UK APAT

It was with feverish anticipation that amateur players from across the country gathered in Aspers Casino, Newcastle, for the UK Amateur Poker Championship on December 2-3. While the first tournament in September was decided by a ballot and limited to 120 seats, the latest event had room for 210 players, all of whom snapped up the seats within 29 minutes of them going on sale.

Like last time, the £75 buy-in gives players the best value tournament around, with chip stacks of 10,000, 40-minute blind levels and a juiced pot, courtesy of tour sponsor PokerStars, which would see the winner get £3,750 and a $12,000 package to the 2007 WSOP Main Event. What’s more, three PokerPlayers (Rick Dacey, Mark Stuart, Dave Woods) made the trip north, too, to see what the fuss is about. Let battle commence…

Early runners

The immortal words of ‘shuffle up and deal’ were still ringing in the air when Phill Rogerson fell on one of the very first hands when his A-K ran into Aces. A lesson learned.

But Phill was the exception, with only a handful of fallers to speak of before the first break. However, once the blinds hit 200/400 shortly after Level 4, the field began to thin, with PokerPlayers Mark Stuart and Dave Woods taking early baths along with a glut of players who failed to make the dinner break.

Those making the early running, though, included Gordon MacArthur, Mark Daysh, Matthew Milne (third in the first APAT event) and David Groom. And our very own Rick ‘The Rage’ Dacey was still hanging in…

Then the massacre began. Players dropped like flies as the escalating blinds forced the action and when play finished at 1am the field had been cut to just 24. Overnight leaders were Ray Norton, Kevin Shutt and Adam Spratt with 217,000, 193,000 and 176,000 chips respectively. There was also a strong female presence with five ladies still in the running.

Go for broke

With blinds of 5000/10,000 and an average stack of 87,000 it was time to get busy or bust out as play got underway on day two. After David Hill exited in 24th, it was PokerPlayer’s serial bubble boy Rick Dacey who was unlucky to finish 23rd (see Bubble boy, right).

Shortly after two incredible hands came up, which had a major bearing on the rest of the tournament. First was a pre-flop all-in tussle, which saw Steve Lacey quadruple through when his pocket Jacks made a set on the flop to beat A-K, 9-9 and Q-Q. Then Caroline Burgess went from ecstasy to agony after her Deuces first busted Leon Rossiter’s Aces, only to see the same player suck out on her shortly after when she held 8-8 against K-J on a flop of K-K-8. She looked to be in an unassailable lead until the turn and river produced running Sevens to give Rossiter a bigger full house.

Final table

The final table began with over two million chips in play and no critically short stacks. As a result, it took a while for the first faller, but it was Vicky Glynn – the last remaining woman – who was first to go. Crippled by Jacks when she made an all-in push with A-K on a flop of rags, she never recovered and bust out in 10th.

Next to go was Ben Passantino, who had been second in chips going into the final table but, after several passes to all-in pushes, found himself short-stacked and was knocked out by Steve Lacey. Then David Groom took eighth when he pushed with A-7 but found Adam Spratt in the big blind holding Queens. Down to just 5500 he moved all-in with A-J the very next hand and lost to Rossiter’s A-K.

But then Rossiter’s luck turned sour when Lacey called an all-in from Rossiter on a flop of 10-7-3. Rossiter revealed 10-8 for top pair, and was more than happy to see Lacey’s 8-9 for nothing more than an open-ended straight draw. But the poker gods smiled on Lacey when a Six dropped on the river to knock out Rossiter and install Lacey as chip leader.

Steve Talbot, playing in his first live tournament was next to go in sixth at the hands of Tom Hunter, leaving just five.

After a cagey session of play Ray Norton was then unlucky to go out fifth when his A-Q lost to Lacey’s A-10 after two Tens came down, and Adam Spratt came fourth after a rash all-in with A-7 was called by Max Ward with A-J. With less than one big blind left Ward finished Spratt off two hands later with trip Sixes.

The final three stole blinds for a while until Tom Hunter made a move with Q-4. Lacey, who was the big chip leader, called with K-J and neither hand improved.

The heads-up battle began with Lacey holding a 2/1 chip advantage, but through a see-saw session which saw Max Ward bluff his way into a lead only to see it disappear with 9-9 against 10-10, eventually doubled up to chip parity when his Queens held up against Lacey’s K-Q.

Shortly after, with nerves frayed, a bet, raise and all-in push saw Ward’s A-3 look in sick shape against Lacey’s A-10, but a Three hit the flop and held up for Ward to win £3,750, the WSOP package and take the UK Amateur Poker Champion title.

Final Table:
1. Max Ward, £3,750 plus $12,000 WSOP Main Event package
2. Steve Lacey, £2,500
3. Thomas Hunter, £1,500
4. Adam Spratt, £750
5. Ray Norton, £750
6. Steve Talbot, £750
7. Leon Rossiter, £750
8. David Groom, £750
9. Ben Passantino, £750
10. Vicky Glynn, £750