It was one of the more compelling World Poker Tour final tables in recent memory. Two former World Poker Finals champions - including defending champ Nenad Medic - taking to the Foxwoods felt under the WPT mood lighting in simultaneous attempts to become the only player to win the same WPT event twice.

Nenad Medic, your replacement has arrived.

As it turned out, neither Medic nor 2005 winner Nick Schulman were able to snare that record-breaking accomplishment, but with third- and second-place finishes respectively each player made valiant efforts to secure the title. That the dynamic duo was bested by only one man speaks volumes both to their immense talents at the poker table and to the magnitude of new champion Mike "MVP" Vela's poker aptitude.

In a final table that was clouded somewhat by a mini-controversy over marked cards - a problem that according to reports from players earlier in the tournament had plagued the World Poker Finals almost from Day 1 - Vela, dressed for the occasion in a snappy shirt-and-jacket combo, personally eliminated every player but one from a final table that included not only Schulman and Medic but fearsome online player durrr (Tom Dwan) in his best live tournament finish since turning 21 earlier this year.

The Takeover.

Joining Vela (an executive with an investment company by trade) and the three name pros at the final table were Mark Weitzman, a Brooklyn native and professional poker player in his own right and Mike White, the owner of a Hartford-area construction firm.

It was Dwan who entered the day with the chip lead, arriving at the final table with a hunger for California Pizza Kitchen and $4,875,000. As the action began, durrr began making overtures to deal with both his hunger and his gigantic stack, playing fast and loose early and hollering for CPK throughout the proceedings. On the second hand of the day, Dwan (who lost the first hand at showdown to White's pair of nines) doubled up Medic after the Serbian-Canadian rivered a king with K♣ Q♠ to Dwan's Q♥ Q♣ - definitive proof, in durrr's mind, that live poker is rigged.

Weitzman: wallopped, man.

A few hands after Medic doubled up, the defending champion used his new chips in orchestrating the first elimination. After raising to $200,000 from the small blind he called Weitzman's $635,000 all-in from the big blind with A♥ 5♥ to the Weitz's A♣ 3♥. The board came 9♥ 7♦ 2♦ J♥ 2♥ and Medic rivered a heart flush to send Weitzman home in sixth place, the beneficiary of a $189,142 payout.

Play slowed somewhat after Weitzman's elimination, leaving plenty of time for the discovery that the aces in the deck had been marked and for ensuing discussion of the sketchiness of live poker. A new setup was provided and the action carried forward after the first tape change break of the night.

Make the cheating stop!

Medic would double through Mike White shortly after the return from break, winning a race with T♠ T♣ to White's A♣ K♦ in what PokerListings.com correspondent Arthur Crowson termed a "classic race" scenario. A ten on the flop meant a flat tire for White, who picked up a gut-shot straight draw but couldn't hit on the river and thus doubled Medic to almost $4 million.

Then it was time for another new setup as players discovered a marked ace in the deck yet again. Whether this was because of outright cheating by someone at the final table or the organizers at Foxwoods using decks that had been tampered with is unknown, but the recurring nature of the card-marking, coupled with the rumblings PokerListings.com heard from other players earlier in the week with regard to marked cards, certainly presents an issue that Foxwoods staff will need to look into if they want to protect the integrity of their tournaments.

Mike White: Born with it.

Suspicions of foul play notwithstanding, the poker carried forward, with Mike White the next player eliminated from the final table after getting all-in pre-flop with 7♦ 6♦ to Mike Vela's K♥ T♣. The board came J♥ 4♠ 3♦ T♦ 2♣ and despite picking up a flush draw on the turn White couldn't get there on the river, busting out in fifth place for a $243,184 score.

Shortly after White's elimination, Nick Schulman picked up a pile of chips and scored a heavy blow against Tom Dwan after winning a massive pot with K♠ 9♦. Schulman raised to $240,000 pre-flop from the small blind and saw Dwan call from the big blind. As the board came J♠ 9♥ 4♣ J♣ 6♦, durrr flat-called on every street to the tune of nearly $2 million but could not beat jacks and nines and was forced to surrender the pot.

Giving CPK 324,444 reasons to smile.

The end would come a few rounds later for the online phenom, who came over the top all-in for $1.3 million after a $225,000 Schulman raise and showed A♦ K♣ when called. The Takeover had K♠ J♥ and looked primed to double his young opponent up, but after the board came T♦ 7♣ 3♥ T♠ to fourth street, the J♠ on the river meant a three-outer for Schulman and a devastating defeat for durrr. The nosebleed-stakes cash game specialist takes home $324,444 to add to the coffers.

That left the two former champions facing a tall order in Mike Vela, who held a commanding lead as the triumvirate resumed play. At first Nenad Medic seemed content to watch his counterparts shoot it out, but the former college hoops star was forced to take action sooner or later and got his last $2.9 million all-in over the top of a $450,000 raise from Vela with A♦ 7♦ to his rival's A♥ J♠.

Airballed.

Consensus as the players waited for the flop was that Medic was a slight favorite in this "race" scenario given how well the former champ had been running as of late, but after the board came K♥ 9♠ 8♥ J♣ J♦, Vela had rivered trip jacks, more than enough to take down "Serb" and send him packing to the tune of a consolation prize worth $486,367.

As heads-up play began Mike Vela found himself in prime position to take down the tournament. He held $13 million in chips to rival Schulman's $4 million and even with his opponent's final-table experience, it was obvious that the advantage lay with the amateur (who, speaking of experience, had finished 13th in last year's World Poker Finals).

MVP.

Schulman would clearly be forced to make some moves to survive, and when he looked down at pocket fives early in the heads-up match he quickly got all of his money in the middle, garnering a quick call from Vela, who held A♦ Q♠ and only had to win one race to take down the title.

As the crowd stood and roared, the final two players watched a monster flop come A♠ Q♥ J♠, decisively turning the tides in favor of Vela. Neither the turn nor river could provide Schulman with his two-outer, and after the board finished 7♣ 8♠ Mike Vela was champion, his victory marked by the roar of the crowd and the loud keening of a hysterical woman or small hyperactive dog somewhere in the crowd.

Winnar!

For the victory, Vela takes home $1,704,986, an entry into the $25,000 WPT World Championship in April, a WPT chip set, a trophy of some kind and one hopes a bag with which to transport his loot. He is also given the glory of an exclusive interview with PokerListings.com, while runner-up Schulman has to make do with $864,652, no interview, no loot and no bag with which to transport his loot.

Congratulations to both finalists, and to the organizers of the World Poker Finals for finalizing world poker in so competent a manner. See you next year!