This tournament attracted 558 players who paid the entrance fee of $1,500 and created a $753,300 prize pool. After two days of play, there were seventeen players left with the chance of taking down the first prize of $184,590 and the coveted gold bracelet. The official final table kicked off after Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson had been eliminated in ninth place.
Four-time bracelet winner Artie Cobb was the first player to hit the rail on the final table, and well-known pros Mike Leah and Matt Vengrin joined him at the rail a few hours later. When three-handed play began, Raul Paez had more than half of the chips in play and seemed unstoppable, but it didn't take long until the Spaniard was bluffed in a decent-sized pot by Joseph Hertzog.
Hertzog continued to attack Paez after the "bluff hand" to add more chips to his stack and, evenutally, put himself in the same spot as Paez when three-handed play started. Paez never managed to recover after this as he continued to lose pot after pot - both to Hertzog and Daniel Idema. Hertzog eventually put an end to Paez (3rd - $71,736) suffering by taking his last 160k.
Thrilling heads-up battle between Idema and Hertzog
Hertzog took down the first pot in the heads-up match against Daniel Idema, but about 20 hands later Idema suddently had the chip lead. Idema didn't remain in the lead for long, though, because he lost several big pots to Hertzog, who had a 5-1 lead at one point of the match.
Just when everyone had counted the Canadian pro out, the wind changed and he went on an incredible winning streak for the next 20 minutes or so. He started by doubling up to 760k, then he took down a 300k pot followed by a 305 pot and, last but not least, a 850k pot! A shocked Hertzog was eliminated 5 hands after the 850k pot for $114,109 while Daniel Idema received his second gold bracelet and and $184,590!
