The first episode of the Bellagio Cup III was a trash-talking, chip-slinging bar fight that only served to remove the two amateurs from the field. Part 2 pits four top pros against each other in a battle for the championship.

Kevin Saul, Mike Matusow, Shane Schleger, and Danny Wong face off in a four-handed battle among some of the most aggressive players on the poker circuit. Big mouths and big moves can get a player just so far.

Only time will tell who has the talent to come out on top.

The first half of the Bellagio Cup III looked more like a barroom brawl than a poker game. Young phenom Kevin Saul came into the final table with the chip lead and decided to fight everyone at the final table simultaneously. The result was a bloody, chip-scattering melee that saw Saul fall all the way to sixth place before clawing his way all the way back to the top. The first half of the fight left Konstantin Puchkov and Eric Panayiotou on the rail. Puchkov finished in sixth place for $103,280 after being out-kicked in a battle of top pairs with Mike Matusow. Panayiotou exited in fifth when his desperation push with JsTs couldn’t outrun Saul’s AsKc.

The remaining players were all battle-tested and ready to fight on. With loads of experience behind every stack, it was impossible to say who could stand up the longest in the fight. All anyone knew was how the chips stacks looked going into Part 2 of Bellagio Cup III.

Seat 1: Kevin Saul 4,513,000

Seat 4: Mike Matusow 3,282,000

Seat 5: Danny Wong 954,000

Seat 6: Shane Schleger 1,957,000

As final table play resumed, it seemed at least for the moment that the wild roundhouse play had taken a breather. Saul was quiet, Matusow sat with pursed lips, and the crowd sat tense along the rail. It was almost as if everyone knew something ugly was about to happen and each person wanted to stay quiet lest the poker fates take note of their presence.

That quiet moment—like the few seconds between lighting and thunder—came to a clear end when Saul raised the 40,000 blind to 125,000. Matusow passed in the small blind, but Danny Wong did not. Instead, he called the 85,000 more with 8d9s. Just a year before, Wong took second place in the same tournament. It was evident, he didn’t intend to finish this event with a whimper. The dealer gave him exactly what he needed. The flop came down 8s8cKh. Wong quickly rapped the table and watched Saul put out a 200,000 bet. Wong slow-played no more and raised it to 500,000. Saul quickly announced he was all in. The only thing quicker was Wong’s call. The turn was an innocuous 3h. Wong, however, showed no joy. He started at the board like his life depended on the river. Affirmation came in the form of the 8h—unnecessary, but beautiful quads. Wong doubled up to more than 2.5 million.

With the blinds still at 20,000/40,000, the players sat nearly even at around the 2.5 million mark. Matusow, who just a little while before had been the loudest person at the table, found himself exceptionally card dead and unable to put a hand together. Even after he flopped the nuts against a Saul raise, The Mouth still looked in pain. Only after raising from the button and flopping top pair against Wong and Shane Schleger did Matusow finally start talking again.

“I ain’t no punching bag around here. I might be an idiot, but I don’t get punched around,” he said. “You might have thought your punches hurt, but they don’t hurt.”

Just as soon as his mood improved, however, Matusow’s luck turned ugly again. After raising with KcJc and getting a call from Saul’s KdTh, Matusow let Saul see a free card on a 3dQd5h flop. Saul paired his ten on the turn and bet it. With an open-ended straight draw, Matusow made the call. The river, Ks, was nearly impossible to get away from. Saul value-bet his hand and Matusow couldn’t find a fold. Even after winning a small pot with pocket aces, Matsuow was still thinking about his river call against Saul.

“I played that hand so bad,” he muttered to no one in particular.

It had been too long since Saul had played a hand, so when he looked down at AcJh, there was no question what he’d do. More surprising, perhaps, was Schleger’s massive re-raise from the big blind. With the blinds at 30,000/60,000, Schleger re-raised for 1.5 million more. It had not been too long since Schleger made the same move with big slick. That time, Saul had called with AQ and doubled Schleger up. Whether Saul had forgotten or just didn’t believe Schleger this time was irrelevant. He made the call.

“Ace-rag,” Schleger said and turned over Ah6s.

Both players flopped their kicker, leaving Saul ahead. The turn and river blanked and Shane Schleger headed to the rail in fourth place, earning $232,490. Once again, Saul rose up from the bar room floor and stood as chip leader. It gave him the freedom to get inside Matusow’s head. Over just a few hands, Saul took nearly a million chips from Matusow without a showdown.

Once again, play quieted down just a bit. Saul and Wong were both playing deep stacks and taking jabs rather than roundhouses. Matusow sat idly by knowing that if either one of his opponents was eliminated, he would move up $300,000 in prize money. Eventually, one hand had to run into another.

It came when Wong limped in from the button with 7s6h. Saul made the call from the small blind with Jd3d and Matusow checked his option with Qd8h. The flop, 6d7d3s, guaranteed action. Saul held bottom pair and flush draw and bet out 100,000. Matusow folded, but Wong, with bottom two pair, decided to make Saul pay. He raised 250,000 more. Saul made the call. Disaster struck for Wong on the turn. The Js drew another 100,000 bet from Saul. The tiny bet into the 900,000 pot looked odd, like Saul was making a blocking bet. Wong made it 700,000 to play. Saul considered his options. He had top and bottom pair with a flush draw. It seemed impossible for him to not get his chips in the middle. And that’s what he did.

“I’m all-in,” he said.

Wong immediately jumped to his feet, as Matusow walked to the rail.

“I hope it gets called,” Matusow giggled to a friend.

“I call,” Wong said.

The stress of the situation blinded Wong for a moment. When he saw Saul’s hand, he didn’t see the two pair. He only saw the jack and flush possibility.

“I got him,” Wong said to his friends, “but he’s got a diamond draw.”

Matusow pointed to the table. “What are you talking about?”

Wong’s face dropped and every ounce of air left his lungs. “Oh, sh…” He didn’t finish his sentence. He just stood there, deflated and sick.

“That’s three hundred grand for me,” Matusow said.

Though the river blanked, it wasn’t over yet. Although Saul had moved up over eight million chips, Wong was still alive in third place with one million. Matusow was only barely ahead with 1.3 million. That would soon change.

Matusow came in for a raise from the button with KcJs. Wong peeked down at Ad3d and announced he was all-in. After a brief moment of thought and a slight wince, Matusow quietly said, “I call.” Wong showed his hand and Matusow walked toward the rail. “I put him on ace-rag. I had to call. Don’t worry. He’s drawing dead on the flop.”

It was misplaced confidence, but only barely. Matusow had to wait until the turn before seeing a jack. The river blanked and Wong was out in third place earning $361,480.”

“You were the best player at this final table,” Saul told him quietly. It was little comfort to Wong. He was out and there was nothing he could do about it. Even a hug from Matusow could do nothing to soothe the pain.

Matusow then became unleashed. He looked across the table at Saul’s chips and shouted, “What’s up, cuz? I told you, you were going to need every one of them, remember that? And you’re glad you have them! Because you’re gonna need them all, brother!”

When heads up play began, Saul had more than a 3-1 chip lead.

“Kevin, Kevin, Kevin,” Matusow mused. “How did I know it was going to be me and you heads up?”

“I didn’t know who I was going to be heads up with, Mike,” Saul said. “But I knew I was going to be heads up with someone.”

Though the talk was big, the heads up battle would not be. After a few jabs back and forth, the final hand was a monster that saw the two fighters crash into each other at full speed. Saul came in for a raise with QsQh and Matusow called with 7c8c. The flop was the kind that made sure all the chips got in the middle. The Th5c6c gave Matusow the open-ended straight flush draw, good enough for an all-in check-raise. Saul called in a quarter-second. Matusow was behind in the cards, but statistically ahead.

“It’s over on the turn,” he yelled. “I don’t have to sweat.”

“He can’t win,” Saul quipped. “He’s the unluckiest guy in poker.”

The 3d fell on the turn. Matusow’s brief statistical advantage was gone. When the Kd fell on the river, Matusow’s shot at the title vanished. Saul fell into his mother’s arms, a 27-year old WPT champion.

Matusow picked up $671,320 for his second place finish. Saul’s victory earned him $1,342,320.

Kevin Saul seemed destined to win the Bellagio Cup III. He led every day of the tournament, went into the final table as chip-leader, and emerged with the championship.

“This is my first live win. This is vindication for me,” he said. “This is proof I belong in the live arena.”