Event #18: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship

Event #18 kicked off on Sunday with a star-studded field of 179 players hoping to find themselves here today at the final table. The play was brutally tough from wire to wire, with no easy pots to be found anywhere. At the end of everything, only one man can have all of the chips. Today, that man is Daniel Alaei. He outlasted that whole field and a whale of a final table to capture his second gold bracelet. Alaei began the day in the middle of the pack with 17 players remaining, but he quickly announced that he would be a force to deal with as play progressed into the night. He surged to the chip lead here at the final table, never looking back once he snagged it. Scott Clements provided the most serious challenge to Alaei today, though the two men mostly stayed out of each other's way. There was no hiding once heads-up play began though. Alaei had a nearly insurmountable chip lead when we got down to the final two, and it took just two hands for Alaei to seal the deal. He'll pocket $445,898 for his solid work over the last three days, not to mention the rare and coveted gold bracelet. And not just any bracelet; a World Championship bracelet. Congratulations to Daniel Alaei, Champion of Event #18!

Scott Clements limped into the pot from the button, Daniel Alaei completed from the small blind, and Ben Boyd tapped the felt. The flop came out      . Alaei led out into the pot with 80,000, and Boyd moved all in for another 10,000 on top. Both Clements and Alaei called, and Boyd was now at risk of elimination. Fourth street came the  , and both live players checked. When the   hit the river though, Alaei fired again. Clements heard the music and let his hand go. [u]Showdown[/u] Alaei:         Boyd:         Alaei made his straight to the six, and his hand was the winner. With that, Ben Boyd becomes our 3rd-place finisher, taking home more than $180,000 for his efforts.

Scott Clement raises from the button and takes the blinds.

A Daniel Alaei raise on the button good enough to take the blinds.

Daniel Alaei - 4,340,000 Ben Boyd - 680,000 Scott Clements - 350,000

Scott Clements raised from the button, and Daniel Alaei made the call. Ben Boyd reraised from the big blind, and both opponents called. The flop came a dramatic      . Boyd bet out, and Clements raised. Alaei folded out, and Boyd thought for a moment before three-betting again. Clements also considered for a little longer than usual, then called. The turn was the  , and Boyd moved all in for his final 100,000 even. Clements looked him up. [u]Showdown[/u] Boyd:         Clements:         Boyd had flopped the ace-high flush and had a lock on the high half. He was also a huge favorite for the low, holding the nut low as the cards lay. To Clements' delight though, a   spiked the river, and BigRiskky improved to the best low hand with his five-three playing. Chop it up, and Boyd survives, though he seemed disappointed not to scoop there.

Daniel Alaei - 3,540,000 Scott Clements - 1,400,000 Ben Boyd - 450,000

Scott Clements raised from under the gun, and Negreanu talked himself into calling from the big blind. "All right. I gotta call. Only because it's Scott, I gotta call." The flop came      , and Negreau moved all in for his last 40,000. Clements called. [u]Showdown[/u] Clements:         Negreanu:         Negreanu was ahead with his trip fours, but the hand wasn't over yet. Disastrously, the   hit fourth street, improving Clements to the wheel and leaving Negreanu drawing to a pair to make a full house. The   that hit the river was a blank, and Daniel Negreanu has been sent out in 5th place. Negreanu put up a stunning battle today, and we can't even begin to count how many times he was all in. Negreanu's jovial nature led him far here in Event #18, and he'll take home nearly $135,000 for his work, adding another final-table notch to his belt.

Daniel Negreanu was all in once again, this time for 20,000 from the small blind. All three opponents would come along again, trying to get rid of Kid Poker once and for all. The board ran          , and again the three live players checked it all the way down. Scott Clements tabled the best hand so far, showing         for the diamond flush. The other two opponents couldn't touch that, and now it was on Negreanu to show. Once more, he sweated out his four cards. One by one, he peeled them off.  . "Diamond! Halfway there."   followed. Then came the  , a blank. Kid Poker really squeezed out his final card....... "Diamond! And the low! Scoop!" Negreanu slammed the   on the felt, indeed scooping the pot with his big flush and the seventy-six low. Negreanu won't go away, sitting now with 80,000.