Event #11: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed

As if David Bach needed to do more to prove his mixed-game poker prowess.

The 2009 $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. winner collected his second-career bracelet by winning Event #11: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed for $119,399. Naturally, he said he feels right at home in the format.

"I play mixed games all the time, and this is one of the best tournaments," he said. "It felt thrilling to start off the World Series like this. I have three second places, and to get that second bracelet is really, really nice."

Indeed, Bach had come agonizingly close to bracelet number two a number of times in recent years. In 2011, he finished second to Nick Binger in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo and also booked a third-place finish in the $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw. Perhaps most crushing was a second-place finish to Bryan Campanello in 2013 in the $2,500 Razz, as stud games may be Bach's strongest domain.

This time, it was all Bach at the final table. He came in with the chip lead and never lost it, as he eliminated all but one of his opponents on the way to victory. He got Chip Jett in Big O, Anthony Arvidson in limit hold'em, Scott Milkey in stud, Christopher Sensoli in pot-limit Omaha, and finally, Kevin Iacofano in Omaha hi-lo.

The only player he didn't bust was Wook Kim, who fell to Iacofano in stud hi-lo regular.

Bach said his cash game experience was helpful in one subset of games, in particular: "I've gotten much more confident about the draw games as they become more popular, and that's a big part of the dealer's choice," he said.

It seemed the most popular game choice at the final table was badacey, and Bach confirmed he was among the players frequently choosing the split-pot game. Sensoli, in particular, appeared frustrated as he continually pulled bricks out of the deck during the badacey rounds.

"I saw other people call badacey, and I saw some rather big mistakes based on having played a lot of the game in cash," Bach said. "So, I called it because of that. Normally, I would call more stud games. But, it seemed like I saw mistakes at badacey.

"Then, the stack size started to matter. As I got a really dominant chip lead, I could call some games where it was good to push people around."

One of those games was pot-limit triple draw, a new variant added to the dealer's choice mix for 2017 at the WSOP. He won a key pot off Sensoli in that game when he defended his big blind from a Sensoli raise and wound up making a nine-seven on the river. Bach made a sizable value bet and got paid off to put some distance between himself and Sensoli, who had been making a run to challenge Bach's lead.

Bach said he enjoys pot-limit triple draw and the big pots it creates. "It's a great game," he said. "It plays gigantic, probably bigger than any other game."

By the end, against Iacofano, it was back to an old, reliable format for Bach, though. He fired up limit Omaha hi-lo on both of his options heads-up. He made a thin value bet holding pocket queens on a double-paired board that had nines and threes, and Iacofano paid it off in a pot that cost him most of his stack, complimenting Bach's play thereafter.

"Once he checks the river, he really doesn't have me beat," Bach said about the hand. "I really respected him as a player. To get that extra bet out of him made it a lot easier."

Bach finished Iacofano off in short order to pocket his second piece of gold WSOP wrist-wear and his 10th career cash of at least six figures.

Official Final Table Results

Omaha Hi-Lo

On David Bach's game choice, Kevin Iacofano and Bach saw a     flop. Bach bet, and Iacofano check-raised, with Bach calling. Iacofano bet the   turn, and Bach called. Iacofano checked the end on the   river, and Bach bet. Iacofano thought for a while and called.

Bach showed     , and it was good, as Iacofano said he had jacks.

"Surprised you bet that," Iacofano said. "Pretty good value bet."

"Looked like a spot where I might bluff."

David Bach	2,454,000	124,000
Kevin Iacofano	276,000	-124,000

Pot-Limit Omaha

On the first hand of heads-up play, David Bach raised the button to 52,000. Kevin Iacofano re-potted to 156,000, and Bach folded.

David Bach	2,392,000	-52,000
Kevin Iacofano	338,000	52,000

Stud

Scott Milkey had the bring-in, and David Bach completed to 40,000. Milkey defended and called a bet of 40,000 as each player headed to fifth street.

Bach bet 80,000, Milkey raised to 160,000, and Bach asked for a count of what Milkey had behind. When it was revealed to be 99,000, Bach raised. Milkey moved the last of his chips all in, and the cards were tabled.

Milkey:    /    
Bach:    /    

Bach held trip nines, but Milkey already had a full house.

Immediately, the dealer dealt Bach the   to give him a bigger full house. Milkey caught an   also.

On seventh street, Bach revealed his  . With Milkey needing the last four in the deck to remain alive, he could only squeeze out the  . He was consequently eliminated in fourth place for a $31,550 payday.

David Bach	2,250,000	350,000
Scott Milkey	0	-359,000

Pot-Limit Omaha

Kevin Iacofano raised to 50,000 on the button, and David Bach defended in the big blind to see a     flop.

Bach checked, and Iacofano bet 45,000, only to have Bach announce a pot-sized raise. Iacofano snap-folded and dropped to 220,000, while Bach climbed to 1.9 million in chips.

David Bach	1,900,000	200,000
Kevin Iacofano	220,000	-34,000

Pot-Limit 2-7 Triple Draw

David Bach opened for 36,000 in the cutoff, and Christopher Sensoli called. Both players took two and checked. Bach patted the second draw, and Sensoli took a card. Bach bet 60,000, and Sensoli called. It went pat and one again on the last round, and both players checked.

Bach fanned       and took the pot.

David Bach	1,300,000	110,000
Christopher Sensoli	600,000	-100,000

Badeucey

Scott Milkey opened for a raise, David Bach made it three bets, and small blind Christopher Sensoli made it four. Only Bach came along, drawing one after Sensoli took two. Bach bet, and Sensoli called after checking. Draws went the same on the next round, but this time, Sensoli led out with a bet. Bach raised, and Sensoli put in his last 15,000 or so. Bach called.

Sensoli was pat.

"Break," Bach said after some time, drawing one.

Sensoli announced a nine-nine, and Bach said he made a good break. He drew a pair, however, and couldn't beat      .

David Bach	1,100,000	-330,000
Christopher Sensoli	700,000	352,000

Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo

Kevin Iacofano limped in from the small blind, and Scott Milkey checked his option to see a     flop fall. Iacofano bet out 25,000, and Milkey called before both players checked the   on the turn. The river landed the  , and Iacofano checked to Milkey, who bet out 50,000. Iacofano folded and dropped to 130,000 in the process.

Scott Milkey	750,000	25,000
Kevin Iacofano	130,000	-80,000

The cards are back in the air!

The tournament director also conducted a color-up during the break and there are now green 25,000-denomination chips in play.