World Series of Poker Ends - Unexpected Winner Is Named

Poker News - November 10th, 2009 - Written by Glen

After months of waiting and two days of play, a winner at the World Series of Poker's Main Event was finally named. In a record breaking victory, Joe Cada became the youngest player to ever win a main event at the age of twenty-one. Darvin Moon went into the Main Event as a massive chip leader, with many expecting him to win, but after a night of heads up play against Cada, Darvin Moon couldn't make the cut. Cada would take over $8 million dollars, as well as the bracelet, while Moon would walk with just over $5 million.

The night opened well for Moon, as he had won a hand worth over 20 million chips. Moon's pocket ladies out performed Cada's pocket nines. Though Moon began the night with nearly 50 million units under Cada, Moon managed to catch up over the course of the first seven hands. By the seventh hand of the night, chip counts were Cada with 101 million and Moon with 93 million.

The first hand of the night was the 277th hand of the final table, but by hand 288, Moon retook the chip lead. Moon paired up his pocket queen with a queen on fourth street, being called by Cada every step of the way, despite the sagelike beard-tug that Moon had performed prior to his first raise. Moon had sent Cada back below his own chip count, ending the hand with 101 million in front of Moon and 92 million in front of his young adversary. Unfortunately for Moon, not even seven hands passed before Cada managed to knock his opponent down a peg. More accurately, thirty million pegs.

As always in heads up play, the chip stacks fluctuated with every few hands. While Moon had won hands consistently over the first hour, many of them were not as large and crushing as Cada's victories. After an hour and a half of play, Moon and Cada stacked up their chips to go on break, with both players having similar counts - Moon on 95,500,000 and Cada on 99,300,000. Three hands after the break, this would all change.

The first hand after the break went to Moon after a 3 million chip raise, taking the blinds and ante when Cada folded. The second hand went in a similar fashion, though it ended in a showdown, giving Moon over 14 million additional chips. By the third hand after the break, Moon held 121 million chips to Cada's 73 million. Moon continued to pillage Cada's chip stack for the next hour, though his luck would soon run dry.

By hand 356, Moon was still in the lead. This hand, however, would prove a pivotal turning point for Joe Cada. Cada raised three million from the button, and Moon made the call. The flop hit with a 10s, 5d, 9h. Both players checked, with the turn dropping an additional 10, this time of diamonds. Cada bet three million, but Moon fired back with an all-in check raise. Moon turned over his 7-8 spades, and Cada turned over Jh, 9d. Moon either showed his inexperience with this call or he was trying to bluff Cada out of the pot, but when the river dropped 3h, Cada's nines remained strong over Moon's chase to the straight. Seven more hands would culminate to the 8th, the final hand of the night.

On hand number 364, Darvin Moon's miraculous, luck bound Main Event run would come to an end. Cada sat with the button, and raised the pot to 3 million. Moon had re-raised, sending it to 8 million. Cada looked down at his hand, then made an all in shove. Moon follows in suit - looking at the cards, then calling the young man on his all-in push. Cada flips over pocket nines, and Moon shows the Queen-Jack of diamonds. Both players have the outs, both players have the crowd support, but only one player would win the pot, either crippling Cada or ending Moon's run. The flop lands 8s-2s-7c, no help for Moon. To build tension, the dealer waited prior to showing the turn. The turn would ultimately drop a king of hearts, once again showing Moon no reprieve. The river ended the festivities for the night - a second seven dropped, giving Cada the two pair, the win, and the glorious bracelet that all poker players could dream to take home.

Joe Cada made history with his victory, becoming the youngest player ever to win the Main Event. At just twenty one years old, the young man has amassed over $8.5 million dollars between his online winnings and now his $8 million dollar prize from the WSOP. Though he is most commonly seen playing through USA Online Poker Rooms, Cada will now forever be remembered for his run in the WSOP. Congratulations to Joe Cada, and now we will have to wait until next year to see the next exciting World Series of Poker.

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