2014 WSOP National Championship - No-Limit Hold'em

It took Dominik Nitsche just five hours to best the final six players in the 2014 WSOP National Championship Saturday on Atlantic City's famed Boardwalk. The victory earns Nitsche his second career gold bracelet along with a $352,800 first prize.

On top of these accolades, Nitsche, who hails from Germany, became not only the first European to make the National Championship final table, but the first $10,000 WSOP Player of the Year qualifier to claim the bracelet.

Nitsche outlasted a tough final table that included fellow gold bracelet winners Matthew Ashton and the eventual runner-up Athanasios Polychronopoulos. Representing the Circuit at the six-handed ESPN finale were Christopher Bibb, who finished 15th in this event last year, and two-time ring winner Andrew Robinson. One of the most colorful characters among the final six was WSOP.com online qualifer Tracy Doss. Doss earned his berth in an online freeroll and parlayed it into an $86,461 score.

Final table results:

1st: Dominic Nitsche - $352,800

2nd: Athanasios Polychronopoulos - $218,056

3rd: Matthew Ashton - $157,399

4th: Christopher Bibb - $115,655

5th: Tracy Doss - $86,461

6th: Andrew Robinson - $65,734

7th: Ylon Schwartz - $50,816

8th: Jeffrey Gunnip - $39,917

9th: Sean Lippel - $31,865

Full results available under the Results tab.

The 2014 WSOP National Championship began with 126 players jockeying for WSOP glory. The elite player pool was comprised of the Circuit’s top performers and WSOP.com online qualifiers who were all freerolled in the event. Additionally, each of the top 100 WSOP POY point leaders were permitted to buy in for $10,000. Notables to exercise their option to buy-in included Loni Harwood, Ryan Riess and Greg Merson, the latter of whom went on to finish 15th.

The six-handed final table played out on Atlantic City’s famed Boardwalk under the Jersey sun and the action was filmed by ESPN set to air later this summer. Stay tuned for full broadcast announcements. With its conclusion, our time at Bally’s Atlantic City is done, but WSOP action starts up again Tuesday with the first of 65 gold bracelet events set for the 2014 Las Vegas series.

Congratulations, Dom and see you next week!

Dominik Nitsche gets a walk.

Athanasios Polychronopoulos raises to 70,000 and Dominik Nitsche calls.

The flop comes     and Nitsche checks. Polychronopoulos bets 100,000 and Nitsche calls.

The turn brings the   and Nitsche bets 185,000. Polychronopoulos raises, making it 420,000 to play. Nietsche calls.

The river comes   and Nitsche checks. Polychronopoulos bets 300,000. Nitsche calls.

Polychronopoulos shows    for a bluff and Nitsche takes the pot with    for two pair, sevens and fives.

Dominik Nitsche - 2,595,000
Athanasios Polychronopoulos - 1,185,000

Athanasios Polychronopoulos raises to 70,000, taking the pot.

Athanasios Polychronopoulos raises to 70,000 and Dominik Nietsche calls. The flop comes     and both players check. The turn brings the  , Nietsche bets 100,000, and Polychronopoulos calls. The river is the   and both players check.

Nietsche shows    for the nut flush and takes the pot.

Dominik Nietsche - 2,780,000
Athanasios Polychronopoulos - 1,000,000

Dominik Nietsche gets a walk.

Dominik Nietsche raises to 70,000 and Athanasios Polychronopoulos calls. The flop comes J-8-3, Polychronopoulos bets, Nietsche folds, and Polychronopoulos takes the pot.

Dominik Nietsche raises to 70,000, taking the pot.

Dominik Nietsche raises to 70,000 and Athanasios Polychronopoulos calls. The flop comes     and both players check. The turn brings the   and Polychronopoulos checks again. Nietsche bets 75,000, Polychronopoulos folds, and Nietsche takes the pot.

Athanasios Polychronopoulos gets his first walk of heads-up play.