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Last Saturday saw the 1st Pokerplayer magazine Championships held at the Grosvenor Casino in Bolton. The event was a £50+4 freezeout capped at 100 players with a 5000 chip starting stack and 20 min blinds.
The prizepool which at £5000 isnt to be sniffed at also had the added value of a £1050 seat at a GUKPT Event next along with a seat at a 10 man final table for a £3000 package to the GUKPT Main Event in London.
The event started around 10 mins late at 2.10pm with all 100 players seated and in good spirits and it wasnt long before we heard the familiar cry of "man down ". 1st player gone after 2 hands, he travelled from london so it was one hell of a journey for just over 5 minutes of poker!
I was stuck on the outer tables for the majority of the game and was constantly being moved which made it very hard to get a feel for the players on the table, so I had to play gut instinct poker for the 1st time in a while and i felt back to the old Morls, fearless and not bothered what happened! Out of the 10 tables in play, I had been on 8 of them by the time we made the final table.
The bubble took an age to burst, over 40 mins and with the majority not having more than 10x the big blind it seemed that it was push or fold. One hand that stands out for me is the guy who was all in blind on his BB, getting called off 4 players (excellent tactics to remove a player) anyway, all it did was quad him up haha! one player had made 2 pair, one had a set and when he turned his cards over, he showed the flush.....and I alwys thought that just happened on the internet!
Well he may have had the luck there, but a few hands later he couldn't survive any longer, he picked up 99 and was all in, with an insta-call by the bigstack who showed JJ, they held up and we had all reached the final table of 9 and the money positions.
After a short break to allow the final table to be set up we sat down and re-started the level, which was a good thing, as with 27k to my name and blinds of 3000/6000 it was time to let lady luck take over. Well she was havin non of it, I won my blinds and watched a player bust before me, only to get nothing for the next 12 hands and find myself clinging on hoping for a hand or for another player to bust. I pick up K10 off-suit UTG+1 and decide this is it. Im all in I announce, the big stack to my left thinks hard as do a few others, with sighs coming from around the table I assume im beat. The big stack calls and the rest decide to get out the way. The T.D asks for them on their backs and we turn em over, im praying for 2 live cards, but it wasnt to be. I turn over K10 and he shows A10, im dominated! The flop brings a curious QQJ giving me the up and down but with two blanks to come im gone, 8th place and £180.
The remaining players played on and when down to the final 4, they decided to deal for the money and play on for the added seat, with the winner R Sudworth walking off with the Trophy, Cash and a £1050 seat to the GUKPT, well done mate, you played a blinder!
Although the blind structure was a little crazy towards the end, the tournament has to be hailed as a complete success, with 100 players, a small buy in and good banter, i'd advise anyone thinking of playing one of the series to come along and join in the fun.
Full results
Sat, 07 Jun 2008
Poker Player Magazine 2008 Championships £50 No Limit Texas Holdem Freezeout Entries: 100 Prize Pool: £5000
1 R Sudworth (GUKPT seat +) £1700
2 S Holden £950
3 M Kay £700
4 P Knoxx-Roberts £500
5 M Coleman £350
6 S Waddington £280
7 S Coope £220
8 G Morl £180
9 A Yates £120
1 R Sudworth (GUKPT seat +) £1700
2 S Holden £950
3 M Kay £700
4 P Knoxx-Roberts £500
5 M Coleman £350
6 S Waddington £280
7 S Coope £220
8 G Morl £180
9 A Yates £120
