WINNER: James Grosjean

Putting that Harvard degree to good use once again.
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PLAYERS:

The players are Robert Williamson III, James Grosjean, Antonio "the Magician" Esfandiari, Ken Smith, Blair Rodman, Monica Reeves, and "Miami" John Cernuto.

This is the third of the UBT Superstars series, which matches poker and blackjack stars in three blackjack tournaments to qualify for a final table of six players competing in no-limit hold 'em. The top two from each of the three blackjack tables advance. This qualifier features two of the top tournament-blackjack players in the game, Ken Smith and Blair Rodman, as well as renowned blackjack cash-game pro, James Grosjean. Robert Williamson, Antonio Esfandiari, and John Cernuto are all top-tier poker stars. Note that this was an invitational, so there was no Internet qualifier in the field.

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ELIMINATION:

Hand 7: Both Antonio Esfandiari and Ken Smith are well behind the leaders and go all in. Antonio busts and Ken's 15 loses to a dealer 20.

Hand 8: After the two who were below him go out, John Cernuto is the low man on the first Elimination Hand. Having to also bet first, he makes a big bet that he has to win, but busts.

Hand 16: Blair Rodman is trapped on this hand, so far behind the leaders that they can all cover him high and low. Blair's only chance is to go all in (though he saves a chip to hide a hit, see "Strategy Notes") and hope to swing an opponent. But there'll be no swing on this day, as Blair busts.

Hand 25: This time it's Monica Reeves who's far behind, essentially in the same position as Blair was on hand 16. Monica also fails to get her swing, and there's a reason why she does (see "Strategy Notes").

Last Hand
The situation forced Robert Williamson to match Monica Reeves on hand 25. And though it was Monica who was eliminated, Robert was crippled in the process with a big loss. Now heads-up with James Grosjean and trailing by nearly a max bet, Robert has no choice but to go all in. He loses and James completes an easy ride to his first UBT title.

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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...