After Douglas open-pushed several times and got Billavara to surrender the blinds and antes, he tried the same move with and Billavara called with .
We'd seen so many players come from behind to win that it felt like a queen would spike on the flop, but when the dealer spread the cards we saw the . And whatever drama was left ended when the hit on the turn, leaving Douglas drawing dead and Billavara our champion.
Chandrasekhar Billavara came to this final table as the shortest stack, but he picked up aces on the first hand and played fast and aggressive on the way to the bracelet and the $722,914 first prize. Taylor Douglas was the chip leader coming in and throughout most of the day, but after losing some tough hands he battled back to finish as our runner-up, winning $467,101.
After the first few hands Billavara seemed to get the best of both the cards and the action. He moved first at several pots and built up his stack. But Douglas managed to avoid a trap in one hand. He limped with J-6 and Billavara checked his option with 3-4 offsuit. The flop came A-J-3 and both players checked. The turn was another three -- and again both players checked. A four fell on the river, giving Billavara a full house, and this time he led out into the pot for 500K. Douglas thought it over, thinking that perhaps his jack was good...but he ended up throwing his hand away and avoided handing over a big chunk of his stack.
And when he goes to sleep tonight, he's going to have nightmares about jacks. Jacks on the flop, especially.
Hunt pushed with , and Chandrasekhar Billavara called with the . That wasn't a good sign for Hunt in the last hand, and it wasn't a good one here. The flop came to give Billavara the lead, and when the fell on the turn and the on the river it gave the hand to Billavara and sent Hunt out in third place. He lost two consecutive hands when he went in as the favorite, but John Hunt will take home $292,476 as a consolation prize.
Douglas moved all in with , and John Hunt reraised with . Chandrasekhar Billavara held K-Q and thought awhile about calling before mucking his hand.
Hunt had Douglas dominated...until the flop came . That jack put Douglas in the lead, and when the board ran out and he survived and doubled up at Hunt's expense.
He moved all in with , but ran into Chandrasekhar Billavara's . The board ran out and Leandro "Brasa" Pimentel, whose enthusiastic friends and supporters cheered him all the way to the final table, was eliminated in fourth place, winning $189,249.
After Chandrasekhar Billavara raised to 1 million, John Hunt moved in for the last of his chips. Billavara called with and Hunt held pocket fives. The flop gave Hunt a set and though the on the turn gave Billarava a wheel draw, the on the river gave Hunt a full house and the pot.
This time it was Leandro Pimentel, who raised with and had Douglas come over the top with . Pimentel jumped out of his seat and slapped his cowboys down on the felt, though the flop of and on the turn gave Douglas a flush draw. But the river was the and just like that, Douglas doubled up two players and surrendered his chip lead.
One advantage of aggressive play is that the other players don't know when you have a big hand. Taylor Douglas has been gobbling up the blinds and antes the last few orbits and when he raised on this particular occasion he held . Billavara came over the top for all his chips holding and Douglas quickly called.
And then all that aggressive play came for naught when the flopped. Douglas picked up a straight and flush draw when the turned, but the river brought the and Billavara doubled up.