Event #11: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed
Day 3 Completed
2017 World Series of Poker
Event #11: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$491,400
Entries
364
Level
26
Limits
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
0
Level 26
: 40,000/80,000, 0 ante
As if David Bach needed to do more to prove his mixed-game poker prowess.
The 2009 $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. winner collected his second-career bracelet by winning Event #11: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed for $119,399. Naturally, he said he feels right at home in the format.
"I play mixed games all the time, and this is one of the best tournaments," he said. "It felt thrilling to start off the World Series like this. I have three second places, and to get that second bracelet is really, really nice."
Indeed, Bach had come agonizingly close to bracelet number two a number of times in recent years. In 2011, he finished second to Nick Binger in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo and also booked a third-place finish in the $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw. Perhaps most crushing was a second-place finish to Bryan Campanello in 2013 in the $2,500 Razz, as stud games may be Bach's strongest domain.
This time, it was all Bach at the final table. He came in with the chip lead and never lost it, as he eliminated all but one of his opponents on the way to victory. He got Chip Jett in Big O, Anthony Arvidson in limit hold'em, Scott Milkey in stud, Christopher Sensoli in pot-limit Omaha, and finally, Kevin Iacofano in Omaha hi-lo.
The only player he didn't bust was Wook Kim, who fell to Iacofano in stud hi-lo regular.
Bach said his cash game experience was helpful in one subset of games, in particular: "I've gotten much more confident about the draw games as they become more popular, and that's a big part of the dealer's choice," he said.
It seemed the most popular game choice at the final table was badacey, and Bach confirmed he was among the players frequently choosing the split-pot game. Sensoli, in particular, appeared frustrated as he continually pulled bricks out of the deck during the badacey rounds.
"I saw other people call badacey, and I saw some rather big mistakes based on having played a lot of the game in cash," Bach said. "So, I called it because of that. Normally, I would call more stud games. But, it seemed like I saw mistakes at badacey.
"Then, the stack size started to matter. As I got a really dominant chip lead, I could call some games where it was good to push people around."
One of those games was pot-limit triple draw, a new variant added to the dealer's choice mix for 2017 at the WSOP. He won a key pot off Sensoli in that game when he defended his big blind from a Sensoli raise and wound up making a nine-seven on the river. Bach made a sizable value bet and got paid off to put some distance between himself and Sensoli, who had been making a run to challenge Bach's lead.
Bach said he enjoys pot-limit triple draw and the big pots it creates. "It's a great game," he said. "It plays gigantic, probably bigger than any other game."
By the end, against Iacofano, it was back to an old, reliable format for Bach, though. He fired up limit Omaha hi-lo on both of his options heads-up. He made a thin value bet holding pocket queens on a double-paired board that had nines and threes, and Iacofano paid it off in a pot that cost him most of his stack, complimenting Bach's play thereafter.
"Once he checks the river, he really doesn't have me beat," Bach said about the hand. "I really respected him as a player. To get that extra bet out of him made it a lot easier."
Bach finished Iacofano off in short order to pocket his second piece of gold WSOP wrist-wear and his 10th career cash of at least six figures.
Official Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Home Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Bach | USA | $119,399 |
| 2 | Kevin Iacofano | USA | $73,779 |
| 3 | Christopher Sensoli | USA | $47,629 |
| 4 | Scott Milkey | USA | $31,550 |
| 5 | Anthony Arvidson | USA | $21,460 |
| 6 | Wook Kim | USA | $14,998 |
Level 26
: 40,000/80,000, 0 ante
Omaha Hi-Lo
David Bach raised to 80,000 from the button, and Kevin Iacofano called in the big blind to see a 
flop. Iacofano led out for 40,000, and Bach called. The 
landed on the turn. Iacofano bet 80,000, and Bach announced a raise and slid out a stack of green, 25,000-denomination chips. Iacofano called all in for an additional 46,000 more, and the cards were tabled.
Iacofano: 
Bach: 
With Iacofano in the lead with his turned straight and nut flush draw, he needed to fade the board pairing on the river. Unfortunately for him, the dealer burned and tuned the 
onto the river to complete Bach's full house and send Iacofano to the rail in second place for a $73,779 payday.
Bach won his second-career WSOP bracelet.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,730,000
276,000
|
276,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 26
: 40,000/80,000, 0 ante
Omaha Hi-Lo
On David Bach's game choice, Kevin Iacofano and Bach saw a 
flop. Bach bet, and Iacofano check-raised, with Bach calling. Iacofano bet the turn, and Bach called. Iacofano checked the end on the 
river, and Bach bet. Iacofano thought for a while and called.
Bach showed 
, and it was good, as Iacofano said he had jacks.
"Surprised you bet that," Iacofano said. "Pretty good value bet."
"Looked like a spot where I might bluff."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,454,000
124,000
|
124,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
276,000
-124,000
|
-124,000 |
Level 26
: 40,000/80,000, 0 ante
Pot-Limit Omaha
From the button, Kevin Iacofano limped in, and David Bach checked his option to see a 
flop fall. Bach bet 30,000, and Iacofano called. Both players checked the 
on the turn. The river landed the 
, and Bach bet 40,000, only to have Iacofano raise to 130,000. Bach folded, and Iacofano continued to close the gap.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,330,000
-62,000
|
-62,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
400,000
62,000
|
62,000 |
Level 26
: 40,000/80,000, 0 ante
Pot-Limit Omaha
On the first hand of heads-up play, David Bach raised the button to 52,000. Kevin Iacofano re-potted to 156,000, and Bach folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,392,000
-52,000
|
-52,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
338,000
52,000
|
52,000 |
Level 26
: 40,000/80,000, 0 ante
Pot-Limit Omaha
Christopher Sensoli was down to 67,000 and tripled up in a stud hand. The game switched to PLO at his choice.
David Bach was in the small blind and potted into Sensoli's big. Sensoli called to see a 
flop. Bach potted, and Sensoli put his last 160,000 or so into the middle. Bach quickly called with 
for aces up. Sensoli had 
for gutshot straight and flush draws. The turn and 
river left him with an inferior two pair, and he was eliminated.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,444,000
194,000
|
194,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
286,000
-14,000
|
-14,000 |
|
Busted | |
Level 26
: 40,000/80,000, 0 ante
Stud
Scott Milkey had the bring-in, and David Bach completed to 40,000. Milkey defended and called a bet of 40,000 as each player headed to fifth street.
Bach bet 80,000, Milkey raised to 160,000, and Bach asked for a count of what Milkey had behind. When it was revealed to be 99,000, Bach raised. Milkey moved the last of his chips all in, and the cards were tabled.
Milkey: 
/ 
Bach: 
/ 
Bach held trip nines, but Milkey already had a full house.
Immediately, the dealer dealt Bach the 
to give him a bigger full house. Milkey caught an also.
On seventh street, Bach revealed his 
. With Milkey needing the last four in the deck to remain alive, he could only squeeze out the . He was consequently eliminated in fourth place for a $31,550 payday.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,250,000
350,000
|
350,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 26
: 40,000/80,000, 0 ante
2-7 Single Draw
Kevin Iacofano open-shoved in one hand of 2-7 single draw, then got another postdraw. Scott Milkey had opened under the gun for 55,000, and Iacofano defended his big blind. Iacofano drew one, and Milkey patted. Iacofano came out betting with 95,000, and Milkey tank-folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
359,000
-191,000
|
-191,000 |
|
|
300,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
Level 26
: 40,000/80,000, 0 ante
Pot-Limit Omaha
Kevin Iacofano raised to 50,000 on the button, and David Bach defended in the big blind to see a 
flop.
Bach checked, and Iacofano bet 45,000, only to have Bach announce a pot-sized raise. Iacofano snap-folded and dropped to 220,000, while Bach climbed to 1.9 million in chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,900,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
220,000
-34,000
|
-34,000 |