Million dollar payday for Little

11/13/2008

Jonathan "FieryJustice" Little lived up to his Internet handle this week by winning the World Poker Tour Foxwoods World Poker Final in one of the longest heads-up contests on record. For Little it was worth the stress and stamina, with a winner's prize of $1 120 310 and his second WPT title in the bag. The victory brings his live tournament earnings to over $2.8 million.

It took 170 hands to decide the tough heads-up between Little and fellow online player Jonathan Jaffe (21), with the chip lead changing frequently as each fought for the big money and the respect of a WPT title. Just reaching the heads up was an achievement with six final table players of the calibre of Charles Marchese, David Pham, Jack Schanbacher and Mike Matusow, all of whom were eliminated in the 105 hands preceding the heads up.

After starting the final table halfway down the chip counts, 23-year-old Little, who won the WPT Player of the Year award in 2007, finally triumphed around 4am after the all night slog, but seemed to have stamina to spare despite the marathon, which tested both players to the limit in an exciting finish. He told interviewers that the long session was his second experience of an endurance test, his first being the 271 hands played in the fourth season of the North American Poker Championship.

For his opponent Jaffe, it was the keen disappointment of a close finish after a long competition, perhaps eased by the second place prize money of $670 636 that he collected. The young Internet player built on experience in land competitions he has accrued with his fourth place finish in the $10 000 World Championship NLHE.

Charles Marchese took the third place prize of $337 256, with David Pham fourth ($240 244), Jack Schanbacher fifth ($182 196) and Mike Matusow sixth ($124 048)