Congratulations to Daniel Alaei, Event #18 Champion ($445,898)

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Event #18 kicked off on Sunday with a star-studded field of 179 players hoping to find themselves here today at the final table. The play was brutally tough from wire to wire, with no easy pots to be found anywhere. At the end of everything, only one man can have all of the chips.

Today, that man is Daniel Alaei. He outlasted that whole field and a whale of a final table to capture his second gold bracelet. Alaei began the day in the middle of the pack with 17 players remaining, but he quickly announced that he would be a force to deal with as play progressed into the night. He surged to the chip lead here at the final table, never looking back once he snagged it.

Scott Clements provided the most serious challenge to Alaei today, though the two men mostly stayed out of each other's way. There was no hiding once heads-up play began though. Alaei had a nearly insurmountable chip lead when we got down to the final two, and it took just two hands for Alaei to seal the deal. He'll pocket $445,898 for his solid work over the last three days, not to mention the rare and coveted gold bracelet. And not just any bracelet; a World Championship bracelet.

Congratulations to Daniel Alaei, Champion of Event #18!

Tags: Daniel Alaei