WINNER: Phil Hellmuth

Phil played a classic heads-up game to maintain his lead into the last hand, then held on to take the title of UBT Champion.

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PLAYERS:

The players are Freddy Deeb, Phil Hellmuth, Robert Williamson, René Angélil, "Hollywood" Dave Stann, Ken Einiger, and Annie Duke.

This season-ending tournament brought together six of the UBT's "All-Stars" and one new face in the person of René Angélil. René is best known as entertainment mega-star Celine Dion's manager and husband, but he's no stranger to the gambling tables and tournament play in particular. Many don't know that he was a well-known player on the blackjack-tournament circuit in the 1980s, before Celine hit the big time. Of the All-Stars, Ken Einiger, Hollywood Dave, and Annie Duke have the best blackjack-tournament credentials.

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ELIMINATION:

Hand 8: Ken Einiger surprises everyone by giving up a lock and being eliminated. There was a reason for his move (see "Strategy Notes"), but this time it cost him.

Hand 16: With the second-low bankroll, Robert Williamson gets a big bet out, but loses when he stands stiff (see "Strategy Notes") and is the second to exit.

Hand 24: It's double-elimination time, as both Dave Stann (who lost almost his entire stake on hand 23) and Annie Duke get all their money in and lose to the dealer's three-card 21.

Hand 25: Thrust into low-stack position by the double elimination on the previous hand, Freddie Deeb makes a bold Secret Bet of $0. Phil Hellmuth bets over him and gives Freddie the low. But when Phil makes his hand, Fred is dead.

Last Hand
After surviving as the low-chip-stack on both hands 8 and 16, Phil Hellmuth seemed destined to go all the way and he had the chip lead going into the last five hands. Still, he would have to bet in front of René Angélil on hand 30 and he'd already used his Secret Bet. Phil played a classic heads-up game to maintain his lead into the last hand, then held on to take the 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...