WSOP: David Baker Wins No Limit Deuce-to-Seven Championship

David Baker holds his first WSOP gold bracelet.

The World Series of Poker awarded the $10,000 Championship bracelet of No Limit Deuce-to-Seven to David Baker. The final table had worlds of experience, noted by the 13 bracelets that were present. Baker fought through a tough final table and took home a $294,321 prize.

“The win makes me feel that I have a world-class deuce game in a few months,” Baker said. “The names (Seidel, Negreanu, Juanda), I never thought I’d play with them, so it’s cool.

The first elimination of the table came when Doug Booth opened for a raise and Eric Kesselman moved all in on the button and only drew one card. Booth stood pat with 8-6-4-3-2 and Kesselman held 8-6-5-2 and drew a 9, but was drawing dead. Booth moved within striking distance of David Baker while Kesselman’s day was done.

Erik Seidel had been getting his chips in the middle without a call and picking up small pots. Seidel moved in again, this time from the small blind, and was called by Baker. Seidel stood pat with a T-8-7-3-2 and Baker drew one card. He tabled a 9-6-5-4-2 and eliminated Seidel in sixth place.

But that was where the action stalled. With the stacks still deep at five-handed, the table took turns raising and folding each other for more than two hours, not counting the dinner break. Then John Juanda opened for a raise and Booth moved all in. Then Baker moved all in to isolate Booth, but Juanda tanked for a good bit. “Wow,” Juanda muttered under his breath as he reluctantly folded. Booth and Baker both drew one card each and Booth tabled A-9-7-6-3 and Baker laid 9-8-5-3-2 down for the win. Booth’s elimination broke the stalemate as he headed to the cage.

From under the gun Juanda moved all in and the action folded all the way around to Baker in the big blind. Baker insta-called and only drew one card and Juanda drew two. Baker was drawing to a ten low and made it with a T-8-7-5-3 and Juanda was drawing to a nine low, but pulled a king to make a K-9-5-4-2. Juanda made the walk to the cage while Danzer’s cheering section sung his name.

George Danzer took a massive hit to his stack after a run in with Eric Cloutier, where he doubled up the former hockey player. Danzer was left with only 37,000 and went all in blind on the button the very next hand. Baker called from the big blind drawing two cards. He made a 3-3-8-6-4 but Danzer drew one card and paired his seven and was free to spend the rest of the night with his spirited cheering section.

When heads-up play began Baker had Cloutier outchipped a little more than 2.5 to 1. It was apparent that the match would not last long with both players moving all-in on the button repeatedly. After a few exchanges, Baker again moved in and Cloutier took a minute to think but then made the call. Cloutier drew two cards after tabling 6-4-2 but did not like seeing another 6 in his hand followed by a 7, giving him a pair of sixes. Baker drew one card to his T-9-8-4, needing only to not pair for the win. He flipped over a jack for the win.

Final Table Payouts for $10,000 World Championship No Limit Deuce-to-Seven:

1. David Baker – $294,321
2. Eric Cloutier – $181,886
3. George Danzer – $115,295
4. John Juanda – $78,088
5. Doug Booth – $55,482
6. Erik Seidel – $41,270
7. Eric Kesselman – $32,080