Chiu the champ

04/29/2008

Proving that anything is possible in heads-up play, Full Tilt Poker pro David Chiu overcame a more than 5-1 chip deficit to defeat Team Full Tilt's Gus Hansen and capture the World Poker Tour Championship this week.

The performance earned Chiu, a four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, his first WPT title and nearly $3.4 million in prize money.

Hansen, who narrowly missed claiming his fourth WPT title, earned more than $1.7 million for second place.

Hansen was a one-man wrecking crew in the early stages of final-table play, eliminating four of his five competitors in just 22 hands of poker. His impressive performance gave him 22.9 million chips going into heads-up play versus Chiu's modest 4.3 million chip stack.

After doubling up through Hansen on hand 33, the two men traded pots for 45 more hands until Chiu finally claimed the chip lead on hand 78 of the match.

The tournament ended just two hands later when Chiu hit an Ace on the river to make trip Aces besting Hansen's two pair.

Chiu's dramatic victory earned him his first title in nearly three years and the single largest payday of his career.

Adding to the momentum established earlier this year by fellow Full Tilt Pros, Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel, Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey, Jennifer Harman, Huck Seed and David Pham, this win continues the 2008 winning streak and series of significant cashes for the poker pros representing Full Tilt Poker.

"David Chiu has been one of the most respected tournament players on the circuit," said Team Full Tilt member Howard Lederer.

"With this win, the television viewing public will finally get to see what poker players have known for a long time; he is one of best in the game."