Full-time bricklayer bashes up talented final table
While we are still in mourning that Fatima de Melo fell just short in Douglas yesterday, congratulations have to go to amateur player Duncan McLellan, who really deserved the title and £94,090.
The 49-year-old showed two huge bluffs late on Day 3 to create the perfect image for the final table and he used it perfectly. While many around him were tightening up for the pay jumps, the man from Corby was putting the pressure on and going for the win.
As much as he tried though, it really did take a long time to get going at Villa Marina. The lack of bust outs made for very shallow stacks and eventually players had to fall. First was Andrew Topping, whose A♣–Q♦ failed to get there against the A♠-K♠ of Richard Milne.
The wait for the next elimination was even longer and in that time the two recognised UK talents failed to get going whatsoever. And the chip leader at the start of the day – Jamie O’Connor – surprisingly went out in seventh. The poker pro found a great squeeze spot with A♥–K♦ which dominated the eventual call from McLellan’s A♦–8♦. Unfortunately for him – but fortunately for the rest of the table – the flop was eight-high, and he departed the scene.
Daniel Stacey had already run into the Aces of Fatima de Melo earlier in the piece, and he did so again to finish in sixth for £21,250. By now they were dropping like flies and Harry Lodge, the student from Exeter University was next. He shipped his A♠–J♥ into McLellan’s Q♠-T♣ and when the flop came ten-high he was out the door.
McLellan had built a huge stack by now, dwarfing his opponents. He continued to play his style, peeling 6♣-8♣ out of position to Chris Jonat and calling three streets on Q♣–T♦-J♣–5♦–9♥ to pick off the bluff from the PokerStars Team Online manager. The very next hand Jonat shipped in his micro stack with K♣-J♠ straight into McLellan’s A♦-Q♠. When the chip leader had the nut straight by the turn, you got the feeling this tournament was only going in one direction…
Jonat was one of a string of PokerStars staff that were allowed to enter the tournament and he outlasted them all to scoop £34,870.
Rene Velli, All rights reserved
Fatima de Melo had sat tight for the majority of the final table and three-handed she found pocket Queens in the big blind to Richard Milne’s shove. Milne had one overcard in the coup – a King – and it didn’t arrive, leaving us heads-up.
de Melo had most of the twitter support but unfortunately couldn’t stop the juggernaut across the table. McLellan had led with eight-high on two streets and found a willing caller in his heads-up opponent. She was correct to call down with King-high but the eventual winner rivered a pair and found a hero call to leave the Team PokerStars SportsStar short.
Shortly after she open shoved pocket fives and McLellan snap called. Deep down everyone knew the flip was going one way, and it was pretty conclusive after his A♦–T♦ flopped broadway. It was however a fantastic result for Fatima, who we spoke to on Day 3 in an exclusive interview which will go up later in the week.
UKIPT Isle of Man results:
1) Duncan McLellan – £94,090
2) Fatima Moreira De Melo – £59,660
3) Richard Milne – £43,120
4) Chris Jonat – £34,870
5) Harry Lodge – £27,600
6) Daniel Stacey – £21,250
7) Jamie O’Connor – £15,810
8) Adam Topping – £11,455
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