Ravi Raghavan started as the short stack at the final table of the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic and emerged as the winner, taking home more than $1.2m.
Antonio Esfandiari, who won the event in 2010 and took 6th last year, held the chip lead as the final table began at Bellagio, but Raghavan doubled up twice early on. And the Chicago pro kept his foot on the gas for the entire final table.
Jeremy Kottler, of Los Angeles, finished sixth for $187,845, while Andrew Lichtenberger, who final tabled the event in 2009, finished in fifth for $234,197.
Esfandiari was ultimately eliminated in fourth place, holding AK v Raghavan’s AA. Esfandiari collected $329,339.
Thomas Winters, of Texas, finished third for $483,031.
The heads up match with Shawn Buchanan, who won the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship in 2007, lasted 68 hands. Raghavan started with a 9.33m to 5.77m chip lead and never surrendered the lead.
Raghavan held 77 when he eliminated Buchanan in second for $742,502.
For the victory Sunday, Raghavan, who finished 8th in the Borgata Fall Poker Open last month for $42,672, also received a $25,500 entry into the season-ending WPT World Championship in May.