Six Hour Heads-Up Battle Ends With German Heinz Winning WSOP Title

Back in July, nine strangers were introduced to one another through their stellar play at the World Series of Poker main event. The November Nine then took a break from the main event tables for several months, and reconvened in Las Vegas this past weekend to finish the biggest poker tournament in the world.

Pius Heinz was one of those players that had a dream to become the next main event champion. This week, Heinz completed his journey and became the first player ever from Germany to win the main event. The twenty-two year old Heinz became an instant celebrity when he outlasted Martin Staszko after a six hour battle.

Heinz and Staszko's heads-up match went on for six hours and captivated the followers of both players. The two players exchanged the chip lead several times over the course of play, but it was Heinz who eventually came out on top, taking home almost $9 million for the win. Staszko won over $5 million for his runner-up performance.

ESPN helped bring even more exposure to an event that already was the most celebrated poker tournament in the world. The final table having players from seven different countries helped the television audience, as more countries watched the WSOP main event final table than ever before. It is expected that the popularity will continue to grow as online gambling becomes more accepted in the US.

Ben Lamb was the top American finisher in the main event. Lamb made it all the way to the three way play, but he busted out just four hands into the new day. Lamb's elimination set the stage for one of the longest heads-up battles in the history of the main event. The record for a heads-up challenge at the main event was set in 1983, when Tom McEvoy and Rod Peate played for 7.5 hours.

Lamb not only won the third place money of over $3.5 million, but he also walked away with the Player of the Year honor. Lamb had himself an impressive WSOP, which ended in shocking fashion when he called an all-in from Staszko while holding only king-jack.

November 11, 2011
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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