Bart Tichelman is champ. In just the second hand of heads-up he raised it up from the button, Nicholson pushed and Tichelman called, felting K 4 for the lead against Nicholson's Q 8.

A king on the turn ended it all and with the final board reading A 3 4 K 10 the event is over.

Nicholson grabs $236,163 for second and the ring. The 2008 WSOP Main Event seat and the $428,210 first-place prize go to Bart Tichelman of Atlanta, Ga.

In the biggest hand of the event so far Giovanni Marcacci made it $200k from the button and Bart Tichelman announced a raise to $300k more from the small blind.

Nicholson got out of the way and Marcacci sat back in his chair and mulled it over for a minute before making the big call.

On the flop of 6 7 9 Tichelman wasted no time pushing all-in and Marcacci called, showing pocket tens. He was in the lead against Tichelman's A 8 but the 5 on the turn gave Bart the straight and it held when the 2 came on the river.

Giovanni Marcacci goes out third grabbing $129,760 and they're bringing out the money as we go heads-up.

Looks like Tichelman will have the huge chip lead with more than $3 million in chips to Nicholson's $500,000.

No chop folks. They'll play it out for real so let's shuffle up and deal!

Play has come screeching to a halt as players discuss the possibilty of chopping the remaining prize money.

Here's the three-way chip count as it stands now:

Bart Tichelman	$1,800,000
Giovanni Marcacci	$1,235,000
Donald Nicholson	$570,000

 

The blinds are up again and the tense three-way action will continue with the price of poker getting dangerously high!

Bart Tichelman just picked up a big pot in a tense battle of the blinds.

In a limped pot the flop falls K 9 6 and Tichelman makes it $100k to go. Nicholson makes the quick call and the turn brings the K and a $200k bet from Bart. This time Nicholson tanks it for a few minutes, asks for a count and finds out he's got about $975,000 behind.

He stares him down for another few minutes and finally makes the call.

The river is the 8 and this time Tichelman moves all-in. It's decision time for Nicholson and he gives Tichelman the cold, hard stare. Tichelman is as still as the water in the Mississippi River at 6 a.m. in December, giving up nothing.

Nicholson eventually folds and Tichelman grabs the decent-sized pot without a showdown.

Donald Nicholson has doubled up.

He made a $110k raise before the flop from the small blind and Giovanni Marcacci made the call in the big blind. Heads-up to the flop the 5 4 8 came down and Marcacci checked. Nicholson pushed all-in for his final $510k and Marcacci made a quick call. Surprisingly, Nicholson's sixes are ahead against the A 5 felted by Marcacci and the 8 turn and Q river keep them there.

In this up-and-down affair, Nicholson is now the chip leader and Marcacci back down to third.

John Devia could not hold the chip lead he came into the day with and is now out fourth. After a  $150k Bart Tichelman pre-flop raise Devia shoved and his 10 9 looked to be in big trouble facing Tichelman's Q Q. Things got interesting after the turn with the board reading A A 4 5 but the 4 was not a heart and Devia is done.

He cashes $103,808 for fourth ... and then there were three.

Ben Sabrin is done. Sabrin opened all-in; Giovanni Marcacci re-raised all-in and had him covered. Marcacci's A A is the obvious favorite over Sabrin's A 2 and the board confirms it, coming 7 J K 2 A.

All four aces come out to play and Sabrin bows out fifth cashing $77,856. Marcacci now vaults into the chip lead picking up Sabrin's $440k in chips.