Event #24: $1,500 Razz

It's a less elegant turn of phrase than "a chip and a chair", but David "ODB" Baker was down to only two big bets and a chair in World Series of Poker Event #24: $1,500 Razz at Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas, before surging back to win his third bracelet.

Baker adds his name to a list of illustrious former winners of this event that includes Brad Ruben, Kevin Gerhart, Max Pescatori, and Phil Hellmuth.

$1,500 Razz Final Table Results

Winner's Reaction

After the win, Baker remarked on how much winning his third bracelet meant: "If you polled poker players to find out who loved poker the most, my name would be on the top ten list. I live for this."

He also remarked on the experience of coming back from such a huge deficit. "In 2017, in this event I was up I think 30:1 on Jason Gola. That was the most disappointed I've been. That one really ate me up. It's a lot of redemption to come back in the same event that he stole from me. Not to say he didn't play great - he made a great comeback. But now I have a first, a second, a third, and a fifth in razz. I've been around a long time, and I know in these events, sometimes you just need to win that one pot. I never lost hope."

Baker was also short-stacked three-handed and credited his turnaround there to a good read in a hand against Chris Hundley.

Baker never gave up, fought back time and time again, and truly earned his third WSOP bracelet.

Liberto's Juggernaut Run Comes to and End

Baker's two big bets were also all that stood between Justin Liberto and his second WSOP bracelet. Liberto had come into Day 3 second in chips and continued to accumulate them until, with four players left, he had more than half the chips in play. It is a notable achievement for Liberto, whose previous WSOP successes have mainly been in hold 'em events.

Event #24 attracted a field of 556 razz players, the largest ever for a WSOP razz event, and generated a prize pool of $742,260.

The final day started with 15 players, with Canada's William Burke (2,450,000) holding a sizable chip lead over Liberto (1,870,000) and Everett Carlton (1,755,000).

Day 3 action started off with a flurry of eliminations, and the final table was reached in an hour and a half.

Final Table Action

Jeff Lisandro was eliminated in fifth Place ($34,752) when he paired fours on sixth and was drawing dead to Baker's eight-five and his quest for his seventh bracelet, and second in razz came to an end.

Takashi Ogura went out in fourth place ($47,743). The climactic hand came when his ten-low could not catch up to Chris Hundley's eight.

Hundley himself was eliminated an hour or so later in third place ($66,659) when he put his tournament on the line and Baker caught up to beat Hundley's jack-low with a nine-eight.

Baker started heads up with Justin Liberto down to three-to-one, and Liberto ground him down from there until finally, Baker made his last stand, tossing his 450,000 into the middle and finding a double up.

After that hand, Baker battled back relentlessly, taking small pot after small pot, betting Liberto off of hands when his boards appeared intimidating, and always seeming to have the winning hand when Liberto called. Chip by chip, he clawed back, and then when he regained the chip lead, the tables swiftly turned, and Baker moved inexorably to the win. The victory brings Baker's WSOP bracelet total to three, and he adds the first place cash of $152,991 to his $3,558,947 in career earnings.

The WSOP has more razz action on tap on June 13, as many of the same top names will battle in Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship, so be sure to tune in to PokerNews for all the action.

Justin Liberto:   /    / 
David "ODB" Baker:   /    / 

In what would be the last hand of the tournament, Justin Liberto completed and David "ODB" Baker thought a while before deciding to raise and put Liberto all in. Liberto called and boards were run.

Liberto peeled seventh street first, which left him with a queen-low. Baker would need a clean street to finish Liberto off, and after looking he triumphantly turned a   face up to secure a comeback for the ages and eliminate Liberto in second place.

David "ODB" Baker	13,900,000	400,000
Justin Liberto	0	-400,000

Justin Liberto:   /    / 
David "ODB" Baker:    /    

Baker waited to take control of the hand until sixth street, then extracted one more bet on seventh.

He showed a 76 to increase his sudden chip lead, resulting in raucous shouts from Baker's rail, and one railbird attempt to get a "Are you down with 'ODB'?" chant going.

David "ODB" Baker	11,900,000	4,000,000
Justin Liberto	2,000,000	-4,000,000

Baker started heads up, trailing almost 10:1 to Liberto, and was later down to only two big bets. After that dramatic double, he has now, over the last hour, gotten himself almost even with Liberto, chip by chip.

Justin Liberto	7,600,000	-1,000,000
David "ODB" Baker	6,300,000	1,000,000

The players have requested a five-minute break.

David "ODB" Baker:    /    
Justin Liberto:   /    / 

The betting lead bounced back and forth until on seventh street he had 450,000 to spend. As he had all day when faced with a tough decision, Baker stacked and restacked his chips, counted the pot, and then put his tournament life on the line.

Liberto spent even longer on his decision, talking to himself as he replayed the hand, counted, doing math, all the while grabbing chips and giving them quick riffles.

He called and asked if Baker had gotten there [to a nine low]. "I had it the whole time," he said, exposing an ace and a deuce. "I didn't even look at the last card," he said and pulled in the life-saving pot.

Justin Liberto	11,100,000	-1,300,000
David "ODB" Baker	2,800,000	1,300,000

Justin Liberto:   /    
David "ODB" Baker:   /     - folded on sixth street

Justin Liberto completed and David "ODB" Baker called.

Liberto called a bet from Baker on fourth street, but then led out for a bet on fifth, which Baker called.

Liberto continued to fire on sixth street, which sent Baker into the tank.

Baker pondered, but landed on a fold and Liberto increased his lead.

Justin Liberto	9,200,000	400,000
David "ODB" Baker	4,700,000	-400,000

David "ODB" Baker and Justin Liberto and now playing for the WSOP gold bracelet and $152,991 first-place prize.

Liberto enters heads-up with more than a three-to-one chip lead over Baker.

Justin Liberto	10,750,000	1,250,000
David "ODB" Baker	3,150,000	0