Ryan Daut, a 22-year-old poker pro/grad student, won the World Poker Tour’s PokerStars.com Caribbean Adventure yesterday to claim the $1.5 million first place prize and put his name in the record books for beating the largest field, the youngest final table, and the largest final table chip lead in the history of the WPT.

As WPT cameras rolled on the patio of the Dragon Bar at Atlantis Resort and Casino in Bahamas, five players took to the table with the daunting task of overcoming Isaac Haxton, the 21-year-old poker pro who was holding nearly 50% of the chips on the table. Haxton started with over 9.2 million chips while every other player had between 1.1 million and 2.3 million.

The action started slowly as many pots were won before the flop, and it took over three hours to lose the first player. Frank Rusnak, the only amateur at the table, was first to be eliminated when he got all of chips into the pot on a flop of J-9-9 against 22-year-old poker pro Robert Ford. Rusnak was in great shape with pocket Kings against Ford’s A-K when the chips went in, but the Ace of Hearts spiked on the river to end Rusnak’s tournament.

Jonathan Little, a member of the Shit It Holla Balla’s, was the next to go after Robert Mizrachi hit an Ace on the river to best Little’s pocket Jacks and cripple him to less than three big blinds. On the next hand Little found A-Q and moved all-in for his last few chips. Ryan Daut (pictured) made the call with K-6 and eliminated Little in cruel fashion when the board came out A-Q-6-10-6.

Robert Mizrachi, the eldest and most experienced player at the table, was the next to be eliminated. Shortly after doubling up at the expense of Jonathan Little, Mizrachi called a pre-flop raise from Isaac Haxton and the flop came 10-3-3. Both players checked and Mizrachi bet about half the pot when the Jack of Clubs hit on the turn. Haxton called the bet and the river was an 8, completing a possible straight draw and a possible club flush draw. Mizrachi checked the river and Haxton moved all-in. Mizrachi made the call for all of his chips and Haxton turned over Q-9 for a rivered straight. Mizrachi mucked his hand and was eliminated in 4th place.

When three-handed play commenced, Haxton still had a sizable chip lead at 11 million to Robert Ford’s 3.5 million and Ryan Daut’s 3 million.

After about 20 hands of mostly pre-flop play, Robert Ford re-raised all-in with pocket 2-2 and Ryan Duat made the easy call with pocket Kings. Duat won the hand and Ford was pretty much out of the tournament with only a small blind left. Ford was gone on the next hand and Ryan Daut was heads-up with Isaac Haxton, who had gained ground since starting the day as the massive chip leader.

Haxton had amassed almost 14 million chips by the time they reached heads-up, but Daut had almost 5 million and was in position to take the lead with a single double-up.

It happened on the first hand of the match. After Haxton limp/called a raise from Duat and the flop came out 8d-6h-3h, Duat bet 1 million and Haxton moved all-in. Duat called and probably thought he was gambling with Ah-7h for the nut flush draw. However, it turned out he was way ahead when Haxton turned over 10d-7d and needed a ten or runner runner flush to win the tournament. Duat doubled up to take the chip lead away from Isaac Haxton for the first time in more than two days.

Haxton didn’t back down, however, and re-gained some chips when he got away with a huge bluff a few hands later. Both players saw a cheap flop of A-Q-4 and Haxton called a small bet from Duat. Both players checked a King on the turn and the river was another Queen for a final board of A-Q-4-K-Q rainbow. Haxton bet out 700,000 chips and Duat came over the top for 2 million. Haxton put his head down, paused for a moment, then emerged from his shell and announced he was all-in. Duat went into the tank for a while and finally folded. To the amazement of spectators, Haxton turned over 3d-2d for a stone cold bluff.

On the very next hand Duat and Haxton got around 8 million chips into the pot on a flop of Ah-Qd-7d. Both players checked an 8 on the turn and again when a Jack hit on the river. Duat showed pocket Jacks for a rivered set and Haxton mucked his hand in frustration. Haxton said in a post-game interview that he had Ah-3h for top pair and the nut flush draw, meaning that Duat hit a one outer to win the pot and take back a chip lead of 13 million to 6 million.

Duat won another big pot a few hands later when he turned top pair after flopping bottom pair, and Haxton was soon short enough to feel obliged to call the rest of his chips pre-flop with Q-8. Duat held A-10 and the board came out J-6-5-9-5 to eliminate Haxton from the tournament.

Ryan Duat is a full-time poker player from New Jersey currently working towards a PhD in mathematics at Penn State University. He said he will save and invest much of the $1.5 million prize and use the rest to pay off his parents’ mortgage and fund his poker bankroll.

Final Results

6. Frank Rusnak - $247,234

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