The Latest: Joe McKeehen wins World Series of Poker
LAS VEGAS (AP) The latest from the final day of the World Series of Poker main event championship (all times local):
8:10 p.m.
Pennsylvania poker pro Joe McKeehen is this year's World Series of Poker champion and $7.68 million richer.
McKeehen won with an ace-10 and got lucky when the community cards revealed a second ten, ensuring his victory in a face-off with Joshua Beckley of New Jersey who went all in with a pair of fours.
McKeehen held an overwhelming lead in poker chips coming into the finale and the entire three-day event.
World Series of Poker tournament events began in May and continued for 51 days with 68 events, culminating with the annual Main Event. It's a grueling multi-day poker marathon that whittled down the competition from 6,420 entries at $10,000 each to nine players, all already guaranteed at least $1 million each.
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7:35 p.m.
61-year-old Neil Blumenfield won't be the oldest player to win the World Series of Poker Main Event since 1974.
The former tech executive and fedora-wearing poker player from San Francisco goes out in third place as the seventh player eliminated in three days of gameplay.
Blumenfield was already in last place having failed at a bluff against chip-leader Joe McKeehen earlier in the night.
He put all of his remaining chips on the line - 12.1 million - on a pair of twos going head to head with McKeehen.
McKeehen, the 24-year-old poker pro from Pennsylvania, had a stronger pair of queens.
And as the community cards were laid out on the table, prayers from Blumenfield's friends and family for another deuce went unanswered.
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7:20 p.m.
Joe Beckley isn't bluffing, at least in a single showdown with chip-leader Joe McKeehen at the World Series of Poker final table.
The 25-year-old poker pro from New Jersey had the cards to back up his ever increasing bets, first raising 3.6 million when he knew he had had three sixes then raising again to 6.29 million after the final card was turned.
McKeehen swiveled his chair to face Beckley who wore sunglasses and sat unmoving with his arms crossed before paying the price to see Beckley's winning cards.
McKeehen didn't show his.
It put Beckley in second with 45 million chips. McKeehen still held a healthy lead with 128.8 million chips.
Neil Blumenfield was hanging on in third.
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6:45 p.m.
61-year-old Neil Blumenfield momentarily found himself in third place after some aggressive bluffing in a face-off with chip-leader Joe McKeehen at the World Series of Poker final table.
With all the cards laid out on the table - a three of clubs, six of clubs, 10 of diamonds and seven of diamonds - Blumenfield followed up an earlier 3.5 million chip raise with another 7 million.
After much deliberation, staring and literal hand-wringing as McKeehen shuffled 7 million worth of chips in his hands, McKeehen called showing he held a pair of kings. It was more than enough to beat Blumenfield's queen-high hand.
The hand cost Blumenfield second for a moment, briefly pushing Joshua Beckley of New Jersey into the spot until Blumenfield regained his standing during another McKeehen showdown. That time, the chip-leader folded, giving up the pot of chips to Blumenfield.
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6:10 p.m.
It's day three of the World Series of Poker's Main Event, and it's down to three players out of 6,420 who initially tried to win poker's championship title and a $7.68 million top prize.
Joe McKeehen, 24, of North Wales, Pennsylvania, is leading the pack, having held the most poker chips since play broke last July with the final nine players. Neil Blumenfield, 61, a former tech executive from San Francisco who has a fedora-wearing cheering section, is in second. Joshua Beckley, 25, a professional poker player from Marlton, New Jersey, is in third.
The runner-ups don't go away empty-handed. All nine won $1 million in July. Second place wins $4.47 million total. Third place wins $3.4 million.