Chris Ferguson Wins 2008 NBC Heads-Up ChampionshipThird Time Is the Charm |
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The stage was trimmed down a bit to start the day. Two tables were removed, and the audience was brought in, giving these critical matches a more intimate feel, despite the cash-game activity heard in the next room.
The heart and diamond brackets were up first to trim the field down and declare a final four. In the hearts bracket, Bloch took on Cinderella story and former Major League MVP, Orel Hershisher. Hershisher never really got anything going and was eliminated when his J-10 failed to catch up to Bloch’s A-9.
Across the stage in the diamond bracket, Huck Seed took on nosebleed high-stakes cash game player David Benyamine. Seed flopped a set and got Benyamine to commit his chips on the river with an overpair on the final hand.
In the spade bracket sat two of the games most well-known players in Phil Ivey and Gus Hansen. Ivey made quick work of the Great Dane after flopping the second-nut flush a few hands into the match.
And then there were two … . Bloch and
Ferguson would not go quietly, however. After getting an overpair to hold up against Bloch’s open-ended straight draw, Ferguson made quad-queens to take the second match and even things up. The final match would determine it all, and the crowd stood by, ready to embrace its champion.
The third match came down to a tough decision decided by a coin flip. But this wasn’t your everyday poker coin flip, this was literally a coin flip. Ferguson raised on the button to 25,000, and Bloch made the call. The flop came 10 7
3
, and Ferguson bet 35,000. Bloch check-raised to 105,000, and Ferguson called. The turn was the 7
, and Bloch bet out 150,000. Ferguson moved all in, and Bloch went into the tank. He tanked for a full seven minutes before eventually deciding to flip a coin for his fate. The coin landed on heads, and Bloch called, showing 10
4
for top pair and a flush draw, but Ferguson’s J
J
held the lead, albeit a small one. The river was a safe 7
, giving Ferguson the best full house and the victory. Bloch took home $250,000 for his efforts, and Ferguson walked away with the trophy, a championship watch, $500,000, a $10,000 seat in the 2008 World Series of Poker main event, and a monkey-less back. "Third try’s the charm," said Ferguson as he hoisted up the championship trophy.
Click here for the final results.
Click here to read about the history of the NBC National Heads-Up Championship, along with the full bracket results from this year.