World Poker Tour World Championship Day 7: Williams Wins it All
After seven days, the World Poker Tour World Championship has come to an end, shutting the books on the eighth season of the WPT. David Williams will hold the title of WPT World Champion for at least a year, having bested the stacked field of 195 players to take home the $1,530,537 first-place prize.
John O'Shea was the first to go from the six-handed final table by Billy Baxter. He took $199,888 home for his efforts. Those extra chips didn't help Baxter too much; he was eliminated in fifth place by David Williams when his A♠J♠ couldn't hold up against Williams' K♥10♥. The board came down A♦Q♠J♦6♣3♣ and Baxter was sent home with $246,921.
David Benyamine fell next. He moved all-in from the small blind for just over three million. Shawn Buchanan tanked for nearly four minutes before calling from the big blind with A♥5♠. Benyamine's Q♥J♥ needed a little help from the board, but he didn't get it when the board fell 9♦7♦2♣5♥7♠, giving Buchanan the double up and sending Benyamine to the rail with $329,228.
Buchanan fell next to David Williams, taking home $587,906. Buchanan's elimination locked up the title of WPT Player of the Year for Faraz Jaka. Williams went into heads-up play against Eric "basebaldy" Baldwin with a three-to-one chip lead.
Williams never surrendered the chip lead to Baldwin. There wasn't too much action in this heads-up match until the final hand when Williams raised to 500,000 before Baldwin put all his chips in the middle, making it 4,765,000 for Williams to call. Williams thought for a minute before making the call and flipping over deuces, and he was just ahead of Baldwin's A♥5♥. When the flop fell A♦7♣6♠, Baldwin took a huge lead over Williams, but it was the magical 2♥ on the turn and a bricked river that sealed the deal for Williams. Baldwin took home $1,034,715 for his runner-up position. And with Williams' first-ever WPT title, the eighth season of the World Poker Tour has come to a close.
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