United States | $11,095 |
| 8 | Esther Rossi | United States | $8,355 |
Level 28
: 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
Within two hands, the short stack of Jeff Lisandro has melted and Steven Albini was crowned the champion with the words "this is fuckin' awesome"!
Hand #1:
Jeff Lisandro: 
/ 
/
Steven Albini: / 
/
In a limped pot, Lisandro bet fourth and Albini called before doing so again on fifth to seventh. Albini announced two pair and showed the 
for two pair, Lisandro mucked the 
for a pair of eights.
Hand #2:
Jeff Lisandro: 
/ 
/
Steven Albini: 
/ 
/ 
Lisandro was down to last 40,000 and he put them into the middle on the next hand. Albini was slightly ahead with ace-high and caught a pair of tens to improve. Lisandro bricked the whole run out and has to settle for second place and a payday of $65,282. Albini will shortly be posing for the winner shots, gets his first gold bracelet and $105,629 for his efforts.
A recap of today's action is to follow.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,325,000
425,000
|
425,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 28
: 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
Jeff Lisandro raised when Steven Albini completed and it looked that the money would go in. Lisandro continued on fourth and Albini called again. Lisandro blasted another barrel on fifth, leaving himself just one extra shell. Albini, however, let his hand go and Lisandro picked up some vital chips without opening his hole cards.
Jeff Lisandro: / 
Steven Albini: / 
- fold
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,900,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
450,000
-80,000
|
-80,000 |
|
|
||
Level 28
: 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
Steven Albini turned it around and now sits on 1.8 million while Jeff Lisandro maneuvers less than a third of that.
Albini won some more chips in a pot that saw Lisandro bet on fourth and fifth before Albini paired his eight on sixth. No other bets were made and Albini took it down with eights and fours.
Jeff Lisandro: / 
Steven Albini: 
/ 
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,800,000
245,000
|
245,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
530,000
-240,000
|
-240,000 |
|
|
||
Level 28
: 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
Jeff Lisandro: / 
/
Steven Albini: / 
/
Steven Albini completed with the eight and Jeff Lisandro called with a six. Both checked on fourth and Lisandro bet fifth, Albini called. On sixth, Albini paired his jack and bet, Lisandro called. There was no betting action on seventh and Albini showed to win the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,555,000
355,000
|
355,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
770,000
-430,000
|
-430,000 |
|
|
||
Level 28
: 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
Steven Albini bounced back after winning a few smaller pots. With only 23 big bets in play, any given situation can have a tremendous impact on the final outcome. Albini has been often utilizing a raise against Jeff Lisandro's complete and his recent run helped him to climb back to even.
He went for it again with the 
out and Lisandro called with a nine. Albini continued on fourth and fifth and Lisandro couldn't call the second barrel.
Jeff Lisandro: / 
- fold
Steven Albini: / 
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,200,000
-270,000
|
-270,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,200,000
345,000
|
345,000 |
|
|
||
Level 28
: 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
Jeff Lisandro: / 
/
Steven Albini: / 
/
Steven Albini completed and Jeff Lisandro called. Both paired their card on fourth and Albini made a full bet, Lisandro raised and Albini called. Fifth to seventh were then checked down and Albini showed the 
as winning hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,470,000
-260,000
|
-260,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
855,000
260,000
|
260,000 |
|
|
||
Level 28
: 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
Jeff Lisandro has won a few smaller pots in a row and tackled Steven Albini down to last six big bets.
Lisandro's latest bite came in a hand that started with the Australian completing with 
and calling when Albini raised the .
Lisandro got a more favorable runout in and and elected to lead on both streets. Albini called on fourth but threw his cards away on fifth.
Jeff Lisandro: /
Steven Albini: /
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,730,000
350,000
|
350,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
595,000
-350,000
|
-350,000 |
|
|
||
Level 28
: 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
While the vast majority of pots as of recently failed to get past fifth, Jeff Lisandro clawed back most of them and established a small lead once more.
Jeff Lisandro: /
Steven Albini: / fold
This very hand was a prime example of the run good of Lisandro, who called the completion of Albini and did so on fourth when facing a bet. Lisandro paired his four and bet fifth, received a call and then further improved to trips fours in order to bet and force an instant fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,380,000
180,000
|
180,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
945,000
-255,000
|
-255,000 |
|
|
||