Following his victory in the $10,000 buy-in Los Angeles Poker Classic WPT Main Event this week, California accountant Dennis Blieden took home a main prize check for a million dollars, along with a $15,000 seat in the WPT Tournament of Champions. It was only his third live tournament career cash.
Blieden bested a field of 493 to achieve victory, and held the chip lead for much of the final stages of the game with his aggressive playing style.
Final table action lasted just 79 hands and was dominated by the Californian, who found himself facing UK pro Toby Lewis (fresh from an Aussie Millions main event win) in the heads up.
The two clashed repeatedly in the first 35 hands of the final table, but Blieden entered the heads up with almost two hundred big blinds to Toby Lewis’ fifty, and it was all over in just two hands, with Lewis headed for the exit and the $600,630 second place prize money.
Other final table cashes included:
Derek Wolters – $430,210
Marc Macdonnell – $319,310
Peter Hengsakul – $244,430
Manuel Martinez – $186,235