Brandon Adams Eliminated in 2nd Place ($243,958)

Men Nguyen was in a great mood as he slowly but surely widened his chip lead on Brandon Adams. On their penultimate hand, Nguyen asked, "What have you got there Brian?"

"350," replied Adams, without correcting Men as to Adams' proper first name.

"I might bust you on this hand." But Nguyen didn't. He folded fourth street.

As the dealer was dealing the next and final hand, Nguyen leaned across the table to the short-stacked Adams.

"Play all in now Brian?"

Adams looked up at Nguyen. "You commit to go all in blind in front of all of these people?" Adams asked, pointing at the gallery.

"Yeah, yeah," said Nguyen. "All in blind. I haven't looked. You looked? All in blind."

"Ok, all in blind," replied Adams. They raised back and forth until Adams was all in for his last 360,000. He opened {a-Spades} {3-Diamonds} / {q-Hearts} . Nguyen rubbed his hands together and then slammed over {9-Spades} {6-Diamonds} / {10-Spades} . The race was on.

Adams promptly caught a queen on fourth street to make a pair of queens. His board developed {a-Spades} {3-Diamonds} / {q-Hearts} {q-Clubs} {5-Spades} {4-Clubs} / {9-Diamonds} for a final hand of one pair of queens.

Nguyen's board came {9-Spades} {6-Diamonds} / {10-Spades} {k-Clubs} {j-Diamonds} {6-Clubs} .

Nguyen slowly squeezed out the top right corner of the card and saw the tell-tale line of a face card.

"Picture!" he said excitedly, almost falling backwards off the stage. Nguyen moved the card to the center of the felt so that all of his railbirds, crowded around the table, could see it. Then he opened a corner so that only they could see it. They exploded in cheers.

"KING!" Nguyen's brother said, and sure enough it was the {k-Diamonds} , giving Nguyen a pair of kings and the best hand.