Hastings wins WSOP Heads-Up title, $371K

Brian Hastings, a 23-year-old professional poker player from Hanover Township, Pa. won his first WSOP gold bracelet in the $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em championship on Thursday night at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, collecting $371,498 in prize money. But this victory wasn't at all about the money.

"I've had much bigger scores than this online," Hastings confided to reporters, moments after his victory. "But there's only one gold bracelet, and this means more than the money to me."

Indeed, Hastings typifies an ultra inner-circle of young superstars who have come to dominate the game in recent years. This is especially true for No-Limit Hold'em. Hastings is one of a small clique of chic twenty-somethings stoked with six- and seven-figure bankrolls who typically buy into games in dollar amounts greater than the cost of an average house.

Hastings once (or perhaps twice) reportedly won a pot of over $1 million dollars online, which he now looks upon pretty much as just another (good day) at the office.

Now, Hastings' "office" is in Vancouver, B.C. The Pennsylvania native jetted up to the great white north last year in an effort to preserve his bankroll and continue his success as an online poker pro. He recently bought a home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which is primarily to be used, he says, as a jumping off point to the Bahamas.

"I plan to go over to the Bahamas every so often and stay there for a week or two and play online," Hastings explained. "It's a convenient place, to stay in the U.S. in a way, but also continue to do what I do."

So, while current federal laws prohibit banks from allowing online poker players to move money to online poker sites from the United States, Hastings has very cleverly
managed to have his cake and eat it too, living within the U.S. and essentially "commuting" to work in places like Canada and the Caribbean.

Yet while Hastings is a near-legend in the online world, his status as a live tournament player is one of near anonymity, which suits the former college student just fine. His two previous cashes in WSOP-related events show an eighth-place finish last year at WSOP Europe. Hastings also posted an 11th-place finish at West Palm Beach during last season’s WSOP Circuit. Nice results – but nothing to brag about. So, in a sense, prior to this event, Hastings wasn't simply under the radar. He wasn't even on the screen, at least in the public consciousness.

Consider the morning line the Rio Sportsbook posted on Hastings and his chances to win the coveted gold bracelet. Arguably one of the very best heads-up specialists in the world at the moment, Hastings was listed as an underdog among the finalists.

"Who's the fool who made that line?" Hastings' buddies hollered from across the ESPN stage, while clutching several tickets on their favorite poker horse.

"That would be me!" a suddenly interested Howard Greenbaum barked out, causing several heads to snap turn. "Yeah, we really blew that one," the Vice President of Specialty Gaming for Caesars Entertainment sheepishly added.

Hastings' ultimate victory demanded that he win eight consecutive heads-up matches that were randomly drawn in a bracket format. Given that he faced most of the world’s best short-handed players, Hastings' overall win was as impressive as it was well-deserved. Indeed, this was one of the most coveted of poker titles, a coronation of sorts for players who pride themselves on playing one-on-one.

The payoff came on the last day, when Hastings defeated Jason Mo, a 24-year-old poker pro from St. Louis, in the last heads-up match of the bracket, which was played in front of a worldwide viewing audience following the live stream at WSOP.com. As the runner-up, Mo also enjoyed a nice run, winning seven of his eight matches. He collected second place prize money amounting to $229,722.

The top 32 finishers from a starting field of 152 entrants collected prize money. That required them to advance through the first three rounds, though some players received a first-round bye. Two-time gold bracelet winner Brock Parker and Tommmy Chen both made the final four, earning $130,606. Vanessa Selbst, another former winner, made the round of 16, as did Antonio “the Magician” Esfandiari.

Hastings’ victory gives him his first WSOP title -- and instant publicity and fame. While this marked his first time to make the money in Las Vegas, odds are it won't be his last. And, next time, the odds won't be so generous.