James Kinney's path to a win here this evening was paved with a bit of good fortune, after he took a major gamble with queen-high before the flop, cracking kings with a gutshot straight on the river to build a big stack late in the night.

While that play may have showed why Kinney's friends call him "The Clown Genius of Poker," he was no joke after winning this huge hand, surging to the final table on the strength of pocket rockets, where he then stripped the first two players of their stacks single-handedly.

First, Kinney made what one player who bore witness called "the best call he'd seen all night" by risking his tournament life with on the board. After tanking for more than two minutes, Kinney correctly analyzed the situation and made the call, watching Joseph Opie's cards go sailing into the muck to confirm his read.

Next, Kinney caught a queen in a cooler situation involving big suited aces, and it was Jeffrey Barnhart who bit the dust next. Kinney won a coin flip against Vincent Conte to notch another knockout, and from there he was able to cruise into a heads-up contest with longtime tournament pro Amanda Musumeci.

Despite trading his 2 million chip advantage for a similarly-sized deficit early on in heads-up play, Kinney persevered and found a few fortunate cards to dispatch the experienced Musumeci in short order. As a reward, "The Clown Genius of Poker" took home $30,988 in prize money, a shiny trophy to tote around, and the pride which comes with taking on (and taking out) an experienced poker pro to claim every chip in play.

Tags: Amanda MusumeciJames KinneyJoseph OpieVincent Conte