World Series of Poker Event 48: Brandon 'any2cantu' Cantu Wins

After finishing runner-up at a final table a week ago, Brandon Cantu got a second chance to win a second bracelet in the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Split event. This time, Cantu closed the deal in a tough heads up match with Lee Watkinson and picked up the WSOP gold. Brandon 'any2cantu', known for his creative and sometimes loose style of play, was as shocked as everyone else when he turned over Aces more than ten times on Day 2. "This is the hottest streak I've ever been on in my life," he told Phil Hellmuth, who was eliminated in 14th place. By the time the field was narrowed to 25 players, Brandon had nearly 25% of the chips in play.

Cantu began the final table as chip leader with double the stack of his closest competitor, Mathieu Jacqmin. Short stacks William McMahan and Ronnie Hofman were eliminated quickly. Aaron Sias followed them out in 7th place, picking up his first WSOP cash. English pro Steve Jelinek busted in 6th place, and Tommy Vedes finished in 5th. Ted Weinstock, whose last in-the-money finish was in 1993, took home 4th place. During three-handed play, Brandon Cantu fell to short-stack status, and it looked like his bracelet hopes could be slipping away. Yet Cantu refused to give up. He outlasted Mathieu Jacqmin, whom Lee Watkinson eliminated in 3rd place.

Cantu and Watkinson, the only two players at the final table with a WSOP win on their resumes, were left heads up in pursuit of bracelet number two. Watkinson began with the chip lead, but after an up and down battle and missed wrap and low draws, he found himself out in 2nd place. Watkinson gets $141,873 and Cantu earns $228,867, but this final table wasn't about money for either of them. Cantu learned what 2nd place feels like last week, but today he takes home the gold.

For full final table coverage click here.

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