The Poker Lab Rat

Saturday provided one of the 2007 World Series of Poker’s most interesting days of play yet, as a quality final table in Event #24, ($3,000 Seven Card Stud High/Low) took place.

Starting the day with the chip lead was ‘Big Game’ regular and high-stakes cash-game player Eli Elezra. Elezra, one of the few remaining players in the Big Game previously without a WSOP bracelet.

The chip lead would switch hands several times as both Scotty Nguyen and David Sklansky (the poker author) made runs at the number one spot throughout the day. 

Elezra bust Sklansky in 5th place, and then Russell “Dutch” Boyd in 3rd place to take himself into a heads-up match against Scotty Nguyen. After a momentous battle that saw Elezra pull ahead, Nguyen finally fell when he ran into Elezra’s ace-high straight during Hand #177.

Elezra won $198,984 for finishing first, and he also won a $25,000 prop bet with Barry Greenstein over whether or not he would win a bracelet at this year’s WSOP.