Hand #171: David Paredes Out in 2nd Place ($499,549)

David Paredes (pictured above) min-raises to 1,200,000, and Anthony Merulla calls. The flop comes [Qc6c3s], Merulla bets 900,000, Paredes raises to 2,300,000, and Merulla tanks for a couple of minutes before he reraises to 4,300,000.

Paredes quickly moves all in for 12,300,000, and Merulla snap-calls with [Qd3d] (two pair, queens and threes). Paredes turns over [Qs8c] (pair of queens), and he’ll need to catch an eight or a six to stay alive.

The turn is the [7d], which gives Paredes additional outs if a seven hits the river.

The river card is the [4d], and Anthony Merulla wins the pot — and the WPT title — with two pair, queens and threes.

David Paredes finishes as the runner-up, earning $499,549.

Anthony Merulla wins the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open, earning $842,379. That amount includes his $15,400 entry into the season-ending WPT World Championship, which will be held here at the Borgata Casino in April. Merulla will also get his name engraved on the WPT Champions Cup alongside all the other WPT winners.

Congratulations to Anthony Merulla.

1st:  Anthony Merulla  –  $842,379
2nd:  David Paredes  –  $499,549
3rd:  Anthony Maio  –  $307,565
4th:  Jared Jaffee  –  $258,590
5th:  Vlad Mezheritsky  –  $213,650
6th:  Farid Jattin  –  $174,352