Pedersen Wins WPT Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic

The WPT Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic final table featured legends, champions, an Internet powerhouse, a strong woman and a relative unknown.  When it was all over, Rehne Pedersen, who had got in through a $100 satellite, walked away with over $2,000,000.

Once again, poker riches are bestowed not upon the famous, but on the unknown.  Rehne Pedersen who had not much of a resume in the poker world outlasted two of poker’s biggest names by winning the WPT Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic.  Both Phil “Unabomber” Laak and legendary Doyle Brunson were in contention on the last night of the tournament.  Laak eventually came in sixth and won $160,995, while Brunson had a better showing, finishing third and winning $563,485

Also on hand at the final table were Darrell "Gigabet" Dicken, a legendary Internet player looking to win a real world tourney and Patrik Antonius, a European pro who had finished first and third in recent European Poker Tour (EPT) events.

Another big story was that of Joanne "J.J." Liu.  She started the final table with the chip lead, and was looking to become the first woman to win an open World Poker Tour event. She came in fourth and took home $362,140.

The showdown eventually was between Pedersen and Antonius.  The next-to-last-hand was the backbreaker for Antonius.  He moved all in with As-Ks, which was much better than Pedersen's Ad-4d. The flop was 7h-6s-5d, and Pedersen had an open-ended straight draw, and could win with a three, a four, or an eight. The turn card was -- the 3s.

Pedersen had hit the straight, but Antonius picked up a flush draw, but the river card was the 10h, and Pedersen won with his seven-high straight to take the lead for good.  He had more than ten times the number of chips as Antonius and knocked him out on the next hand with pocket 8s.