Before the final table started Thursday afternoon, David Diaz’s most successful result at the World Series of Poker had been making the final table in a Six-handed event in 2010. While a WSOP final table is a high water mark that few crest above in their poker careers, Diaz topped it Thursday night by winning his first gold bracelet in Event 12.

After dominating his brief heads-up match with Anders Meli, Diaz got Meli all-in for the last of his chips, with Meli holding 44 against Diaz’s AT. The flop was a beautiful one for Diaz, coming out T53. The 7 on the turn and 3 on the river did nothing to change things, and Diaz was crowned the champion. In addition to the most coveted prize in poker, Diaz also took home $352,808 for his win.

In the immediate aftermath, it still wasn’t quite real for Diaz.

“It feels great,” said Diaz. “It still hasn’t sunk in yet.”

An English footballer, a breakdancer and a mathematician sit down to play some poker. No, this isn’t the start of one of those jokes your uncle would tell you when he had a few too many drinks at a family gathering, but part of the lineup that started the day at this final table.

The No Limit Hold’em tournament with a unique twist drew 1,340 hopefuls on Day 1, generating a total prize pool of just over $1.8 million. The triple-chance format is unique in that you can take anywhere from one-third to the full amount of your allocated chips at any time in the first few levels. The advantage of not taking all of your chips at the beginning is the ability to gamble and be “all-in” without having to risk your tournament on a single early hand.

When tournament action started on Thursday afternoon, it took over an hour for action to reach the official final table of nine. Corey Hastings barely had Steven Watts outchipped, but when they got all-in for all of their collective chips, Hastings had Watts crushed. His AA faded Watts’ 44, sending the former professional Footballer (that’s English, folks) to the rail in tenth place.

The shortest stack at the beginning of the day, Matt Henson got the short stack’s greatest gift – AA and a willing opponent. Sternberg held the AK and was well behind, but the board ran out QQJKT to give each player a straight. The fates would shine upon Henson several hands later, however, as he flopped a set of threes to crack Diaz’s pocket tens and triple his stack up to put him back in contention.

Unfortunately for Henson, that would be about as far as he would get. On a board of K82, he would get all of his newly won chips in against Diaz once again, holding A4 against Diaz’s KJ. No ace or spade would come on the turn or river, ending the day for Henson in ninth.

Nick Rampone was far and away the chip leader at the start of the day, holding more than twice the chips of his nearest competitor. The first two levels were unkind, however, as he served up a pair of double-ups to short stacked opponents, bringing him back to the pack. Just a few minutes after the elimination of Henson, Rampone, Diaz and Bill Chen would play the largest pot of the tournament up to that point.

Chen opened the action with a raise, Rampone called, Diaz reraised and Chen went all-in. After several minutes in the tank Rampone reshoved, putting Diaz to a decision of his own. Diaz would eventually fold, leaving Rampone’s JJ up against Chen’s superior QQ. The board would brick out for Rampone, sending the former massive chip leader home with a disappointing eighth place finish.

After getting his pocket aces cracked by Andrea Dato, Sternberg was all-in on the last hand before the dinner break and in a coinflip with 99 against the AT of Meli. Sternberg looked like he’d still be in contention over the break when he got a monster flop of 974. The turn was the 8 and the sweat was back on for Sternberg. The 6 crushed his hopes of a bracelet, eliminating Sternberg in heartbreaking fashion in seventh.

The action exploded when the players returned from the dinner break. After doubling up Meli, Richard Trigg had only a few chips left, and his all-in was called by both Chen and Hastings. The board ran out 52263. Chen made a small bet on the river and Hastings folded. Chen had made a straight on the river, good enough to knock out Trigg in sixth place.

Hastings would not improve his position after that hand. On a board of KQ9A, Hastings bet 60,000 and Dato called. The river was the 5, Hastings bet 75,000 and Dato went all-in. Hastings called with a big hand, AA, but Dato had made his hand on the river, turning over the nut flush with the Q6. The runner-runner flush would be the end for Hastings, who would be our fifth place finisher.

Diaz lived on a razor’s edge for quite some time, chopping twice in all-in preflop situations with an ace and an inferior kicker. He doubled up through Dato with KQ against pocket sevens, then had a massive double-up when Chen went all-in on a 873 flop with KJ, only to run into Diaz’s flopped nut flush with the AT. The pot catapulted Diaz into the chip lead, and left the former chip leader Chen as the shortest stack among the final four.

Chen would not recover, as his K5 lost to Diaz’s JT in a blind vs. blind confrontation when a jack hit on the turn, knocking Chen out in fourth place.

Dato fell victim to his ever-decreasing stack, putting the last of his chips in good with AK against Diaz’s Q4 preflop. A four on the flop was all it took to end Dato’s run in third.

At the start of heads-up play, Diaz had a slight lead, but his aggression quickly helped to build the gap. A series of all-in reraises decimated Meli’s stack, and Diaz would ride that momentum to his first WSOP bracelet.

Diaz was pretty impressed with his heads up opponent afterwards.

“The kid [Meli] I ended up heads-up with played really well,” said Diaz. “He got there without showing many hands. He played great.”

Here are the official results for Event 12.

1. David Diaz – $352,808
2. Anders Meli – $218,183
3. Andrea Dato – $138,044
4. Bill Chen – $100,200
5. Corey Hastings – $73,915
6. Richard Trigg – $55,355
7. Justin Sternberg – $42,059
8. Nick Rampone – $32,381
9. Matthew Henson – $25,253
10. Steven Watts – $19,953

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