Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic 2009 Won By Brandon Hall

Brandon Hall has won the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic Championship, beating a field of 475 players to take down the $753,330 first prize. Robert Mizrachi was the runner-up for $414,680 but a deal struck when the two players were heads up meant each player effectively chopped the pot and played for $30,000 change.
The seven man final table was soon down to six players after Matt Ross liked his pocket 7’s and went all in pre-flop only to be called by Jose Santos with A-K. An A on the turn and river knocked Ross out of the tournament but $41,000 richer for the experience.
There was no such ‘big slick’ luck for Brock Parker, though, after his shove with A K failed to improve against Eric Baldwin’s Q Q and so walked away from the table in 6th place for $68,810.
Santos was next to go after calling all in against Chase Steely’s straight, earning $92,000 for his fifth spot finish. Baldwin was next after he re-raised all in with A Q against Mizrachi’s A 7 who made the call. The poker gods were smiling on Mizrachi who hit a 7 on the flop and so sent Eric ‘basebaldy’ Baldwin crashing out in 4th with a $126,710 pay day to help nurse his misfortune.
Mizrachi must have felt that the tournament was heading all his way after the hand played between him and Chase Steely. With all the chips already in the pot pre-flop and Mizrachi holding K J to Steely’s Q Q and the board now showing A-10-9-2, Mizrachi needed one of the the two Q’s remaining in the pack to complete his gutshot straight. The rest, as they say, is history and Steely exited the tournament after making  a set, ruing his bad luck but grateful for the third place $218,860 prize.
A timely deal was then agreed between the two remaining players with Brandon Hall the eventual winner.  After calling Mizrachi’s top pair shove on a 8-9-2 flop holding J 10, a Q on the river completed Hall’s straight and earned him the title of 2009 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic champion for an impressive $753,330 first prize pay day.