Pros fall in Canadian Open

If it weren't for luck...

Canadian Poker has a new champ.

Coming from behind to defeat 2006 WSOP wunderkind Jeff Madsen in their best-of-three final heads-up match, Benjamin LaBlond took down the 2009 Canadian Open Poker Championship in Calgary Sunday.

LaBlond's path to the $100,000 win saw him go through no less than 11-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth in the quarterfinals, sucking out huge when he rivered a set of sixes against Hellmuth's pocket nines to end a six-hour match.

He also beat Canadian great Brad Booth in the semis.

Other big names who made the trip to Western Canada included Gavin Smith, semi-finalist Terrence Chan, Antonio Esfandiari and last year's winner, Huck Seed, who was defeated in the first round of the heads-up championship.

An amateur from Hull, Quebec, who plays regulalry online, LaBlond told local media he was going to parlay part of his winnings into a seat in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event.

A total of 93 players ponied up the $5,000 buy-in for a shot at the Canadian Open Poker Championship title.

Madsen took $50,000 for his second place finish.