Great Scot!

GUKPT Blackpool main event, G Casino, Blackpool, £1,000 No-limit Hold’em, 13th – 16th November 2008

Entrants: 341

Buy-in: £1,000 + £60

Prizepool: £341,000

1. Brian Clarke, £96,500

2. Zachary Ford, £56,250

3. Andreas Hoivold, £40,900

4. Alan Vinson, £27,300

5. Darren Hickman, £21,300

6. Eddie Lundon, £16,200

7. Gareth Jones, £12,800

8. Guy Johnson, £10,250

9. Damian Evans, £7,650

The ninth leg of the 2008 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) has been won by Scotsman Brian Clarke. He defeated Zachary Ford in one of the most incredible final tables ever to take place in the UK. Clarke, a night watchman who lives in Blackpool was emotional and lost for words after he took down the £96,500 first prize in the seaside town’s G casino.

Ford had a massive lead going into the heads up stage of the tournament and it was almost all over on the very first hand, as his K-T looked too good for Brian’s 6-5. However a 5 on the river put Clarke right back in the game and from that point on, he was unstoppable in all-in situations. A few double-ups later he had assumed the lead and after one hour of heads-up play he emerged victorious. The final hand was a poker classic as Ford held A-K against Clarke’s pocket queens. Although there was a king on the flop and an ace on the turn, the inevitable queen on the river brought the proceedings to a close.

Runner up Zachary Ford was playing in his second GUKPT final of 2008, having finished third at the Manchester leg back in April. He has had a great year, winning other events such as the GCBPT Liverpool, but ultimately he was to miss out on this occasion.

Third placed Norwegian Andreas Hoivold would have become the first Scandinavian player to win a GUKPT if he had managed to convert the chip lead he took into the final. Both Hoivold and Ford held the chip lead at various stages of the final, but it was not enough to overcome the local hero.
Alan Vinson, who’s son Ben made the final in this event last year, was the 4th place finisher. Darren Hickman, who has previously won a TV tournament, was 5th and Eddie Lundon from Edinburgh was 6th. Two-time British champion Gareth ‘The Nugget’ Jones was seventh and Guy Johnson and Damian Evans completed the final table line up.

The nine-day festival at the G casino attracted some of the largest fields that have yet to be seen on the GUKPT. The £150 PL hold’em freezeout maxed out at 200 entries and another 37 players joined the game as alternates, for a final tally of 237 – the largest side event yet in the tour’s two-year history. Manchester GUKPT winner Marc Goodwin took down the £300 NL hold’em freezeout, outlasting a field of 207 players. This win took Goodwin to the top of the GUKPT rankings and with just the Grand Final festival to come, he has become the hot favourite to win the GUKPT player of the year award and the £10,000 first prize that goes with it.

Luton winner Sam Trickett also tasted success at leg 9 as he took down Saturday’s £300 NL hold’em event, outlasting a field of 133 players.

The second year of the tour is nearly over, but in less than two week’s time the £3,000 Grand Final will take place at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London, where 2007 winner Mike Ellis will attempt to defend his title. The main event takes place from 27th-30th November, while the warm up events get underway on November 20th.