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Qui Nguyen wins $8M at World Series of Poker Main Event

Qui Nguyen wins $8M at World Series of Poker Main Event
Posted at 6:41 AM, Nov 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-02 06:41:45-04

Former nail salon owner and failed professional baccarat player Qui Nguyen has won the World Series of Poker Main Event after the longest heads-up matchup in tournament history.

The 39-year-old in a raccoon baseball cap took the top prize of $8,005,310 and the gold bracelet on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. He eliminated San Francisco poker pro Gordon Vayo (VAY-oh) on the 364th hand of the final table.

Nguyen was dealt a king and 10 of clubs. Vayo was down to 53 million chips with a jack and 10 of spades.

The first three community cards came out and among them was a king to pair up Nguyen. Two blanks followed and Nguyen was the winner — 19 hours of play after the final began on Sunday night.

The native of Vietnam emerged from a field of 6,737 in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em Main Event, the final and most prestigious in a series of 69 World Series of Poker tournaments.

Vayo earned $4,661,228.

Earlier Tuesday, Cliff Josephy was eliminated in third place.