Lisandro Wins Record-Tying 3rd Bracelet

Jeffrey Lisandro, a native of Australia who now lives in Italy, has accomplished an unthinkable task. To win three bracelets in one Series after the poker boom (when fields expanded exponentially) seems almost impossible. When Day 3 of Event #44 at the WSOP started yesterday morning, Lisandro had the chip lead, and yet him really winning a third bracelet still didn’t seem realistic. But as the field thinned and his chip stack grew, everyone realized history was about to go down.

Here’s the backdrop: Event 16, $1500 buy-in 7 Card Stud. Lisandro takes down the title for his second career bracelet, wins $125,975. Event 37, $10,000 buy-in 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo World Championship. Lisandro wins his second stud event, this time for a much larger, $431,656 first prize. Him, Phil Ivey and Brock Parker are double bracelet winners this year. Two stud events, two titles, and now here he was at the Razz (7 Stud Lo only) final table, on the way to another victory. I’m sorry to be so repetitive, but it really boggles the mind.

When the action got down to the final table, the final eight, these were the chip stacks:

Seat 1 - Michael Craig, 343,000

Seat 2 - Warwick Mirzikinian, 271,000

Seat 3 - Steve Diano, 96,000

Seat 4 - Allen Bari, 55,000

Seat 5 - Ryan Fisler, 412,000

Seat 6 - Jeff Lisandro, 814,000

Seat 7 - Kenna James, 210,000

Seat 8 - Eric Rodawig, 171,000

Alan Bari was the short stack, and the first to bite the dust. He won $19,880 for 8th place. The next to go down was Diano, who got $23,669 for his 7th place effort. Kenna James, a pro with an impressive record was crippled by Lisandro in a big pot, and he made his exit against Craig. James was ahead when the money went in, 4-8-6-A vs. 6-6-2-3, but Craig caught a 7 on seventh street to make a 7 low and take the pot. James won $29,473 for 6th.

When it got down to five, Rodawig was majorly short stacked, and ended up getting it all-in against Lisandro with K-5-5, Lisandro had Q-9-7 and took it down with a ten-low. Rodawig made $38,471. At that point Lisandro had 1.3 million in chips and was running away with it. Then he took the majority of Mirzikinian’s chips in a big pot and then finished him off soon after. Mirzikinian won $52,773 for coming in 4th.

When it got to three-handed, Lisandro quickly put to rest any lingering doubts. He took big pots off of both Craig and Fisler, running his stack up to well over 2 million. Fisler then went all-in (for only 35,000) against Craig, who eliminated him. Fisler won $76,261 for taking third. When heads up play began, Lisandro had 2.15 million chips to Craig’s 210,000. Within a couple minutes the betting limit was raised to 25,000-50,000, meaning that Craig was all-in on virtually any hand he chose to play. On the final hand Lisandro made a ten-low on sixth street, and Craig was drawing dead. Craig won $116,405 for second place.

Lisandro’s victory netted him $188,370, but it meant a lot more than that. He became the fourth player in WSOP history to win three bracelets in one year, but the previous three, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey and Ted Forrest, all did it before the poker explosion of 2002-04. Back then fields were a lot smaller. Lisandro also becomes the fourth player to complete the “Stud Triple Crown,” winning stud events in Hi, Hi-Lo, and Lo (Razz). The first three are old-timers, Doyle Brunson, Paul “Eskimo” Clark and Gary “Bones” Berland. Lisandro has a few chances at a record-setting fourth bracelet, but his best opportunity is probably coming up in Event #53, a $1500 Stud Hi/Lo tournament. Lisandro is now virtually assured the WSOP Player of the Year title, and it will be well-deserved.