Matt Brady wins one million
Well-known professional poker player Matt Brady managed to outlast 550 players and beat a final table that included Johan Storakers and Allie Prescott to take down $1 million for first place at the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic.
Brady entered the final table with the second-largest chip stack and put that stack to good use eliminating Brandon Terry and Jeff Papola while setting himself up for the seemingly inevitable heads-up match against Storakers.
Brady carried a sizable chip advantage into heads-up play and it proved more than Storakers could handle. Hailing from Havertown, Penn., Brady has built a solid reputation on the tournament circuit with big five-figure scores on both the World Poker Tours and the World Series of Poker. Surprisingly, this is Brady’s first win in a big-buy-in tournament.
The final table of the UltimateBets-sponsored 2008 Aruba Poker Classic was actually delayed by rain partway through the day. The final table was scheduled to take place on a special platform designed to rest above the pool, but the weather turned decidedly un-Aruba-like when rain started trickling down with six players still remaining.
Organizers quickly moved the players back indoors, and the final table was played out in the Grand Caribbean Ballroom. The change of venue didn’t faze Brady, who can finally write up a major poker tournament win on his resume.
Here are the rest of the final-table payouts: Matt Brady, $1 million; Johan Storakers, $486,000; Jeff Papola, $250,000; Allie Prescott, $150,000; Brandon Terry, $116,400; Brian Malczewski, $83,120; Jason Pohl, $58,500.
Pictured here Matt at play and Matt with the coveted prize bracelet.
