WINNER: Cosimo Tripodi

The Italian Stallion races to the finish line!

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PLAYERS:

The players are James Nguyen, Gleb Bourianoff, Marie Hua, "Miami" John Cernuto, Gary Biedrzycki, Huan Quan Mai, and Cosimo Tripodi.

The UBT Venetian is the first open-event final in the UBT series, and this leads to some new players being in the mix, along with one big name, "Miami" John Cernuto. Even though these players aren't household names, most have experience in tournament blackjack and all made this final by advancing through several rounds, including Gary Biedrzycki, who had to get through even more players as the Internet qualifier.

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ELIMINATION:

Hand 8: Stuck in last, Huan Quan Mai makes the right play with a big all-in move (see "Strategy Notes"), but has to stand stiff with 15. The dealer turns a 4 into 18 and Huan is the first to go.

Hand 16: Gary Biedrzycki bets big, then puts himself in harm's way by doubling a 10 against a dealer 10 up. When he loses the double, he's eliminated.

Hand 23: Finding herself almost doubled up by the four other remaining players, Marie Hua gets her last $70,000 on the table, but busts her 13.

Hand 25: With the only player he's ahead of using a Secret Bet and the players betting after him also with more chips, Miami John has to make a max bet. He loses it and is eliminated.

Last Hand
Though three players are left going into the last five hands, Gleb has been effectively eliminated (with just $10,000) on the final hand. James has $161,500 to Cosimo's $120,000, and bets first. James uses his Secret Bet, but, surprisingly, elects to bet only $1,000, taking the pure low. Cosimo puts in a big $95,000 bet, not knowing that all he has to do is win the hand to win the match. It's in the dealer's hands when Cosimo is dealt an 18 against a 3 up. The dealer turns a 4 and hits it with a 10 for 17 and Cosimo's 18 holds up.

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SEASON ONE RECAP:
Episode 1: The final table is a powerhouse, featuring great play, a classic good-versus-evil scenario...
Episode 2: This is an emotion-packed contest, with tempers flaring (between Matthews and Pine) in later rounds...
Episode 3: If anything, this episode demonstrates that you're not out till you're out. Tyrone Jackson is down to just $15,000 on hand 9...
Episode 4: This is a strategy-packed match that provides plenty of fodder, as you'll see, for Strategy Notes...
Episode 5: The match is a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs, featuring a couple of excellent strategic plays and the first playoff of the UBT series...
Episode 6: It's a shootout. At hand 25, the three remaining players—Monica, Jennifer, and Angie—have nearly $1 million among them...
Episode 7: As has been the case earlier in this season, the repeat players, Gary Debernardi and John Cernuto, fair much better the second time around...
Episode 8: Dave gets battered mid-match and has to climb back from a significant deficit to get to heads-up play with Erica Schoenberg...
Episode 9: All of the players obviously have tournament chops. Ken Smith is the consensus favorite, but David Matthews, Adriana Jade, and Hollywood Dave are all considered prominent...
Episode 10: With huge bragging rights on the line (not to mention the prize money), the players are dialed in for this one and there are loads of high-end...

SEASON TWO RECAP:
Episode 1: This wasn't a timid table, but the eliminations came slowly and there were three players all the way to the 30th hand...
Episode 2: As it often does, it came down to cards in the end—but rather than it being about who got them, it was more about who didn't...
Episode 3: With two seasoned blackjack-tournament pros (Anthony and Blair) and one poker-tournament superstar...
Episode 4: This match will go down as one of the strangest and best in UBT history...
Episode 5: The blackjack players excelled on this day, with Ken Einiger and Adriana Jade steadily pulling away from the field..
Episode 6: Chips flew early in this match and three players, including Ken Smith, were already gone by the end of hand 8...
Episode 7: The final table of the UBT's first Poker vs. Blackjack Superstar Showdown features an interesting mix of poker and blackjack luminaries...
Episode 8: The three "favorites" mentioned above go out before the third Elimination Hand and the All-Stars contest comes down to the unlikely trio...