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World Series of Poker -- Greg 'FBT' Mueller Wins Event No. 33

Mueller Finally Breaks Through for First Bracelet After Close Calls

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Greg MuellerAfter two years in a row of being the runner-up, Greg Mueller can now join that elite group of poker players who own a World Series of Poker gold bracelet.

Last year, Mueller finished second to Phillip Tom in the $5,000 no-limit hold’em shootout event. In 2007, Mueller lost a heads-up battle to Steve Billirakis in the $5,000 mixed hold’em event.

Early Thursday morning, Mueller exorcised the second-place demons and now has a bracelet of his own, as he bested a field of 185, which included many of the world’s best players, in the $10,000 limit hold’em world championship.

Mueller came out on top of a final table that included Daniel Alaei, Chad Brown, Pat Pezzin, Matt Hawrilenko, and Matt Glantz. Three-handed, it seemed as if Chad Brown was going to run away with it, but Mueller battled hard and had a huge chip advantage going into heads-up play against Pat Pezzin.

Mueller used that advantage and made fairly short work of Pezzin in heads-up play. For his win, Mueller got the bracelet monkey off his back, along with $460,836.

Here are the final results:

1. Greg Mueller – $460,836
2. Pat Pezzin – $285,196
3. Chad Brown – $188,855
4. Daniel Alaei – $134,733
5. Matt Hawrilenko – $100,688
6. Matt Glantz – $80,342
7. Michiel Brummelhuis – $67,647
8. Soheil Shamseddin – $59,996
9. Kenny Hsiung – $55,996

Here are a look at the elimination hands from Card Player’s live updates:

Kenny Hsiung Eliminated in Ninth Place ($55,996)

Kenny Hsiung gets it all in preflop against Daniel Alaei.

Hsiung: KDiamond Suit QHeart Suit
Alaei: ASpade Suit 8Club Suit

Board: ADiamond Suit 7Diamond Suit 2Diamond Suit 7Spade Suit 7Heart Suit

Hsiung gets it in behind, trailing Alaei’s ace. Alaei flops an ace and rivers a full house, eliminating the overall day 2 chip leader, Kenny Hsiung, in ninth place ($55,996).

Soheil ShamseddinSoheil Shamseddin Eliminated in Eighth Place ($59,996)

Soheil Shamseddin raises on the button, Matt Glantz reraises from the small blind, and Shamseddin calls. The flop comes QSpade Suit QHeart Suit 2Club Suit, Glantz bets, and Shamseddin calls. The turn is the JDiamond Suit, Glantz bets, Shamseddin raises all in, and Glantz calls.

Shanseddin: ADiamond Suit 3Heart Suit
Glantz: 9Spade Suit 9Club Suit

Glantz leads on the turn with two pair, hitting the 9Diamond Suit on the river to fill up. Glantz rakes the pot, and Soheil Shamseddin is eliminated in eighth place ($59,996).

Michiel Brummelhuis Eliminated in Seventh Place ($67,647)

Immediately after losing a big pot to Daniel Alaei, Michiel Brummelhuis moved all in for his last 115,000 after Matt Glantz raised under the gun. Pat Pezzin called the 115,000 from the button, and Chad Brown called out of the big blind.

After taking a four-way flop, Glantz threw out a bet on the flop, which made Brown fold, and Pezzin called the bet, therefore building a side pot. Glantz and Pezzin checked the turn and the river, and the cards were shown down.

Glantz: 7Club Suit 7Heart Suit
Pezzin: 9Spade Suit 9Heart Suit
Brummelhuis: ASpade Suit QDiamond Suit

The board had bricked out for Brummelhuis, allowing Pezzin to take the pot to send Brummelhuis to the rail in seventh place.

Matt GlantzMatt Glantz Eliminated in Sixth Place ($80,342)

A short-stacked Matt Glantz raised from the cutoff, and Pat Pezzin called in the big blind. Pezzin and Glantz took a flop that read AClub Suit 5Club Suit QDiamond Suit.

Glantz got the rest of his money in on the flop, and Pezzin called. Glantz showed ASpade Suit 3Diamond Suit, good for top pair, while Pezzin had QClub Suit JClub Suit, giving him second pair and a flush draw.

The flush draw was the KClub Suit, which left Glantz drawing dead to the river. Glantz took home just over $80,000 for his efforts.

Matt HawrilenkoMatt Hawrilenko Finishes in Fifth Place ($100,688)

Chad Brown had the button and opted to raise, and was called by Matt Hawrilenko from the big blind. After checking the flop and turn, the board read QClub Suit JClub Suit 7Spade Suit ADiamond Suit 3Club Suit. Hawrilenko checked, and then called a bet from Brown, who showed AClub Suit 6Diamond Suit, and Hawrilenko mucked, leaving himself with just 80,000.

He then moved all in the very next hand from the small blind and was called by Pat Pezzin in the big blind. Pezzin held QSpade Suit 9Spade Suit, which dominated the QClub Suit 8Diamond Suit that Hawrilenko tabled. The board bricked out for “Hoss TBF,” and he was eliminated in fifth place.

Daniel AlaeiDaniel Alaei Eliminated in Fourth Place ($134,733)

Daniel Alaei raised from the button, and Greg Mueller called from the big blind. They took a flop of QHeart Suit 10Diamond Suit 6Diamond Suit, and they got in three bets, which was enough to commit the rest of Alaei’s chips.

The cards were turned up, and Alaei showed ASpade Suit 8Club Suit, and Mueller showed the 10Club Suit 8Diamond Suit. Alaei would need an ace to keep his hopes of a second bracelet this Series alive.

The turn card was the 7Spade Suit, and the river card was the 10Spade Suit, making trips for Mueller, while Alaei was left heading for the exits.

Chad BrownChad Brown Finishes in Third Place ($188,855)

Completing his fall from chip leader to bust, Chad Brown raised on the button and Greg Mueller put in another bet from the small blind. Brown moved all in for his fourth bet, Mueller made the call, and the cards were exposed.

Brown showed the QSpade Suit 10Club Suit, but was behind the AHeart Suit 9Heart Suit that Mueller held. The board bricked off for Brown, and he was eliminated in third place.

Brown took home just shy of $190,000 for his impressive run through this tough field.

Pat PezzinGreg Mueller Wins Event No. 33 ($460,836)

After starting with a big lead at the beginning of heads-up play, Mueller had chopped away at Pezzin’s stack when the final hand came up.

Mueller raised from the button, and Pezzin called from the big blind. On a flop of KHeart Suit 2Heart Suit 3Club Suit, Pezzin bet out and was raised by Mueller. Pezzin called, and that meant that he had committed all of his chips.

Mueller showed 5Spade Suit 5Diamond Suit, which was ahead of Pezzin’s 10Diamond Suit 8Spade Suit. The turn was the QDiamond Suit, and the river was the KSpade Suit, which meant that Greg Mueller took home the bracelet, and $460,836 along with it.