Greg Merson Wins 2012 WSOP Main Event After 12 Hour Finale
The broadcast on ESPN as of 9:00am ET was pretty surreal. After 12 hours of play, the World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet and a payday of $8.5 million hangs in the balance. Lon McEachern and Antonio Esfandiarisound half asleep. “SportsCenter” will never be seen again. Norman Chad hasn’t said a word. It took a little over 11 hours for us to get to heads-up play, and heads-up play has lasted about a half-hour.
On the final hand of the 2012 WSOP Main Event, the money went in with K-5 of diamonds for Greg Mersonagainst Q-J of spades for Jesse Sylviaand neither player improved when the community cards ran out 9-6-4-6-7. Merson posed with the bracelet in his fist to the camera and the camera faded to black. Merson takes home $8.5 million and the 2012 WSOP Player of the Year title, leap-frogging Phil Hellmuth.
McEachern told the crowd, “He faced hurdles on and off the felt… A final table and a champion that will long be remembered.” Meanwhile, the crowd, likely suffering from sleep deprivation, chanted “Greg-gy” in earnest as Merson celebrated with his rail. Vanessa Selbst, Sylvia’s coach, looked shocked that the tournament had ended the way it did given the stakes.
ESPN analyst Antonio Esfandiari noted about Merson, “What a beast.”
What a beast, indeed. Jake Balsiger(pictured) was eliminated in third place just a few minutes earlier and Twitter promptly erupted. Even those on the other side of “The Pond” were aghast at the length of the tournament’s finale, with two-time bracelet winner J.P. MavFish Kelly Tweeting, “Just woke up to see Greg Merson win the WSOP main event!! Played great from what I saw and great sportsmanship shaking hands b4 celebrating.”
The final table took one hand shy of 400 to complete. Sylvia was talking to Merson right before a call was made amid a shocked Penn and Teller Theater. Sylvia, who entered the final table as the chip leader on Monday night, banked $5.2 million, while Merson, who topped 100 million in chips just a few hours into heads-up play, banked $8.5 million.
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