Artyem Perlov Wins The 2012 DeepStacks Poker Tour Mohegan Sun National Championship! (*$108,864)
A tumultuous final table has come to an end here at the Mohegan Sun. Artyem Perlov is the last man standing, earning the title of DeepStacks National Champion. It was anything but easy for Perlov to reach this point, having been down to four big blinds with about 55 players remaining. However, skill (and a little luck, of course) was on the New Jerseyan's side.
Here was how the final table stacked up at the start:
| Seat | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Artyem Perlov | 2,650,000 |
| 2 | Nicholas Palma | 945,000 |
| 3 | Andrew Sherman-Ash | 605,000 |
| 4 | Patrick Chan | 970,000 |
| 5 | Adam Bitker | 1,310,000 |
| 6 | David Stefanski | 3,715,000 |
Entering the final table second in chips, Perlov took a back seat to the pandemonium that ensued. Short stack Andrew Sherman-Ash became the chip leader just before the first break and scored a double elimination shortly thereafter. Nicholas Palma went all in for just more than ten big blinds from the cutoff with 
and Sherman-Ash looked him up from the button with 
. What he didn't expect was Patrick Chan re-raising all in from the small blind for another ten big blinds. Sherman-Ash called and saw he was behind Chan's 
, but the board rolled out 
to eliminated Palma in sixth and Chan in fifth, respectively.
The remaining four players struck the following deal:
| Player | Prize |
|---|---|
| Andrew Sherman-Ash | $100,000 |
| David Stefanski | $70,000 |
| Adam Bitker | $70,000 |
| Artyem Perlov | $70,000 |
Left for the winner was $38,864. Unfortunately for David Stefanski, the chip leader to begin the final table, he would bow out in fourth place. After Adam Bitker took most of his stack, Bitker finished the job holding 
to Stefanski's 
. The 
board was the last for Stefanski, ending his run in fourth place.
Perlov was the short stack with three left, but a key double up turned the tables. In a battle of the blinds, Bitker and Perlov went back and forth, culminating with Perlov calling Bitker's four-bet to see a 
flop. Bitker kept up the heat with a bet, but Perlov called to see the 
turn. All in was Bitker's next play, but it was snapped off by Perlov with 
for a king-high straight. A dejected Bitker tabled and found no help from the river.
Bitker fell in third place shortly therafter after his four-bet shove with 
ran into the of Sherman-Ash. The board ran out 
to send Bitker to the rail.
That just about evened up the chip stacks going into heads-up play as Sherman-Ash held 5,180,000 to Perlov's 5,015,000. The battle lasted for about 90 minutes before Perlov sealed the deal. Down to about 14 big blind, Sherman-Ash three-bet shoved from the big blind and Perlov called with 
, trailing the of Sherman-Ash.
The dealer fanned a 
flop to pair Sherman-Ash, but gave Perlov the nut-flush draw. The 
turn kept Sherman-Ash ahead, but the 
spiked on the river to clinch it for Perlov.
With the addition $38,864 up for grabs, Perlov earned a total of $108,864 to go along with a shiny new trophy and a giant bottle of Double Cross Vodka.
Drink up!
Thank you for tuning into PokerNews' coverage of the 2012 DeepStacks Poker Tour Mohegan Sun National Championship, and congratulations to Artyem Perlov for getting the job done.