SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The recent GUKPT event in Reading last week has proved a huge success for owner Grosvenor Casinos. 268 players entered the £500+50 main event – a huge 90% increase on the same event last year.
When the dust settled it was young English pro Paul Vas Nunes who walked away with the coveted trophy and the lion’s share of the £134,000 prize pool, as he defeated UK poker legend Willie Tann after a commanding final table performance.
This win, his third live title, takes Vas Nunes’ lifetime tournament winnings over the $1m mark. He is also a prolific online player, with tournament cashes of almost $2m over his short career to date. The rich vein of form that he has enjoyed thus far in 2014 could not have come at a better time, as the 24 year old from Newbury plans to get married next year.
The final table was made up of a great mix of players which included an ex professional footballer, a WSOP bracelet winner, an ex poker dealer and a veterinary surgeon. 41 year old Rob Whatsize was bought into this event as a birthday present from his wife. It was his first return to a big tournament since the birth of his daughter six years ago. The £4,050 winnings for his 7th place finish are a tidy return for the family.
Van Nunes took control of the final table after eliminating Richard Turner in 6th place with a rivered flush against a flopped set. With 4 player remaining he had almost double the stack of his next placed opponent. It was then that the final 4 decided to make a deal, guaranteeing each player a certain amount but leaving plenty to play for. Van Nunes went on to eliminate each of the remaining players himself, with WSOP Bracelet winner and long time supporter of Grosvenor Casino events Willie Tann being his final victim. On a board reading 8d 2c Ts Kc Tann made his move with Ace Ten but ran into the King Six of Van Nunes to finish just short of another major title.
