Paul Vas Nunes wins at GUKPT Reading, beating UK poker legend Willie Tann into second place
The GUKPT visited Reading for only the second time in its eight year history this past week and after a disappointing turnout last year, the 2014 main event was a huge success. 268 players ponied up the £500+£50 buy-in which equated to a staggering 90% increase from 2013.
When the dust settled it was young English pro Paul Vas Nunes who walked away with the coveted trophy and the lion’s share of the £134,000 prize pool, as he defeated UK poker legend Willie Tann after a commanding final table performance. This win, his third live title, takes Vas Nunes’ lifetime tournament winnings over the $1m mark. He is also a prolific online player, with tournament cashes of almost $2m over his short career to date. The rich vein of form he’s enjoying at the moment is also a timely one – the 24 year old plans to get married next year.
The final table was made up of a great mix of players which included an ex-professional footballer a WSOP bracelet winner, an ex-poker dealer and a vet. It also saw a birthday present bring a tidy return for Rob Whatsize, who was bought into the GUKPT Reading by his wife. Whatsize finished seventh for £4,050 – which he can use to buy an even bigger birthday present for himself.
But it was Vas Nunes who took control of the final table after eliminating Richard Turner in sixth place with a rivered flush against a flopped set. With four players remaining he had almost double the stack of his next placed opponent and the remaining players agreed to a deal. They’ll be thankful they did as Vas Nunes went on to eliminate all of them, with WSOP bracelet winner and PokerPlayer favourite Willie Tann being his final victim. On a board reading 8♦–2♣-T♠-K♣ Tann decided to make his move with A-T but ran into the K-6 of Vas Nunes to finish just short of another major title.
[table id=123 /]
Goliath and PokerPlayer Tour
This weekend sees the start of Grosvenor’s epic Goliath tournament, with a £250k guarantee and six Day 1s. The buy-in is a modest £100+£20 which you can parlay up to a significant sum of money. Last year’s Goliath winner Jake Skidmore took home a meaty £26,690 for his troubles and there are plenty of side events to indulge in if you’re unlucky enough to hit the rail. You can find full details of the Goliath festival here.
The good news for the PokerPlayer Tour faithful is that the final day of the Goliath will also feature the Coventry leg of the PokerPlayer Tour. To find out more just click here.
