There’s no denying that 2-7 Triple Draw is something of a niche poker discipline, but it’s no less skilful for it. Just take a look at the list of stellar pros who signed up for WSOP 2011 Event #49 if you’re in need of any convincing. 309 competitors made their way to the Rio for this $2,500 lowball event.

For those unfamiliar with the rules. Each players is dealt five face down cards which they use to make the lowest possible hand. Aces are always high and straights and flushes count against you. That makes 2-3-4-5-7 without a flush the best possible hand. In Triple Draw, each player has three chances to discard any redraw any amount of cards. Preceding and following each draw there is a round of betting.

The final table contained plenty of well known names. It is almost surprising to see a final table with out Jason Mercier on it, so no shock to see him popping up again in Event #49. He was joined by Justin Bonomo and Eli Elezra, both noted players from generations old and new. David Bach may not be as well known to poker fans, but his performance in WSOP mixed events have proved his all round abilities. Most notably taking down the 2009 $50k Players Championship.

Also at the final table was a little known grinder by the name of Leonard “Lenny” Martin. Lenny was born in the Ukraine and works as a real estate investor. He’s also a regular poker player and an expert at 2-7 triple draw. The 55-year-old has made the final table of the WSOP $2,500 lowball event for three out of the last four years and has career earnings of almost $400,000.

That high skill level got him down to heads up play against Justin Bonomo, but ZeeJustin was still the favorite to win thanks to his 2:1 chip lead. However, Event #49 proved to be another case of the amateur outplaying the pro, as Lenny recovered the deficit and took the match into its final hand.

The last pot of the tournament began with Martin putting in a raise from the button, followed by a call from Bonomo. He drew two and Martin drew a single card. Bonomo checked to Lenny who made a bet which Justin quickly called. Martin indicated that he was happy with his hand by standing pat, while Justin drew a single card. This time, Justin decided to check raise all-in, which Lenny dutifully called, once again electing to stand pat on the final draw. Bonomo risked his tournament on a final swap, but was unable to beat his opponents 8-7-6-4-3 with his K-7-4-3-2.

Full final table results for WSOP 2011 Event #49 were as follows:

1. Lenny Martin – $189,818
2. Justin Bonomo – $117,305
3. David Bach – $77,517
4. Masayoshi Tanaka – $52,680
5. Eli Elezra – $36,596
6. Jason Mercier – $25,967