Coral BMPT Result

Coral’s first British Masters Poker Tour ended on May 17th with James O’Connell of Motherwell being crowned the 2009 champion in Edinburgh.

The 52 year old electrical inspector fought hard to take the title, seeing off challenges from Eddie Lundon and Barry Burns who finished in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. O’Connell scooped a prize of £8,800 for his troubles – a lovely return from his original $ 5 online satellite entry.

Beating 104 players along the way, O’Connell now has a seat at the play off for the much coveted Coral.co.uk sponsorship deal in 2010.

Delighted with his first major tournament win, James told us: “This is fantastic. I have come close in the past but to win one of these events is tremendous – they are so well run. The money is great but the title is something else. I’m looking forward to taking the trophy home to my wife.”

Speaking on behalf of Coral.co.uk, head of Poker, Mark O’Donnell saw the tournament as a great success: “It was great to kick-off the tour in Edinburgh. There were plenty of familiar faces, and the atmosphere great. I’m pleased for James as he’s a well known face and a very good player. He’s cashed in plenty of events but this was his first title and he’s thrilled.”

With a total prize fund of £79,200 up for grabs over the weekend’s three events, many will be looking forward to the next leg of the tour which takes place in Leeds on 19th-21st June. Highlighting the growing popularity of the tour, O’Donnell added, “It seems that the Coral.co.uk sponsorship is something the players really want to win, but it’s not going to be easy for anyone, the standard is excellent.”

Tour promoter Alistair Findlay of Aworldofpoker.com said: “Edinburgh was a great event and lived up to our expectations. The excellent turn-out has shown that the appetite for professional poker tournaments in the UK remains strong at this level. We will be looking to build on that for the next event in Leeds in June.”

Online qualification for Leeds is now available and up for grabs. To get yourself in on the action simply visit www.coral.co.uk, www.galapoker.co.uk or www.eurobet.com.