281 players paid the $10,000 buy-in, but only six made it to the final table, they were:

Seat 1: Lee Watkinson $697,000
Seat 2: Scotty Ngyuen $2,131,000
Seat 3: John Juanda $527,000
Seat 4: Gabe Kaplan $888,000
Seat 5: Jim Meehan $473,000
Seat 6: Eli Elezra $978,000

Jim Meehan held pocket jacks and raised to $66,000. Eli Elezra picked up Big Slick and re-raised to $195,000. It seemed as though Elezra was in trouble. Lee Watkinson folded an ace. Gabe Kaplan folded an ace. Ngyuen folded a king. When the action got back to Meehan, he pushed in the rest of his chips, Elezra called the $276,000 more. The flop was, 9 7 3. But the turn brought the case ace, Minneapolis Meehan was left with only two outs, but the river was neither. Meehan finished in 6th place worth $94,507

Ngyuen moved all in with a pair of sixes. Elezra called with a pair of jacks. The board was no help to Ngyuen who finished in 5th place, worth $129,509.

Watkinson raised $200,000 on the button bet, Juanda pushed all in for $640,000 with A9 suited. Watkinson called with a pair of fives and the board didn’t help Juanda who left in 4th place, winning $162,012.

Kaplan moved all in for $1.1 million with K7 suited from the button, Watkinson found a hand, AT offsuit he called and flopped his ace. Kaplan left in third place with $256,519.

Watkinson called the big blind with 4 5 in spades. Elezra found A Q and raised to $620,000. Watkinson decided to make a play at the pot and moved all in for almost $2.2 million. Elezra called. Watkinson never improved and left in 2nd place, taking home $513,038. Elezra won the title, $1,024,574 and the $25,000 main event seat.

- Thomas Hardy