Event #9: $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship

Alan Percal - Champion

Hand #39:

John Smith limps the button, and Alan Percal checks his option in the big blind.

The flop is    . Percal checks, Smith bets 200,000, and Percal check-raises all in for 875,000 effective. Smith quickly calls, putting himself at risk. The news for him is not good:

Smith:    (pair of fours)
Percal:    (pair of eights)

The turn is the  , which is a bad card for Smith. It pairs the board to erase three of his potential outs, and he's now drawing dead to the two remaining fours in the deck for his tournament life.

The river is the  , and Percal wins the pot -- and the Heads-Up Championship -- with nines up. His efforts over the past three days earn him $320,574 and his first bracelet.

Smith is eliminated as the runner-up, earning $198,192.

John Smith - Runner-up