Phil Laak hadn’t won a poker tournament since 2010 when he entered the $560 buy-in Mega Millions XXVII at Parkwest Bicycle Casino. He left the legendary Los Angeles casino on Wednesday having ended the drought by taking it down for $380,245.
The $2 million guaranteed no-limit hold’em tournament, along with two final single-day events, brought about the conclusion to the Legends of Poker Series, which began July 12. Behzad Teranie finished runner-up in what turned out to be a back-and-forth heads-up battle for the title.
The “Unabomber” Takes Down First Poker Tournament in 14 Years
Laak, one of the most popular high-stakes poker players from the poker boom era, has always been more known for his cash game prowess than tournament results. But the poker pro known as the “Unabomber” cracked the $4 million lifetime mark in live tournaments with the Mega Millions win, according to The Hendon Mob.
Anne Bui was eliminated in fourth place ($116,175), creating an unbalanced three-handed play. Amir Dehghan had few chips compared to Laak and Teranie, but he would double-up twice before inevitably bowing out in third place when he jammed K♥9♥ into Teranie’s J♥J♣.
Mega Millions XXVII Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Laak | $380,245 |
| 2 | Behzad Teranie | $250,450 |
| 3 | Amir Dehghan | $156,850 |
| 4 | Anne Bui | $116,175 |
| 5 | Leo Vaisburg | $90,930 |
Laak and Teranie were nearly even — around 70 million chips — when heads-up play began. But Teranie would quickly fall back big time, fading to a massive 6-1 chip deficit (120,000,000 to 20,000,000). That wasn’t the end of Teranie, however. He’d battle back and double-up into a near tie when he jammed on the turn with a flush draw and was able to convince his opponent to fold.
Taking down that big pot appeared to be a game-changer before Laak, who won a bad beat for a monster pot earlier in heads-up play, finished off the tournament victory. The final hand had a board of Q♣6♠2♠9♥2♦. Laak checked for a third time Q♦9♠ for top two pair. Teranie, holding eight-high with 8♠5♠, moved all in on a bluff, and he received a snap-call from the champion. Teranie earned $250,450 for second place while Laak took home $380,245.
Laak’s longtime girlfriend, actress and poker player Jennifer Tilly, tweeted out congratulations on X.
Laak hasn’t appeared as frequently in public and televised poker games as he did during the poker boom era. But he did make his long awaited return to High Stakes Poker during Season 12 last spring.