The weekend saw the exciting finish at The Grosvenor Victoria Casino
in London of the European Poker Tour UK leg, with the final 12 survivors
of a starting field of 400 top players coming together on Sunday afternoon.
With a GBP 500 000 grand prize at stake for the winner, the competitive
tension was palpable as play commenced, with the final table players
in the following chip count situation:
Chad Brown – 611,000
Peter Hedlund – 523,000
Emad Tahtouh – 504,000
Mike Muldoon – 422,000
Ashley Hayles – 324,000
Jan Slavik – 296,000
Michel Abessis – 277,500
Vicky Coren – 222,500
Jonas Molander – 222,000
Sid Harris – 213,000
Jules Kusik – 196,000
Oscar Schweinebank – 173,000
It took less than 10 minutes for the first casualty to go out, but
then play settled down to a steadier pace before the next player to
be eliminated, Parisian Michael Abecassis was taken out by Vicky Coren.
The ninth place casualty came some time later when Emad Tahtouh made
a raise on the button sufficient to put either of the blinds all in,
Oscar Schweinebank thought for a long time, but finally called, and
showed 5 5. It was looking like Oscar would double up until a queen
hit the river, and Oscar was out in 9th place.
Going into full TV coverage, Brown and Tahtouh had the lead in chips
at 759 000 and 680 000 respectively, and the action became more intense,
resulting in another elimination within the first few hands when Coren
saw off Sid Harris in position number 8.
The first serious elimination payout had now been reached; whoever
went out at position 7 would take home GBP36 600, with the prize pool
escalating steeply from here to the GBP 500 000 winner's take-home.
Swede Peter Hedlund was the victim, taken down by some bold play from
Chad Brown. Another Swede, Jules Kuusik was next out, falling to Michael
Muldoon and picking up a GBP 44 000 pay cheque on the way out.
Nearly an hour passed before the next elimination, and then it was
chip leader Brown himself. First, he lost a coin flip against Jan
Slavik, when Jan Slavik flopped a set of sixes. That left Brown short
stacked, and he moved all his chips in shortly thereafter, only to
find Slavik waiting for him again. Chad moved in with the Q 8 of spades,
and Jan woke up with a pair of nines. Jan called, and Chad was out
the door, accompanied by poker-playing girlfriend Vanessa Rousso and
a 5th placing cheque for GBP 58 600.
Following a short dinner break the final four faced off, with Tahtouh
the chip leader at 1.82 million, followed by Slavik (1.24 million)
Muldoon (570 000) and Vicky Coren (370 000) Coren was quick to put
the moves on Muldoon, who went down in 4th place, but with a GBP 110
000 consolation payday.
The final three exhibited very different personalities, with Tahtouh
and Coren constantly chatting and bantering, whilst Slavik maintained
a stern concentration and said very little. TV host and poker writer
Coren showed sharp wit and humor but at one stage even she had to
focus tightly against the phlegmatic Slavik. The hand of the tournament
was played out between the two shortly after the final three restarted
play.
Slavik opened with a raise, and Coren made it 250 000 from the small
blind. Jan called the re-raise, and the flop was 10 10 9. Coren moved
all in, leaving Slavik with an agonizingly long decision-making pause
which was only broken by the official clock. He eventually called
with only seconds to go, presenting 3 3. Coren said 'good call' and
sheepishly turned over A J. But this is poker, and the Jack on the
turn made her the best hand, and when a harmless river fell, the TV
hostess had captured about 2 million chips, and Jan Slavik was gone
in 3rd place with GBP168 600.
It looked like a heads up confrontation made in TV heaven, with Tartouh
and Coren both dynamic and entertaining finalists with good and more
or less equal stacks. However, it was not to be and the culmination
of this EPT event came after only two more hands when Coren defeated
Tahtouh to take the grand prize.
Emad Tahtouh had put up a very creditably fight, and deserved every
penny of his GBP 285 900 second prize.