Poker pro, 24, takes $8m world title

Jake Balsiger, left, reacts as Greg Merson pulls in the pot. Source: AP

A 24-YEAR-OLD Maryland poker professional has last 12 hours in a marathon card session to win the World Series of Poker main event.

Greg Merson emerged with the title and $US8.53 million overnight ($8.23 million) in Las Vegas after a session that proved a showcase for his skills amid the unpredictability of tournament no-limit Texas Hold 'em.

Merson put his final opponent Jesse Sylvia all-in with a king high. Sylvia thought hard, then called with a suited queen-jack.

Merson's hand held through the community cards - two sixes, a three a nine and a seven - to give him the title and put his name alongside former champions including Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Johnny Chan.

Merson also pushed past Hellmuth for the series' Player of the Year honours, proving himself the top performer throughout this year's series of card tournaments in Las Vegas and Europe. Merson also won a tournament this summer.

Merson's victory over Sylvia, 26, came after the pair outlasted the last amateur at the table, 21-year-old Jake Balsiger. The Arizona State senior hoping to become the youngest World Series of Poker champion was eliminated in third place, more than 11 hours into the marathon.

Balsiger gambled his last chips with a queen-10 and was dominated by 24-year-old poker professional Greg Merson's king-queen.

Merson's hand held through five community cards, forcing Balsiger to exit the tournament no richer than he was starting Tuesday's finale.

The political science major, who has vowed to graduate, won $US3.8 million for third place.

"I have some homework due tomorrow, my Supreme Court class," Balsiger said. "I didn't do it last week because I was in a final table simulation, so my professor's probably not the happiest with me."

His ouster set up Merson against 26-year-old poker pro Jesse Sylvia for the title, with an $US8.53 million top prize at stake.

Even before Balsiger was eliminated, the players set a series record by pushing beyond 364 hands at the final table. Balsiger lost on hand 382.

All three players traded chips, big bluffs and shocking hands during their marathon run.

They started play Tuesday night having already outlasted six others at a final table that began on Monday. But they refused to give in to one another, with roughly $4.8 million on the line - the difference between first and third place.

"This is exciting," Balsiger told his tablemates just before midnight Wednesday in a game playing out as part mental sparring, part plain luck.

Merson took a commanding chip lead with perhaps his gutsiest play of the tournament - sniffing weakness in Balsiger and re-raising a 10 million chip bet all-in with just queen high. Balsiger couldn't call, and Merson moved up to more than 100 million in chips.

He didn't have the chip lead for long.

Several hands later, Balsiger wagered the last of his chips with an ace-10 and was well behind Sylvia's ace-queen with his tournament at risk. But a 10 came on the turn, allowing Balsiger to double up.

Then, Sylvia went all-in against Merson, his ace-king against Merson's pocket kings. A four on the river made a wheel straight - ace through five - and vaulted Sylvia to the chip lead, sending his supporters at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino into a frenzy.

Later in the session, Balsiger doubled his chips to a lead through Sylvia with pocket kings. Soon after, Sylvia took the chip lead back.

And so it went - par for the course in poker, a game where skill is significant, but luck is certainly a factor.

Balsiger eliminated Russell Thomas in fourth place just after midnight early Tuesday to set up the trio's final showdown. The 21-year-old was seeking to become the series' youngest ever no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event champion, besting a 2009 record set by Joe Cada.

Merson went into play Tuesday night with 88.4 million in chips, compared with 62.8 million for Sylvia and 46.9 million for Balsiger.

Each competitor was guaranteed at least $US3.8 million.

Merson picked up hands and took control of the three-handed table early, picking up strong hands and building his stack to more than half the chips in the tournament.

But Sylvia's fold of a strong hand - a nine high flush - likely kept him in the tournament after he finished contemplating a Merson bet of nearly 3 million in chips. Merson held a queen high flush in a cooler-type hand - one that gamblers in Sylvia's spot routinely lose on.

Sylvia went into the final table with a chip lead but lost it to Merson after Merson benefited from an opponent's unforced error.

Merson eliminated Hungarian poker professional Andras Koroknai in sixth place, calling Koroknai's all-in bet with an ace-king and finding Koroknai with king-queen - a marginal hand for the situation.

Chips have no real monetary value in tournament poker. Each player at the final table must lose all his chips to lose the tournament, and win all the chips at the table to be crowned champion.

The tournament began in July with 6598 players and was chopped down to nine through seven sessions spread over 11 days. Play stopped after nearly 67 hours logged at the tables for each player, with minimum bets going up every two hours.

The finalists played Monday night until only three players remained, leaving the top three to settle the title.

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