After four hours and nearly 100 hands of heads-up play, with both players doubling up when down on chips, Anthony Merulla defeated David Paredes to win the $3 Million Guaranteed World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship. The New York City native pocketed $842,379 for the big win, so his career earnings of $530,658 will more than double with the win.
"I thought David was the best player at the final table and it wasn't close," Merulla said to Mike Sexton after the tournament. "I thought I played well and hit some cards at the right time."
It never hurts to have some luck at one of the biggest final tables of your career, and that's exactly what happened for Merulla when he got all in with queens and found himself facing the kings of Farid Jattin and the tens of Jared Jaffee early in the final table. He managed to river a diamond flush to survive. Interestingly, it was the second time in the tournament he won a three-way all in with queens when an opponent had a bigger pair. Surely, Merulla will have a soft spot in his heart for wired queens from now on.
After Jattin's eliminated, Vladislav Mezheritsky bowed out just a few hands later when he lost a race to Paredes.
Two hands after that, Jaffee, who Sexton had tabbed as the favorite coming into the final table, exited in third when Merulla called his shove with ace-eight and held against king-jack.
It looked like the final table was going to end in record time, but three-handed play rolled on for a bit between Merulla, Paredes, and Anthony Maio. After about 60 hands, Maio got it all in with an overpair and a flush draw, but Merulla had turned the nut flush and had him drawing dead.
That resulted in a long heads-up match due to the players sitting on exceptionally deep stacks (for this stage of a tournament) of around 100 big blinds each. Bothplayers had chance to put the other away, but each was well behind when they got it in with more chips and couldn't catch up. Finally, Merulla shipped the tournament when he flopped two pair and held against the top pair of his opponent.
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Hand 171: Paredes raised to 1.2 million, and Merulla called. Merulla bet out 900,000 on the flop, and Paredes bumped it to 2.3 million. Merulla took some time to think before cutting out two stacks of chips and pushing out 4.3 million. Paredes jammed and was instantly called.
Paredes:
Merulla:
Merulla had flopped queens up, while Paredes had rolled with his top pair. The turn brought a , and Paredes was down to his last card. The dealer knuckled the table before delivering the , crowning Merulla the champion.
David Paredes Just Doubled Through Robert Merulla Despite Moving All In Without a Pair on the Flop
Hand 157: Paredes opened for 1 million and Merulla called, bringing a flop of on board. Merulla checked and Paredes bet 800,000. Merulla check-raised to 2.4 million and Paredes moved all in for 6,925,000. Merulla quickly called and the audience stood to crane their necks and see what each man held in the hole.
Showdown:
Merulla:
Paredes:
After the raising war that took place on the flop, neither player could produce a pair with which to do battle, and Paredes was in the lead with just king-high. Merulla was looking for eights or kings, while Paredes simply needed a clean run out to take down a huge double.
Turn:
Just like that, Paredes was the one who made a straight, and Merulla was left drawing to a slim chance at a chop on the river.
River:
A blank on fifth street kept Paredes in the lead and he doubled through.
Hand 154: Anthony Merulla raised to 1 million, and David Paredes called. The flop was , and Paredes check-called 1.3 million to see a turn of . Merulla's turn bet was 2.2 million after Paredes checked, and Paredes made the call once more. A fell on fifth street, and Paredes checked once more. Merulla fired 5.325 million, and this bet led to another call from Paredes.
Merulla rolled over to drag the huge pot with a flush.
Anthony Merulla Just Claimed a Big Pot By Pushing David Paredes Off His Hand
Hand 150: Merulla raised to 800,000 and Paredes flatted to take the flop. Paredes checked to Merulla, who fired out a bet of 700,000. Paredes was not impressed though, and he raised it up to 1.8 million, a move which forced the fold and earned the pot.
Hand 151: Merulla got a walk in the big
Hand 152: Merulla opened for 800,000 and Paredes called, with the flop coming . Merulla led for 700,000 and Paredes counted out a stack before folding his cards.
Hand 153: Paredes opened for 800,000 and Merulla took his time before three-betting to 2 million flat. Paredes obliged with the call and the two took a flop of . Merulla grabbed a handful of gold T100000 chips and slowly counted out a bet of 1.5 million and placed it forward, and Paredes only took a few seconds before calling the bet. The turn card came and Merulla reached for his stack to make a big 2.4 million wager. Paredes tanked for a bit before tossign his cards away, and a sizable pot was shipped to Merulla.
Anthony Merulla Just Doubled Through David Paredes After Dodging the Deck's Deuces
Hand 124: Merulla opened for 600,000 and Paredes slowly counted out the chips for a three-bet to 1.5 million. Merulla tanked for about a minute or so while reaching for a stack of gold T100000 chips, which he riffled for a while as he figured out where he stood.
Eventually that stack went forward for the four-bet to 2.6 million and Paredes quickly moved all in, having Merulla covered. Merulla snap-called and tabled , while Paredes could only muster the for a dominated king-high bluff.
With Paredes' supporters on the rail shouting "quack quack" and "Aflac" to summon one of the deck's three remaining deuces to the board, the dealer burned and turned.
Flop:
No ducks could be found and Merulla's big slick had held through the hardest part of any sweat.
Turn:
Paredes was down to one last card, needing to spike a deuce to claim this WPT Main Event title.
River:
"No ducks!" went the explosion on the rail, as Merulla's supporters cheered their man on. With the win, Merulla took over the chip lead and moved one step close to accomplishing every poker player's dream.
Hand 96: Merulla opened for 475,000 and Paredes called to see the flop come . Both players checked and the fell on the turn. Two checks later and the river came . Paredes checked, as did Merulla, and the pot went to Paredes when he tabled .
Hand 97: Paredes opened for 450,000 and Merulla called to see the flop come . Merulla bet 325,000, Paredes called and the turn came . Merulla bet 725,000 and Paredes called. The river was the andboth palyers checked, leaving Paredes to table for the winner.
Hand 98: Merulla opened for 475,000 and Paredes called to see the flop come . Two checks later and the turn came . Check-check it went and the river came . Merulla won the pot with a bet of 700,000.
Hand 99: Paredes opened for 450,000 and Merulla three-bet to 2.025 million. Paredes called the big bet and the flop was . Paredes led out for 1.6 million and took the pot down.
Anthony Merulla With the Prize He's Playing for in the Background
Hand 77: Merulla went for a walk.
Hand 78: Merulla opened to 300,000 and Paredes called, bringing a flop of on board. Paredes checked over to Merulla, who c-bet for 250,000.
Hand 79: Paredes opened the pot with a raise to 350,000 and Merulla let him have the pot.
Hand 80: Merulla opened for 325,000 and in the first three-bet of heads-up play, Paredes made it 900,000 to play. Merulla flatted the reraise and the flop came down . First to act, Paredes bet 800,000 and Merulla grabbed a stack of gold T100000 chips while contemplating his next move. That move ended up being a raise to 2 million even, and Paredes decided to respect the raise, giving the pot to Merulla.
Hand 76: Maio opened for 325,000 from the button and Merulla shot him a look from the next seat over, beofre comitting the calling chips. Paredes folded and the flop came down . Maio led out for 225,000 and once again Merulla looked over at him with a bemused look on his face. He came along with the call though and the turn came . On fourth street Maio bet 425,000, and Merulla tanked for a minute or so before quietly announcing himself all in to force Maio to a decision for his tournament life.
Maio snap-called and the two showed down the cards that created this collision.
Showdown:
Maio:
Merulla:
Maio had fought valiantly to mount a comeback with his short stack, but the last of his chips were committed while drawing dead. Merulla had flopped the nut flush and he could not be beat, leaving a futile to fall on the river to make things official. Merulla was already celebrating on the rail while Maio made the long walk away from one of the pinnacles in a poker player's career: the WPT final table stage.
flop, and Paredes bumped it to 2.3 million. Merulla took some time to think before cutting out two stacks of chips and pushing out 4.3 million. Paredes jammed and was instantly called.
, and Paredes was down to his last card. The dealer knuckled the table before delivering the 
, crowning Merulla the champion.
on board. Merulla checked and Paredes bet 800,000. Merulla check-raised to 2.4 million and Paredes moved all in for 6,925,000. Merulla quickly called and the audience stood to crane their necks and see what each man held in the hole.
, and Paredes check-called 1.3 million to see a turn of 
. Merulla's turn bet was 2.2 million after Paredes checked, and Paredes made the call once more. A 
fell on fifth street, and Paredes checked once more. Merulla fired 5.325 million, and this bet led to another call from Paredes.
to drag the huge pot with a flush.
. Merulla grabbed a handful of gold T100000 chips and slowly counted out a bet of 1.5 million and placed it forward, and Paredes only took a few seconds before calling the bet. The turn card came 
, while Paredes could only muster the 
for a dominated king-high bluff.
fell on the turn. Two checks later and the river came 
. Paredes checked, as did Merulla, and the pot went to Paredes when he tabled 
andboth palyers checked, leaving Paredes to table 
. On fourth street Maio bet 425,000, and Merulla tanked for a minute or so before quietly announcing himself all in to force Maio to a decision for his tournament life.