It was a win-win situation for Full Tilt Poker, which sponsors both Gus Hansen and David Chiu, as the head-up battle for the World Poker Tour Championship event at Bellagio got under way at the weekend.
The $25,000 main event attracted 545 entrants, but when the dust settled, only Chiu and Hansen remained — the latter with a 5:1 chip lead and an impressive record of three WPT events already under his belt.
Hansen had knocked out four of his five fellow finalists, amassing 22.9 million in chips compared to Chiu’s 4.3 million, but four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Chiu doggedly clawed his way back to even in chips by hand 78, and
by hand 80, it was all over when Chiu hit an ace on the river to make trips, beating Hansen’s two pair.
After the victory, Team Full Tilt pro Howard Lederer said, “David Chiu has been one of the most respected tournament players on the circuit. With this win, the television viewing public will finally get to see what poker players have known for a long time; he is one of best in the game.”
The final table payouts for the event were:
David Chiu — $3,389,140
Gus Hansen — $1,714,800
John Roveto — $923,355
Cory Carroll — $593,645
Tommy Le — $395,725
Jeff King — $263,815
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