BRISTOL, November 12 2007 – Hendon Mob hero Joe Beevers has been crowned King of the poker table by winning the Grand Final of the Great British Poker Tour in association with Gala Casinos at the Bristol Harbouside Casino on Sunday evening.
Amid a ceremony with Beefeaters and a Scottish piper, Beevers, nicknamed ‘Elegance’, picked up a cheque for £87,500 and a trip to Las Vegas, having emerged victorious from an entry field of 100 and a final table which included five pro players and local challengers.
Beevers said: “The GBPT is a fantastic series of events and having played in four of the regional tournaments, I’m delighted to have won the big one.
“I’ve been playing poker since way before it became popular and the GBPT is a chance to go back to the good old days. It’s the kind of tournament we enjoyed 15 years ago – with normal people playing in a normal casino with great organization and great staff. Everything was first class.
“The final table was like playing against friends because I knew five of them and now I’m looking forward to going to the Bellagio in Las Vegas and then coming back to defend my title next year.”
Local Bristol amateur Rob Akery finished runner-up, walking away with a cheque for £53,250 and a trip to Melbourne to play in the Aussie Millions. Rob said: “The GBPT is the first tournament I’ve entered and it’s a lot different to the online poker that I’m used to. There was definitely a tense atmosphere towards the end and I learnt a lot about how much patience really does pay off.
“My girlfriend Christina was with me, giving me her support, throughout the tournament and I will get her something nice with the winnings. I can’t wait to go to Australia now – it’ll be my first time there and I’m very excited. I’m happy to have ensured Bristol was represented and I’ll definitely be entering next year to try and go one step further and win it.”
Among the familiar faces at the event were 2006 WSOP Main Event winner Jamie Gold; EPT/ WPT winner Roland de Wolfe, as well as and GBPT Leaderboard winner John Bousfield.
Hollywood star Jennifer Tilly, who at one stage looked all set to reach the final day, and ‘The Magician’ Antonio Esfandiari were knocked out consecutively by Barny Boatman, also of the Hendon Mob, who ended up finishing third overall and took away £36,500 as well as an EPT 2008 package.
The GBPT included five regional festivals taking in Edinburgh, Teesside, Nottingham, Bournemouth and Leeds, with the finalists qualifying for the Grand Final main event. Eddie Gaines (Edinburgh), Colin Pearson (Teesside), Lee Richardson (Leeds) and Steven Holden (Nottingham) were knocked out during their respective 'day ones' while Pete Singleton (Bournemouth), did enough to come back on Day 3 but too short-stacked, and falling early on.
Results:
Main Event Prize fund totalled £250K. The money finish was recorded as:
1st = Joe Beevers £87,500 and Bellagio Five Diamond Package
2nd = Rob Akery £53,250 and Aussie Millions Package
3rd = Barny Boatman £36,500 and EPT Package
4th = Charalambos Xanthos £22, 250 and GBPT 2008 Main Event Package
5th = Roland De Wolfe = £16,000 and GBPT 2008 Main Event Package
6th = Manuel Palanca £11,000
7th = Matt Tylar £9,250
8th = Neil Channing £8,000
9th = Mark Stuart £6,250
- ENDS -
For more information or images please contact: David Alexander on 020 7853 2242
david.alexander(at)porternovelli.co.uk
Gala Casinos British Poker Tour is brought to you in association with Gala Casinos, and in partnership with Galapoker.co.uk, Coralpoker.com and Eurobetpoker.com The GCBPT offers a full range of qualifying options both online and offline. Copyright © 2008 Gala Coral Group Ltd. Gala is the registered trade mark of Gala Group Investments Ltd. All rights reserved.
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