Eli Elezra's Excellent Summer Continues With Third Career Bracelet
Eli Elezra made his third final table of the 2015 World Series of Poker, and this time he finished the job, taking down Event #48: $1,500 Seven-Card Stud for $112,591 against a 237-player field.
“Winning the bracelet in stud, the old-school game nobody plays any more – it means so much to me,” he said. “I feel really good.”
This marks Elezra's third bracelet, joining the ones he won in Event #24: $3,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low in 2007 for $198,984 and Event #59: 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball in 2013 for $173,236.
Elezra is likely most well known in the poker world for TV appearances on shows like High Stakes Poker, where he was a regular in the big cash game. He still considers himself primarily a cash game player, but he takes a break from his cash action to give it a run at the WSOP every summer, something he said earns him considerable ribbing among the other cash game regulars.
“Every day I go to Aria and Bellagio and they ask, 'Why do you keep doing it?'” he said. “I tell them I'm trying to be famous. No, I just love the competition and the action.”
Those cash games, which are generally of the mixed-game variety, have definitely prepared Elezra for his fantastic summer. He has also made final tables in Event #9: $1,500 Razz andEvent #29: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship, where he finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Elezra last cashed in a straight no-limit hold'em event back in May 2012, and a decision to focus on his strengths in non-hold'em games has been reflected in his recent success.
Running good doesn't hurt, either.
“I feel I'm running much better than I have in the past,” Elezra said. “Not only running good, but playing the right games. No-limit has become so advanced – all those young kids are much better than me. I better stick to what I'm good at.”
Elezra had to overcome about a 3-1 chip deficit heads up against Benjamin Lazer after Allen Cunningham bowed out of the tournament in third. Elezra needed close to two hours to turn that 10-big bet stack into his third bracelet. He got the last of it when he ran down Lazer's wired queens with 6♣K♥/5♠4♣6♠, running a straight with 7♥ and 8♠ to leave Lazer's unimproved queens dead before he could even squeeze out seventh street.
Elezra's third bracelet was special because he had a first-time guest watching – his 21-year-old son, who just graduated from college.
“He has no idea if an ace beats a king,” Elezra said with a laugh. “It's the first time he's seen me win a bracelet. That really feels good.”
Three final tables and a bracelet apparently isn't enough to satisfy Elezra, who predicted he will make one more final table before the series is in the books. He revealed he's been playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, ever since the 25K fantasy draft.
“They got me for only $1 in fantasy,” he said with a wide grin. “I'm going to show them that I'm worth more than that.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eli Elezra | Henderson, NV | $112,591 |
| 2 | Benjamin Lazer | Kingston, NY | $69,532 |
| 3 | Allen Cunningham | Las Vegas, NV | $44,846 |
| 4 | Gylbert Drolet | Saint-Nicholas, Canada | $32,495 |
| 5 | Kenn Wittock | Gilbert, AZ | $23,891 |
| 6 | Byron Ziebell | Hales Corners, WI | $17,821 |
| 7 | Jean Gaspard | Evanston, IL | $13,486 |
| 8 | Matt Grapenthien | Chicago, IL | $10,352 |
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