Bodog Beat

Poker pro David Bach finally (finally) took down the 50k HORSE event this morning at the 2009 WSOP. (Bodog Beat Image)

We definitely expected to arrive in the Amazon Room this morning and write up a post about the winner of the $50,000 HORSE event here at the 2009 WSOP. However, when we showed up at 9am, we were informed that the final table was still going and that the heads-up match between David Bach and John Hanson was still in progress. What? Really? Yes.

So, we sat down and did some quick math. The final table started at 2pm, so at that point it had been a 19 hour final table with a six hour heads-up battle. Sick. We asked some of the more ironman members of the media, who had been up through the night just waiting for it to finish, and it turns out that Hanson had battled back from 4 to 1 chip deficit five different times and had currently managed to pull even again.

An hour later, it was all over. A 20-hour marathon and a seven-hour face-to-face duel. Absolutely brutal. In the end, Bach was able to keep Hanson at a deficit and drag all remaining chips across the table to his side to capture the $1,276,802 first-place prize and the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy. Hanson receives $789,199 for second place.

Five days, 94 players, five different types of poker and thousands of hands and we have a new champion. Stay tuned for more 2009 WSOP live updates as we get closer and closer to the Main Event.