LAS VEGAS -- Scott Blumstein closed out a dominant three-day performance by winning the 2017 World Series of Poker main event early Sunday, taking home $8.15 million and the WSOP bracelet in the process.

Other than a brief spell on the first day of final-table action Thursday, the 25-year-old from Brigantine, New Jersey, held onto the chip lead from beginning to end.

"I'm really happy with how I played tonight," Blumstein said. "Really happy with the result, really happy with the deuce, because I was playing good, but I'm pretty tired of poker at this point, honestly. To have to go back and battle pretty deep-[stacked] again, I wasn't looking forward to it."

The dynamic of Blumstein's considerable lead and a pair of short stacks in Dan Ott and Benjamin Pollak led to one of the most action-packed final days in WSOP main event history, including a three-way all-in that could have led to a historic double-knockout to end the tournament.

Blumstein's hand, which was best at the start, didn't hold up in that three-way spot -- Ott eliminated Pollak in third place -- but after a 66-hand heads-up match with Ott, Blumstein sealed the victory by grinding Ott down to nothing.

It looked as though Ott might make a comeback, as he doubled up with king-nine against pocket sixes. Shortly afterward he was all-in again and had Blumstein dominated with an ace-eight to Blumstein's ace-deuce. But as had been the case for most of the tournament, dramatics ensued, and a deuce on the river gave Blumstein a pair and the title.

"Is there a better way to win the main event than by hitting a three-outer on the river?" said Blumstein. "A normally inconsequential [card] -- the deuce -- changes my life."

Blumstein had to fight through a field of 7,221 players over two weeks in the 48th edition of poker's most famous tournament. This WSOP main event drew the third-largest field in history, behind only the fields in 2006 (8,773 players) and 2010 (7,319). The total accumulated prize pool for the event was $67,877,400, awarded in escalating amounts to 1,084 players.

Ott said he was satisfied with how he performed and the result.

"At the end, the chips didn't go my way," Ott told PokerNews.com. "The cards didn't go my way. But I got second place in the third-largest main event ever. I can't complain about that."

Blumstein's sizable lead made for a chaotic few hours, with five all-in-and-call hands playing out before Pollak's elimination in third place. It was also cyclical, as Ott doubled through Pollak twice, only for Pollak to win a pair of all-ins against Blumstein each time he became the short stack.

After Ott won the three-way all-in, Blumstein held an advantage of less than 2-1, paltry in comparison to the lead he had held for much of the past three days. They traded blows, but Blumstein never dropped below 200 million chips.

It was the conclusion of a three-day run for the ages for Blumstein. On the first night of the final table Thursday, he doubled through chip leader John Hesp to take a lead he would never relinquish. On Friday, Blumstein wielded that stack and accumulated even more chips as the final seven played down to three.

2017 WSOP main event final table results

Scott Blumstein: $8.15 million Dan Ott: $4.7 million Benjamin Pollak: $3.5 million John Hesp: $2.6 million Antoine Saout: $2 million Bryan Piccioli: $1.675 million Damian Salas: $1.425 million Jack Sinclair: $1.2 million Ben Lamb: $1 million

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>A New Jersey man is a millionaire this morning after winning the World Series of Poker.Scott Blumstein, 25, won the event on the 246th hand of the final table. He won the event of the last card of the hand with a pair of twos.He's taking home $8.1 million and a custom gold championship bracelet, made from white and yellow gold, diamonds and rubies.Blumstien had to beat 7,221 other poker players to claim the top prize.</s>Scott Blumstein, a 25-year-old professional poker player from Morristown, New Jersey, won the $10,000 buy-in No-limit Texas Hold ’em World Championship early Sunday at the Rio Convention Center.

Scott Blumstein wanted to play the World Series of Poker Main Event last year but couldn’t afford the buy-in.

Instead, he went to Atlantic City and won a tournament for almost $200,000.

Blumstein parlayed that money into an even bigger prize early Sunday when he won the $10,000 buy-in No-limit Texas Hold ’em World Championship at the Rio Convention Center.

The 25-year-old professional poker player from Morristown, New Jersey, defeated Daniel Ott in a heads-up battle that lasted three hours to capture the $8.15 million first prize.

“The world is a funny place, and funny things happen here,” Blumstein said. “My story’s a pretty interesting one, I think, and for it to end and climax in this fashion is something I never thought possible.”

Blumstein outlasted a field of 7,221 entrants and led almost wire-to-wire at the final table.

After grabbing the chip lead on Day 7, Blumstein was briefly overtaken on the leaderboard by Englishman John Hesp during Thursday’s final-table action.

But Blumstein regained his advantage later that night in a pivotal hand against the eventual fourth-place finisher and never relinquished control.

Blumstein eliminated France’s Antoine Saout in fifth place Friday in another huge pot to give him a commanding lead heading into Saturday’s action with more than 60 percent of the chips.

“I feel pretty fortunate throughout the whole tournament to have a big stack, but that’s what the Main Event allows you to do,” Blumstein said. “I definitely think having a big stack allows you to put pressure on and that increases your chances of winning for sure.”

Blumstein ran a gutsy bluff against Ott early Saturday, and his victory came in dramatic fashion after 65 hands of heads-up play.

With all the chips in the middle, Blumstein held ace-2 and was well behind Ott’s ace-8. But the river paired Blumstein’s 2 to set off a massive celebration.

Had Ott held on to win the hand, he would have climbed back near 130 million chips and faced less than a 2-to-1 disadvantage.

“Is there a better way to win the Main Event than hitting a three-outer on the river? A normally inconsequential deuce just changed my life,” Blumstein said. “I’m going to be honest. I wish I could say that I was thinking it was coming the whole time, but I was mentally preparing for 40-big blind poker.”

Ott, a 25-year-old poker pro from Altoona, Pennsylvania, took home $4.7 million in his Main Event debut.

“This whole thing has just been amazing,” Ott said. “I’m the happiest person ever, maybe next to Scott. I can’t complain about $4.7 million. It’s an amazing experience.”

Minutes after clinching the win, Blumstein mentioned that his biggest thrill from the Main Event wasn’t the bracelet or the money — it was messaging with comedian and longtime poker fan Norm Macdonald.

”I don’t have an ego in this game. I check my ego at the door. I know where I stand,” Blumstein said. “I know two weeks ago I was just a New Jersey online grinder and nothing’s really changed.

“This is just one poker tournament. It takes variance and luck and playing your best, and all those things came together, and I’m happy to be the winner.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.</s>(AP Photo/John Locher). Dan Ott competes at the World Series of Poker main event, Saturday, July 22, 2017, in Las Vegas.

(AP Photo/John Locher). Scott Blumstein, left, and Benjamin Pollak, of France, compete at the World Series of Poker main event, Saturday, July 22, 2017, in Las Vegas.

(AP Photo/John Locher). The final three players, from left, Scott Blumstein; Benjamin Pollak, of France; and Dan Ott stand at the final table during the World Series of Poker, Friday, July 21, 2017, in Las Vegas.

(AP Photo/John Locher). Dan Ott, right, embraces Benjamin Pollak, of France, after Pollak was knocked out of the World Series of Poker main event, Saturday, July 22, 2017, in Las Vegas. Pollak finished in third place.

(AP Photo/John Locher). Supporters of Benjamin Pollak, right, of France, watch as he goes all-in at the World Series of Poker main event, Saturday, July 22, 2017, in Las Vegas. Pollak won the hand.

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The Latest on the no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event in Las Vegas (all times local):

A Pennsylvania man who finished second in the World Series of Poker says the cards didn't go his way.

Daniel Ott is from Altoona, Pennsylvania, and earned $4.7 million at the series' marquee no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event early Sunday in Las Vegas. Scott Blumstein, of Brigantine, New Jersey, won and takes home more than $8.1 million.

Neither Ott nor Blumstein had previously played at the main event. Both had dozens of supporters who cheered and gasped throughout the night, depending on the hand.

Ott tells PokerNews.com he "got second place in the third largest Main Event ever" and he "can't complain about that."

Late Saturday night, Frenchman Benjamin Pollak was eliminated in third place.

A New Jersey man who just became this year's World Series of Poker champion and pocketed more than $8.1 million says he's "really happy" with how he played but he's "pretty tired of poker at this point."

Rookie Scott Blumstein won the series' marquee no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event early Sunday in Las Vegas. He eliminated another poker main event rookie, Daniel Ott, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, on the 246th hand of the final table.

Blumstein's ace of hearts and two of diamonds were stronger than Ott's hand.

Blumstein says he had to "battle pretty deep" and he's "really happy with the result."

Late Saturday night, Frenchman Benjamin Pollak was eliminated in third place.

New Jersey's Scott Blumstein is this year's World Series of Poker champion.

The 25-year-old won the series' marquee no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event early Sunday in Las Vegas. He's now more than $8.1 million richer.

Blumstein is from Brigantine, New Jersey. He eliminated another poker main event rookie, Daniel Ott, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, on the 246th hand of the final table.

Blumstein's ace of hearts and two of diamonds were stronger than Ott's hand.

Ott went all in with ace of diamonds and eight of diamonds. The community cards were a jack of spades, a six of spades, a five of hearts, a seven of hearts and a two of hearts.

Blumstein is also taking home a gold bracelet made from white and yellow gold and diamonds and rubies.

Earlier Saturday, Frenchman Benjamin Pollak was eliminated in third place.

Poker pro Benjamin Pollak has gone out in third place at the no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event of the World Series of Poker

The Frenchman was eliminated Saturday, the third day of play at the final table. He leaves the premier tournament with $3.5 million.

He started the day with over 45 million chips and put his last 35.6 million on the line on queen of clubs and 10 of diamonds. But the chip leader of the final table had the strongest hand out of the three remaining players.

Scott Blumstein of Brigantine, New Jersey, increased his chip count to more than 232 million with his ace of hearts and queen of spades. Meanwhile, Daniel Ott of Altoona, Pennsylvania, reached a 128 million chip count with king of clubs and nine of diamonds.

The community cards laid out on the table were jack of spades, three of diamonds, king of diamonds, four of clubs and six of spades.

Blumstein and Ott are vying for a grand prize of over $8.1 million.

An accounting error paused play for a few minutes at the final table of the no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Organizers were forced to recount chips Saturday after a hand in which Daniel Ott doubled up to almost 70 million, while Benjamin Pollak dropped to about 23.3 million. But Pollak did not have that amount of chips in front of him after the hand.

Series spokesman Seth Palansky says 10 million chips were miscounted. He says the dealer had pulled chips from Pollak's stack, but he was unaware and ended up paying Ott, too.

Chips have no monetary value in the tournament. Each player will have to lose all his chips before he is eliminated from the final table.

Pollak, Ott and Scott Blumstein are the three remaining players vying for a grand prize of more than $8.1 million.

The marquee no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event of the World Series of Poker is down to the final three players vying for the top prize of more than $8.1 million.

Rookie Scott Blumstein is arriving at the table Saturday as the chip leader. The 25-year-old resident of Brigantine, New Jersey, has more than 226 million chips.

The players, who bested more than 7,200 others, at this point are guaranteed $3.5 million. The champion also will receive a gold bracelet made from white and yellow gold and diamonds and rubies.

Blumstein will be joined at the table by Daniel Ott of Altoona, Pennsylvania, and Frenchman Benjamin Pollak.

The 25-year-old Ott has more than 88 million chips, while 34-year-old Pollak is starting Saturday with over 45 million chips.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>A New Jersey man with a degree in accounting is this year’s World Series of Poker champion. Scott Blumstein won the series’ marquee no-limit Texas Hold ’em main event early Sunday in Las Vegas surrounded by dozens of supporters including relatives and college friends. He is now more than $8.1 million richer after eliminating Pennsylvania’s Daniel Ott on the 246th hand of the final table, more than 60 hands with just the two of them with bricks of bills and a gold bracelet separating them. ”I’m really happy about how I played tonight,” said Blumstein, who’s 25. ”… This is just one poker tournament. It takes variance and luck and playing your best, and all those things came together, and I’m happy to be the winner.”

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Blumstein’s final hand of an ace of hearts and a two of diamonds ended up being stronger than that of Ott, who went all in with an ace of diamonds and an eight of diamonds. The community cards were a jack of spades, a six of spades, a five of hearts, a seven of hearts and a two of hearts. It was the last card that prompted Blumstein’s supporters to erupt. ”I’m really happy with the result, really happy with the deuce because I was playing good, but I’m pretty tired of poker at this point honestly, and to have to go back and battle pretty deep again, I wasn’t looking forward to it,” said Blumstein, who fell to his knees near his supporters after the two of hearts was revealed.

Blumstein, Ott and seven other players reached the final table after having bested more than 7,200 participants. Unlike the past several years, the final nine players didn’t have to wait until November to take their spots at the final table. Each of them was guaranteed at least $1 million.

 The famed tournament marked the end of this year’s series, in which dozens of tournaments drew 120,995 entrants from around the world, shattering attendance records. The men who made the final table represented the United States, Argentina, France and Britain. Earlier, on Saturday night, Frenchman Benjamin Pollak was eliminated in third place.

Ott, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, earned $4.7 million. Neither he nor Blumstein, of Brigantine, New Jersey, had previously played at the main event. Both had dozens of supporters who cheered and gasped – depending on the hand – throughout the night. Some in Team Blumstein sported T-shirts that wondered ”Is this real” and others that declared ”I don’t like folding.” Ott said overall he was satisfied with how he performed and the result.”At the end the chips didn’t go my way,” Ott told PokerNews.com after the event. ”The cards didn’t go my way. But I got second place in the third largest Main Event ever. I can’t complain about that.” Blumstein, a graduate of Temple University, is a regular on New Jersey online poker sites but had never cashed in the World Series of Poker. His total live winnings stood at more than $300,000 before Sunday. Besides his multimillion-dollar payout, he also took home a bracelet made from white and yellow gold, diamonds and rubies.

The millions of dollars Blumstein earned probably won’t go toward buy-ins at high-roller poker tournaments, though. Blumstein said money is not what motivates him to play, but his payout will allow him to do ”whatever” he wants to do whether that is play more poker, go into business or return to school. The champion’s home state is one of three states where online poker is legal. After the tournament ended, he credited his many hours on the online felt for helping him win the main event. ”The best way to get better at anything is through repetition and practice,” he said. ”When you play online in New Jersey, it’s hard for any live pro to see even close to the amount of hands I’ve probably seen in the last two years.”</s>Scott Blumstein, a 25-year-old professional poker player from Morristown, New Jersey, will have more than 60 percent of the chips in play when action in the World Series of Poker Main Event resumes at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rio Convention Center with three players remaining.

Scott Blumstein owns a massive chip lead entering the final day of the World Series of Poker Main Event.

Blumstein, a 25-year-old professional poker player from Morristown, New Jersey, will have more than 60 percent of the chips in play when action resumes at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rio Convention Center with three players remaining.

Daniel Ott of Altoona, Pennsylvania, is second in chips, followed by France’s Benjamin Pollak.

The final table of the $10,000 buy-in No-limit Texas Hold ’em World Championship will be broadcast by ESPN on a 30-minute delay beginning at 6 p.m.

The three remaining players are guaranteed a minimum of $3.5 million, with $8.15 million up top to the winner.

Blumstein saw his chip stack slowly dwindle on Friday before he won a stunning pot against France’s Antoine Saout.

Blumstein shoved all-in on the river with a straight, and Saout called off his entire stack with three jacks to hit the rail in fifth place. Saout had doubled up twice earlier in the day to move into contention.

“I lost a flip, I played a hand badly, I lost a few chips here and there,” Blumstein told WSOP.com. “The beauty of this tournament is that the structure is so good. The majority of the time, when I had a misstep, I was able to keep a level head and keep playing poker. A lot of the game is mental and I’m in a good mental state.”

Ott was the biggest mover on Friday and begins with 88.375 million chips.

Ott, 25, entered Friday in fifth place with seven players remaining, but he was responsible for eliminating Damian Salas (seventh place) and Bryan Piccioli (sixth place) to rocket up the leaderboard.

“It’s just unreal,” Ott said. “I didn’t expect to make it anywhere near this far.”

Pollak is looking to become the first French-born player to win the Main Event. (Saout was third in 2009, the best finish by a player from France.)

Pollak saw his chip stack cut in half after starting play Friday in second place. But he eliminated fan favorite John Hesp of England on the final hand late Friday and starts the final day with 45.85 million chips.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.</s>Scott Blumstein and Dan Ott battled heads-up late Saturday at the Rio Convention Center to determine the winner of the $10,000 buy-in No-limit Texas Hold ’em World Championship and the $8.15 million first prize.

Two East Coast poker professionals were the last players standing at the World Series of Poker Main Event.

Scott Blumstein and Dan Ott battled heads-up late Saturday at the Rio Convention Center to determine the winner of the $10,000 buy-in No-limit Texas Hold ’em World Championship and the $8.15 million first prize.

Blumstein, a 25-year-old from Morristown, New Jersey, owned a 2-to-1 chip advantage at the beginning of heads-up play, which started at 8:59 p.m.

The runner-up in the Main Event receives $4.7 million.

Blumstein was making his first appearance in the Main Event and held the chip lead for the majority of the past three days at the final table.

He held more than 60 percent of the chips in play at the start of three-handed play Saturday and avoided putting his stack in jeopardy with the exception of one bold bluff against Ott on the 11th hand of the day.

Blumstein won an event last summer at the Borgata Summer Poker Open and has more than $312,000 in documented live tournament winnings.

Ott, 25, is a cash-game player from Altoona, Pennsylvania, also making his Main Event debut.

He made the money in two WSOP events this summer. His largest career cash prior to the Main Event came in the $1,000 buy-in Tag Team No-limit Hold’em event when he and twin brother Dillon finished in 69th place for $2,666.

Ott entered the final day of the Main Event in second place and added significantly to his stack in the opening 10 hands.

He lost a hand early against Benjamin Pollak on Saturday, but scored a key double-up through the Frenchman and then knocked him out in third place soon after.

Pollak was seeking to become the first French-born player to win the Main Event and matched countryman Antoine Saout’s third-place finish from 2009.

The professional poker player residing in London took home $3.5 million, the first seven-figure payday of his career.

Pollak saw his chip stack fluctuate throughout play Saturday, dipping under 10 big blinds at one point before he scored a triple-up after approximately three hours of play.

But Pollak was eliminated in a wild three-way hand, as Ott raked in a pot worth 128 million chips when each of the remaining players went all-in before the flop.

“I guess in a few days I’m going to look back say, ‘That’s insane,’ ” Pollak said. “It was a great run. More than 7,000 players. It’s amazing.”

The 48th annual $10,000 buy-in No-limit Texas Hold ’em World Championship started July 8 with 7,221 players for a prize pool of $67,877,400. The field was the largest since 2010 and No. 3 all time.

“On behalf of the entire WSOP team, our heartfelt thank you to poker players from around the globe who showed up in droves to be part of the biggest World Series of Poker yet,” WSOP executive director Ty Stewart said in a statement. “It was another terrific year of huge prize pools and memorable moments.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.</s>A recent Temple University graduate took his place atop the poker world early Sunday by winning the world's biggest poker tournament — and hauling in $8 million.

Scott Blumstein, a native of northern New Jersey who lives outside Atlantic City, took down the last two competitors at the final table of the 2017 World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas. He held a commanding lead going into the final night of play that started Saturday evening, and was one of more than 7,000 that started the tournament.

The 25-year-old, who was described by Poker News as "an East Coast tournament grinder," entered the night with a commanding lead. A grinder is a player who spends a lot of time at the poker table and who considers poker a career.

The win "changes my life," he told ESPN, which broadcast the event.

"I'm really happy with how I played tonight," Blumstein said. "Really happy with the result, really happy with the deuce, because I was playing good, but I'm pretty tired of poker at this point, honestly. To have to go back and battle pretty deep-[stacked] again, I wasn't looking forward to it."



Entering Saturday, Blumstein had 226 million chips, compared to the second-place chip-holder Dan Ott's 88 million and Benjamin Pollack's 45 million.

Ott is also a Pennsylvanian who hails from Altoona. Pollack is a French poker professional.

Despite the win, Blumstein isn't getting overly confident just yet.

"If you had to ask me, probably the two guys I would least want to get three-handed with," Blumstein told ESPN. "But with that being said, I have a lot of chips and I'm confident we're going to go home, work on some three-handed poker, and come back ready to play tomorrow."



Blumstein graduated from Temple three years ago with a degree in accounting. According to his Twitter account, he's a "professional liver."

He'll likely be a professional poker player for the considerable future.

The $8.15 million isn't be his first big score in a poker tournament. He won nearly $200,000 in a tournament at the Borgata in Atlantic City last year.</s>The marquee no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event of the World Series of Poker is down to the final three players vying for the top prize of more than $8.1 million.

Rookie Scott Blumstein is arriving at the table Saturday as the chip leader. The 25-year-old resident of Brigantine, New Jersey, has more than 226 million chips.

The players, who bested more than 7,200 others, at this point are guaranteed $3.5 million. The champion also will receive a gold bracelet made from white and yellow gold and diamonds and rubies.

Blumstein will be joined at the table by Daniel Ott of Altoona, Pennsylvania, and Frenchman Benjamin Pollak.

The 25-year-old Ott has more than 88 million chips, while 34-year-old Pollak is starting Saturday with over 45 million chips.</s>(AP Photo/John Locher). The final three players, from left, Scott Blumstein; Benjamin Pollak, of France; and Dan Ott stand at the final table during the World Series of Poker, Friday, July 21, 2017, in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The marquee no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event of the World Series of Poker is down to the final three players vying for the top prize of more than $8.1 million.

Rookie Scott Blumstein is arriving at the table Saturday as the chip leader. The 25-year-old resident of Brigantine, New Jersey, has more than 226 million chips.

The players, who bested more than 7,200 others, at this point are guaranteed $3.5 million. The champion also will receive a gold bracelet made from white and yellow gold and diamonds and rubies.

Blumstein will be joined at the table by Daniel Ott of Altoona, Pennsylvania, and Frenchman Benjamin Pollak.

The 25-year-old Ott has more than 88 million chips, while 34-year-old Pollak is starting Saturday with over 45 million chips.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
In poker, American Scott Blumstein wins the WSOP Main Event, beating out a field of over 7,200 entrants over two weeks to claim the first prize of $8.15 million and a WSOP bracelet.