WSOP winner Prahlad Friedman won the 2009 World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker last night, winning over £1 million for his efforts.
The 31 year old Friedman, who previously won the 2003 WSOP Pot Limit Hold’em event and then came 20th in the 2003 WSOP Main Event, outlasted Kevin Schaffel in heads-up in order to claim victory.

The six-man final table took just 127 hands to produce a winner, with over 120 of the world’s top players entering the event. Friedman went in to the final table with the third largest chip stack, however even with over half a million chips less than Todd Terry and Schaffel, the American still managed to snatch the first few pots, winning two of the first three pots.
Mike Krescanko hit the rails 6th inside just five hands, taking $89,000 home with him. Krescanko shoved all his chips with AQ preflop, however Friedman’s pocket Kings got the better of him when the flop brought King-high. Schaffel took out Sam Stein for 5th place when he collect trips on the flop with pocket sevens. Stein earned $116,000 for his efforts, and the hand gave Schaffel an inconquerable chip lead with around 3.5 million. Tot Leonidas vacated the tournament in 4th place after an intense clash with Friedman. Friedman raised the pot pre-flop with AK, with the flop bringing K62 and two clubs. After Friedman’s continuation bet, Leonidas shoved his chips with A9 of clubs, however the jack of spades and deuce of spades on the river capitulated Leonidas, and catapulted Friedman to 1st in the rankings. Leonidas took home $144,000 as a result.

Todo Terry was next to leave the tournament in 3rd, after Friedman prowled on another victim. Friedman raised pro-flop and Terry shoved all in over the top with pocket fours. After Friedman made the call with AQ however, an immediate Q on the flop send Terry packing, and even running kings provided no respite to the 2007 WSOP runner up. Terry received $231,000.
Into heads up, Friedman’s formidable lexicon of victories left him completely in charge, with an impregnable mountain of 6.6 million chips – a 7:2 ratio to Schaffel’s 1.8 million stack. In the 113th hand however, Schaffel doubled up with a two pair on a flop of AQ3. Friedman held out for the flush draw but failed to send Schaffel out early.
In the last hand of the day, Schaffel push all in with KJ, was called by Friedman’s AQ, but with an abstemious board featuring no face cards, Friedman took home his first career WPT title and one million dollars. Friedman will also receive free entry into the Season VIII WPT Championship.

Here were the final payouts from the final table of the Legends of Poker:
1st Place: Prahlad Friedman – $1,009,000
2nd Place: Kevin Schaffel – $471,670
3rd Place: Todd Terry – $231,300
4th Place: Toto Leonidas – $144,600
5th Place: Sam Stein – $116,225
6th Place: Mike Krescanko – $89,220