GCBPT Grand Final result

GCBPT Grand Final, Gala Casino Bristol, £1,500 No-limit Hold’em, 5th – 8th December 2008

1. Alan Vinson, £83,000
2. Rob Akery, £52,000
3. Richard Haile, £34,000
4. Sze Ching Nui, £20,000
5. Dave Colclough, £14,000
6. Dave Maudlin, £9,300
7. Michael Punn, £7,300
8. Michael Fletcher, £6,400
9. Hieu Tran, £5,300

Entrants: 177
Buy-in: £1500+£100
Prizepool: £265,000

A poker veteran from London, Alan Vinson, has fended off stiff competition from professional and celebrity poker players alike to be crowned Gala Great British Poker Champion 2008, scooping a jackpot of £83,000 and a seat in next year’s World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas.

It seems patience and perseverance have paid off for Alan, 59, who has been trying his hand at poker for the past 50 years, but until now has never struck this lucky, succeeding at the Grand Final of a major tournament.

Alan said: “I’m completely relieved to have finally won! I’ve been in a few finals before but never really finished it off. This more than makes up for all past disappointments. This time everything went well for me – people folded as I bluffed, and called when I had big hands. I played my best game and the cards just fell for me. It couldn’t have gone better.”

The Grand Final of the nationwide ‘People’s Poker Tour’ saw 177 players from across Europe battling it out over four days for the chance to take the prestigious Great British Poker Champion title and claim their share of the huge £265,500 prize pool.

The Gala Casinos British Poker Tour has been a hugely successful, sell-out tour, with waiting lists and packed cardrooms from Edinburgh to Teesside via Nottingham, Bristol and Liverpool. More than 3,100 players have battled it out to win in excess of £1.1m over the course of the year.

Mark O’Donnell, head of poker at Gala Coral said: “The tour, now in its second year, has been fantastic and Alan is a great player and worthy champion. We’ve really tried to bring poker back to its roots this year by running an open, professional and accessible-to-all tour, with a relatively low buy-in, bags of value, a great atmosphere, and plenty of opportunities to enter. This has led to a really mixed field for each festival, with local homegame heroes rubbing shoulders with seasoned pros like Joe Beevers, Dave Colclough and Vicky Coren.”

“This week’s Grand Final has been particularly dynamic, with true poker celebrities including Vicky Coren and Michael Greco alongside internet qualifiers and complete amateurs. It’s led to a fascinating tournament and is a real testament to Alan’s poker-playing-skills that he has been able to come through a very tough field and take the title.”

Second place went to last year’s runner up and Bristol local Rob Akery, coming soon after his success at this year’s Aussie Millions.