In the end, Event #20 in the World Cup of Cards ($200 + $20 Single Rebuy) came down to a battle between two friends from Ottawa: Tam Ho and Marc Lavergne. But their fracas was a short and sweet one, determined by their very first hand of heads up play.
Before Marc and Tam went head-to-head, Tam bettered Ian Tang after Ian went all in with 
. Tam made the call holding 
. When the community cards were dealt 
, Ian’s night was over. He finished in third place, and that hand set the stage for Tam and Marc’s showdown.
On the very first hand, Marc was dealt pocket fives, . Tam had pocket jacks, , and both players went all in.
When the competitors turned over their hole cards, Marc sighed.
The dealer then snapped the community cards onto the table: 
. Marc shook his head. “Why did I go all in?”
The two friends immediately shook hands. Marc’s share of the prize pool was $4,210.
Tam won $5,498, the tournament trophy, and the champion’s bragging rights.
Congratulations to Tam. He played brilliant poker the entire evening, grinding his way to the finish line.
