At-Large Qualifier Jonathan Hilton Wins the National Championship for $355,599
The first-ever World Series of Poker bracelet awarded on United States soil outside of Las Vegas, not to mention a $355,599 first-place prize, was bestowed upon Jonathan Hilton on Friday after he topped a 127-player field in the third annual WSOP National Championship.
The tournament—held at Harrah’s New Orleans and comprised of 20 WSOP Circuit Main Event winners, 18 Casino Champions, 62 at-large qualifiers and 27 WSOP POY $10,000 buy-ins—marked the culmination of the 2012-2013 World Series of Poker Circuit season, which awarded 240 gold rings all across North America since August of 2012.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jonathan Hilton | $355,599 |
| 2nd | Max Steinberg | $219,799 |
| 3rd | Robert “Uncle Krunk” Panitch | $156,743 |
| 4th | Brock Parker | $114,008 |
| 5th | Tim Bowman | $84,544 |
| 6th | Joe Tehan | $63,894 |
| 7th | Nicolas Vaca-Rondon | $49,187 |
| 8th | Jeremy Ausmus | $38,570 |
The final table of eight was an eclectic mix of personalities including four players who bought in for $10,000 (Brock Parker, Joe Tehan, Max Steinberg and Octo-Niner Jeremy Ausmus), three at-large qualifiers (Robert “Uncle Krunk” Panitch, Jonathan Hilton and Nicolas Vaca-Rondon), and a Main Event winner (Harrah’s Cherokee champ Tim Bowman). Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Parker entered as the chip leader, while Hilton started fourth in chips.
It took about an hour for the first elimination of the day to occur as the first few all-in situations resulted in doubles. Then, in Level 21 (8,000/16,000/2,000) Ausmus, the 2012 WSOP Main Event fifth-place finisher who began the day second in chips but had since waned, raised to 33,000 in the cutoff and Panitch called on the button. After the blinds folded, the dealer fanned 
and Ausmus continued for 35,000. Panitch raised to 77,000, Ausmus thought for 30 seconds or so then moved all in for 480,000 and Panitch snap-called.
Ausmus: 
Panitch: 
Ausmus, who was the one at risk, held an open-ended straight draw but needed some help to double in order to overcome Panitch’s big pocket pair. The 
turn didn’t do it, and neither did the 
river. Ausmus was eliminated from the tournament in eighth place for $38,570.
After Colombian Vaca-Rondon bowed out in seventh place, a huge hand took place in Level 22 (10,000/20,000/3,000) that shook up the chip stacks. It began when Hilton opened for 40,000 under the gun and received a call from Panitch in the cutoff. Tehan then three-bet all in for 319,000, Steinberg called off for 248,000 from the small blind, Hilton folded and Panitch thought for about 45 seconds before calling to put both players at risk.
Panitch: 
Steinberg: 
Tehan: 
The crowd and pretty much all of the players were on their feet in anticipation of the monster hand. Panitch's supporters were calling for an ace and to use his "one time," while Tehan watched the action with his hands on his head. After the dealer squared away the various pots, he burned and put out the flop—
.
Steinberg came from behind to flop a set and was a heavy favorite to more than triple. Panitch's supporters then began calling for a king to give their man Broadway, but that was unlikely considering Tehan held two of them. The 
turn opened up some more options for Panitch to score the double elimination as a nine would also give him a straight, but the river was no help to him. Steinberg's set held to give him a huge triple, while Tehan took down the side pot of 142,000. Little good it did him though as Tehan was eliminated in sixth place on the very next hand.
After Bowman was eliminated in fifth place, Parker’s bid at his third bracelet was cut short.
It happened when Steinberg opened for to 55,000 on the button and Parker, whose stack had dwindled, moved all in for 350,000 in the big blind. Steinberg tank-called and the cards were turned up.
Parker: 
Steinberg: 
Parker was behind, and Steinberg increased his lead when the dealer fanned 
. Parker needed running cards to make a wheel, and the 
was one of them. The two-time bracelet winner was left with three outs—the 
was no good—to stay alive, but the was not what he needed. Parker exited in fourth place for $114,008.
After 62-year-old Panitch, who hails from Northbrook, Illinois, fell in third place after the dinner break, Steinberg took 2.195 million into heads-up play against Hilton’s 1.615 million.
It was a back-and-forth affair, but thanks to a double Hilton was able to take the chip lead. The rest, as they say, is history.
That does it for our coverage from the National Championship at Harrah’s New Orleans, but the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be back in less than a week to cover all of the 62 events from the 2013 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Nevada.