It's official. Greg Merson is the 2012 world poker champion.



The 24-year-old professional poker player from Laurel, Maryland celebrated his ultimate moment of triumph at 6 am early on a Wednesday morning, following an all-night marathon playing session that nearly broke the all-time duration record.



Merson's victory took place at the Penn and Teller Theatre, upon a stage accustomed to acts of magic. But Merson was the poker player with the proverbial magic wand, turning what had started out as a dream into a world championship victory. What began last summer at the Rio Las Vegas, with 6,598 entrants, ranking as the fifth largest live poker tournament in history, concluded on Halloween morning, October 31st.



RECAP