Event #31: $1,500 Seven Card Stud

The $1,500 Stud event has found its champion at the 2018 World Series of Poker and what a climactic finale it was. Chicago's Steven Albini emerged victorious after outlasting an incredibly experienced competition including two six-time bracelet winners. Albini takes home his first gold and the $105,629 top-prize.

"I've been playing stud my whole life. I love it, so I'm very comfortable playing stud. And I ran pretty f***ing good as well," Albini said.

While he called himself a mediocre player, Albini proved that he can successfully measure his skills with the heavyweights. Albini conquered a heads-up match against as tough of an opponent as it gets. He topped Jeff Lisandro, one of the all-time greats who has been decorated in stud events multiple times.

The final duel started with a practically even chip-spread. A two-hour battle followed with Albini and Lisandro switching the lead back and forth. Albini had a slow start to the heads-up as Lisandro was on the better side of board runouts. Lisandro was getting closer to becoming the first non-American player to win seven bracelets, but Albini had a tough skin. He bounced back, took over the lead and eventually finished Lisandro off, denying his historic coronation.

"I don't have that much heads-up stud experience," Albini admitted. However, he had an excellent mentor in former Poker Players' Championship winner Matt Ashton. "He and I had some conversation about what raising ranges would look like. I was using the sort of thumbnail version of his heads-up stud game strategy."

Networking has been Albini's advantage through endless years of playing poker. "There's a very active mixed game community in Chicago," Albini said, crediting Brandon Shack-Harris, Eric Rodawig and Matt Grapenthien for his development as a player. "Stud has been popular forever in Chicago. It's one of the places where people actively choose to play stud."

To find a city where stud games are pulsing isn't easy these days and Albini is grateful for the opportunity he's been given. Now he converted his amassed knowledge into engraving his name among the poker greats. "I owe an awful lot of my own development as a player to my peer group, to my group of friends," Albini said.

Albini wasn't scared of a final table competition that involved three multiple WSOP winners including last year's Player of the Year Chris Ferguson. Ferguson was a huge leader at the first stage, but a key hand towards the end of the fourth level saw Albini bite into his stack and take over the chip lead. Albini's board looked like a flush but he made a full house against Ferguson's ace-high flush in an inflated pot that saw Ferguson three-bet on the river.

"There was a hand that we played on Day 2 when he rivered aces full with a board that was very similar. In that hand, he whiffed a check-raise on the river. The way the hand played out was almost identical," Albini revealed. The dynamics of the previous confrontation convinced him to just call as he saw no value in four-betting, thinking that Ferguson wouldn't call with worse.

Ferguson was eventually coolered one more time and bowed out in fourth place. He was soon followed to the rail by Katherine Fleck who managed to outlast Ferguson in a battle of short stacks, laddering to the bronze place.

The final table also featured two-time bracelet winner Frankie O'Dell who came with the shortest stack. O'Dell kept successfully doubling and sailed through to fifth place for $21,035, finishing ahead of Paul Sexton (6th for 15,096), Michael Moore (7th for $11,095), Esther Rossi (8th for $8,355) and Stephen Rivers (9th for $6,451).

Event #31: $1,500 Stud final table results:

Jeff Lisandro raised when Steven Albini completed and it looked that the money would go in. Lisandro continued on fourth and Albini called again. Lisandro blasted another barrel on fifth, leaving himself just one extra shell. Albini, however, let his hand go and Lisandro picked up some vital chips without opening his hole cards.

Jeff Lisandro:    /    
Steven Albini:    /     - fold

Steven Albini	1,900,000	100,000
Jeff Lisandro	450,000	-80,000

Jeff Lisandro:    /      /  
Steven Albini:    /      /  

Steven Albini completed with the eight and Jeff Lisandro called with a six. Both checked on fourth and Lisandro bet fifth, Albini called. On sixth, Albini paired his jack and bet, Lisandro called. There was no betting action on seventh and Albini showed     to win the pot.

Steven Albini	1,555,000	355,000
Jeff Lisandro	770,000	-430,000

Jeff Lisandro:    /      /  
Steven Albini:    /      /  

Steven Albini completed and Jeff Lisandro called. Both paired their card on fourth and Albini made a full bet, Lisandro raised and Albini called. Fifth to seventh were then checked down and Albini showed the     as winning hand.

Jeff Lisandro	1,470,000	-260,000
Steven Albini	855,000	260,000

While the vast majority of pots as of recently failed to get past fifth, Jeff Lisandro clawed back most of them and established a small lead once more.

Jeff Lisandro:    /     
Steven Albini:    /      fold

This very hand was a prime example of the run good of Lisandro, who called the completion of Albini and did so on fourth when facing a bet. Lisandro paired his four and bet fifth, received a call and then further improved to trips fours in order to bet and force an instant fold.

Jeff Lisandro	1,380,000	180,000
Steven Albini	945,000	-255,000

Jeff Lisandro lost his lead for a moment but he instantly reclaimed it in a raised pot. Lisandro made the completion and then called pre and things got complicated on the following streets.

Steven Albini fired again on fourth, getting one more call. Lisandro then paired his eight and led out but Albini wasn't scared and opted to raise. Lisandro called. Both players slowed down on sixth street and Lisandro tapped the river. Albini went for value but he ran into a straight.

Jeff Lisandro:     /     
Steven Albini:     /     

Jeff Lisandro	1,300,000	370,000
Steven Albini	1,100,000	-295,000

Jeff Lisandro completed and Steven Albini raised it up with a deuce out. Lisandro called and caught a suited one-gapper. He called one more bet but gave up when Albini barreled on fifth street.

Jeff Lisandro:    /     - fold
Steven Albini:    /    

Jeff Lisandro	1,300,000	-330,000
Steven Albini	1,000,000	305,000

Steven Albini completed and fired on the three following rounds, earning calls along the way. Both players checked the river and Albini announced a pair of queens. Lisandro, however, had him beat.

Steven Albini:     /     
Jeff Lisandro:     /     

Lisandro claimed a solid pot to restore a 3-2 lead.

Jeff Lisandro	1,360,000	225,000
Steven Albini	965,000	-225,000

In a completed pot, Jeff Lisandro bet with ace-five on fourth and received a call from Steven Albini. Fifth street brought a check from Lisandro and Albini checked back with three to a straight.

Albini fired on sixth when Lisandro checked again and Lisandro accepted the price. Albini thought for a moment on the river but then checked back to show a pair of queens for the winner.

Jeff Lisandro:     /     
Steven Albini:     /     

Jeff Lisandro	1,590,000	-160,000
Steven Albini	735,000	160,000