Grosvenor’s Goliath tournament goes from strength to strength with 3,394 entries in a record-breaking week in Coventry
Grosvenor’s Goliath tournament is a unique beast. There aren’t many live tournaments that let you win a return of over 500 times your initial investment but that’s what Ryan Foster can boast after toppling the 2014 Goliath. It’s a big step up from his only other previous cash, £635 at a GUKPT side event back in 2011. Foster triumphed over a field of 3,394, making the 2014 Goliath the biggest live tournament in Europe. It’s a huge increase from last year, when 2,568 runners contested it and nearly double the 1,765 that took part in 2011.
The action was spread across six Day 1s and was complemented by a host of side events, including the latest leg of the PokerPlayer Tour on the Sunday. And action was fast and furious, with the 3,394 runners whittled down to just 507 for Day 2 and 26 for the start of the final day.
Kate Barnbrook was the longest lasting female player finishing in 24th place, but all eyes were on Rob Trueman as he aimed to complete an incredible feat – making back to back final tables after finishing seventh in the 2013 Goliath. Unfortunately he was railed in 12th, and was cruelly denied another tilt at the big money up top.
When the play reached the final nine, everyone agreed to lengthen the blind levels to increase the play with the huge sums at stake. And it was Foster who seized the early initiative, eliminating Adam Nice in seventh and Mihaly Jancso in sixth before finding a pair of Kings against the A-Q of Rodrigo Hernandez to complete his hatrick of eliminations and give him the chip lead with a stack of 30m! After he knocked out Neville Price in third, Foster found himself heads-up against Mark Adams with a huge lead. Adams clawed his way back into it but after an hour’s play a short-stacked Adams shoved with 6-7ss and couldn’t beat the Q-7 of Foster.
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