Patrick Stacey’s Dedication Delivers First WSOP Bracelet in $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball

For the past year, Patrick Stacey has treated mixed games like a full-time job. After stepping away from his business, he dedicated four to five hours each day to studying alongside coaches, determined to master some of poker’s toughest variants.

On Thursday, all of that work paid off.

Stacey outlasted a field of 508 entries in Event #77: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball at the 2026 World Series of Poker to earn $223,177 and his first WSOP gold bracelet after defeating high-stakes pro Danny Tang heads-up at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.

Event #77 Final Table Results

The victory was an emotional one for Stacey, who said the moment brought him to tears after months of relentless preparation.

“I’m just so happy. It brought tears to my eyes to win,” Stacey told PokerNews. “I’ve been working so hard to do this. I’ve been studying about four hours a day for the last year, specifically for these games. It paid off.”

Stacey spent years playing primarily no-limit hold’em before shifting his focus to mixed games. After stepping away from his business, he hired coaches and immersed himself in the game’s many formats, putting in hours of study each day in pursuit of a moment like this.

“I used to play a lot of no-limit, then I switched over to mixed games,” Stacey said. “I got a couple of coaches, and I’ve been putting in four or five hours a day, every day, just studying.”

With his first bracelet now around his wrist, Stacey has no plans to change his approach.

“I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing,” he said. “Keep studying, keep playing, and try to be the best in these games.”

Final Day Action

Stacey’s road to the bracelet was anything but easy. He returned for the final day in 15th place among the 18 remaining players, leaving himself plenty of work to do if he wanted to make a run at the title.

That momentum shift came early in a pivotal Badugi hand against Eli Elezra. Stacey picked up a huge double after the two players made premium Badugis, with Stacey’s six-four besting Elezra’s six-five.

While Stacey was beginning his climb, several accomplished players saw their hopes of a bracelet come to an end before the final table. Brian Yoon, Dylan Smith, Jordan Siegel, and Elezra were among those who returned for Day 3 but fell short of the unofficial final table.

Stacked Final Table

By the time the unofficial final table of seven was reached, Stacey had completed his climb from 15th in chips and found himself among some of the biggest names left in the field.

The final seven featured 25K Fantasy selections Arthur Morris and Andrew Kelsall, high-stakes regular Tang, and fan favorite Allen Kessler, who was once again looking to capture the long-awaited first WSOP bracelet of his career.

It didn’t take long for the first elimination at the unofficial final table, as Karl Tretter was the first to fall, leaving the remaining six players to battle for the bracelet.

One of the wildest hands of the final table came shortly after in a brutal 2-7 Triple Draw cooler between Kelsall and Mark Gregorich. Kelsall looked poised for a knockout after making a No. 2 on the second draw, but Gregorich caught a wheel on the final draw to turn the tables and earn the double instead.

The cooler dealt a significant blow to Kelsall’s stack and marked the beginning of the end for the die-hard Philadelphia sports fan. While Stacey continued to build momentum by eliminating Arthur Morris, Kelsall was never able to recover and eventually bowed out in fifth place.

With four players remaining, the rail began to grow as friends and fans gathered behind Allen Kessler in the hopes of finally seeing the longtime tournament grinder capture his elusive first WSOP bracelet. Kessler’s pursuit has been one of the most well-documented storylines in poker, and after finishing third in Event #23: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship earlier this summer, he found himself within striking distance once again.

It was a remarkable run for Kessler, who had been down to less than one big bet earlier in the day before mounting an incredible comeback to reach the final four. However, the comeback fell just short. Stacey ended Kessler’s run in a game of 2-7 Triple Draw when Kessler was unable to improve on the final draw, bringing another deep bracelet run to a heartbreaking close.

Soon after, Stacey scored another knockout when he took the rest of Gregorich’s chips to set up heads-up play with Tang.

Stacey Dominates Heads-Up Play

Standing between Stacey and his first bracelet was Tang. Best known for competing in some of the highest-stakes tournaments in the world and with more than $43 million in live tournament earnings, Tang is equally respected in mixed-game circles, regularly playing everything from the biggest buy-ins to the smaller mixed-game events throughout the WSOP schedule.

The two began heads-up play nearly even in chips, setting the stage for what looked to be a lengthy battle. Instead, Stacey quickly took control, winning the early exchanges and never looking back. Tang was unable to mount a comeback as Stacey steadily extended his lead before closing out the match to capture his first WSOP bracelet.

For Stacey, the victory was the payoff for a year of relentless study and dedication to mixed games. After spending countless hours working with coaches and refining his game, he leaves Las Vegas not only as a first-time WSOP champion but also knowing all of that hard work was worth it.

That ends our coverage here for Event #77: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball, but be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates and coverage from the 2026 WSOP.

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