Lam made his move with an ace and queen of diamonds and Yang called with pocket eights.
When a queen, five and nine came on the flop, it looked like Lam, waving a Canadian flag, would be on the verge of an unlikely comeback.
But a seven on the turn and a six on the river gave Yang a straight, sealing a win.
Lam earned $4.84 million for his second-place finish.
“I was patient and waited for the big hand, but the cards came out different,” Lam said. “I have been through a hard life. And I will be going back to Vietnam and giving back.”
The finalists ranged in age from 22 to 62, and hailed from five nations: the U.S., Canada, Russia, England and South Africa. By birthplace, players also were from Laos, Vietnam and Denmark.
Each had their section of fans in the audience, and the arena took on the air of an Olympic event as supporters broke out into national songs every time their player won a big hand.
From the time he made it into the money with a guaranteed $20,320 a week ago, Yang vowed to give 10 percent to charities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Feed the Children, and the Ronald McDonald House.
After making $8.25 million, Yang said he planned to put his children through college, allow his wife to quit working and give back to the community.
“I had a strategy last night. The only way that I could win this tournament was by being aggressive from the very beginning and that’s exactly what I did,” he said. “And thank God I was also able to pick up some good cards at the same time.”
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