WINNER: Dave Matthews
He did it again! The budding pro took on six UBT champs and slayed them. Next week he's up against six legends...
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PLAYERS:
The players are Tyrone Jackson, Adrianna Jade, "Rock 'n' Roll" Darrell Arnold, "Hollywood" Dave Stann, Monica Reeves, Ken Smith, and David Matthews.
This is the champions' final—each player has won one of the seven UBT championships this year. Ken Smith dispatched Hollywood Dave in the ;season opener, but Hollywood was able to come back in the last event of the year. Tyrone Jackson orchestrated the year's greatest comeback. Monica Reeves was the biggest underdog to take a title. David Matthews, Adrianna Jade, and Darrell Arnold all lived up to their reps as favorites or co-favorites in their respective wins.
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ELIMINATION:
Hand 6: The Cinderella story ends early for Monica Reeves against this tough field. She's appropriately aggressive (see "Strategy Notes"), but gets no cards and is the first of the champions to be eliminated.
Hand 8: Tyrone Jackson may have been feeling bullet-proof after his remarkable comeback when he won his title, but he's not. He busts his all-in bet on the first Elimination Hand and is the second to go.
Hand 12: Favorite Ken Smith doesn't make it to the second EH, going down on hand 12. Ken's Waterloo was hand 10, when his 20 with $56,000 bet was cracked by a dealer 21.
Hand 14: With the low chip count and positioned to have to bet first on the next EH, Hollywood Dave can't afford to wait, and doesn't. He loses his $62,000 bet and exits on hand 14. This match is moving fast.
Hand 16: By hand 16, there are only three left. But unfortunately for Rock 'n' Roll Darrell, the other two both have more than double his total. When David and Adrianna bet to lock him out, Darrell needs a natural to survive. He doesn't get it, and only two remain.
Last Hand
Adrianna begins heads-up play with a $57,000 lead, but it doesn't last long. David swings her with a blackjack on the next hand and takes the lead. Adrianna tries to regain the lead, but runs into a barrage of dealer aces up. Though Adrianna is alive mathematically, it's all but over by hand 21. When the dealer makes a 20 to beat her 17, David Matthews is the grand champion of the UBT's inaugural season.
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