BlackBelt Win UK Team Poker Championship
The Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT) stage-managed their most recent event – the Coral-sponsored UK Team Championship, at the Genting Club, Stoke with 30 teams of 8 members each from around the UK combining into the 240-player 2-day deepstack MTT. With a £12,000 prize pool paid out on a 50/50 basis to the top 20 individuals and top 3 teams, all eyes were on those team members who made it through to the top 100 positions, which secured points towards their team score.
It was an emotional start to the event as a ‘round of applause’ was enthusiastically given by all in attendance in memory of the APAT Champion’s Team Captain, Vaino Tiik, who recently passed away, which also certainly engendered ‘team pride’ in everyone’s mind.
As players exited and the pressure grew, especially on teams like Gambling Network Forum who were returning to defend their title and try to win the event for the third year in a row, but with the departure of too many players outside the top scoring point positions, it was realised that it would be a new team crowned as Champions for 2014 – although GNF had players still in the event.
Deep into Day 2 there remained three teams in contention for 3rd place and Bronze medal, with only two teams – The Hendon Mob and Blackbelt Poker – who could be crowned Champions. With Frome Poker Group securing Bronze, and with The Hendon Mob losing their final two players in positions 18th and 12th, this left Blackbelt Poker with three players who made it through to the final table who secured the UK Team Championship 2014 glory for Blackbelt Poker.
UK Team Championship 2014 – Team Results
Pos Team Prize
1st Blackbelt Poker Gold + £3,000
2nd The Hendon Mob Silver + £1,800
3rd Frome Poker Group Bronze + £1,200
Even with team positions secured, there was all to play for with the individual results having a £6,000 prize fund alongside the coveted APAT Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. Departing in Bronze medal position was Glen Hopley from Live Pub Poker League, thus leaving Nick Mazur (Blackbelt Poker) and Rob Hallworth (Gambling Network Forum) to fight it out – and it was Gold again for GNF, although this year for the third year running, it was to be ‘individual’ as opposed to ‘team’ that brought them the coveted Gold medal.
UK Team Championship 2014 – Individual Results
Pos Player Team Prize
1st Rob Hallworth Gambling Nework Forum Gold +£1,950
2nd Nick Mazur Blackbelt Poker Silver + £1,080
3rd Glenn Hopley Live Pub Poker League Bronze + £660
4th Paul Lamonby Blackbelt Poker £480
5th Dan Crabbe Frome Poker Group £390
6th Simon Brooke London Poker Meetup £234
7th Dawn Cooke Blackbelt Poker £180
8th Lynford Hall I Love Playing Poker £150
9th Trevor Roberts Hetton Social Poker £120
10th Derek Kavanagh A World Of Poker £84
11th Damon Delaney UK Deaf Poker £84
12th Tony Moores The Hendon Mob £84
13th Iain Ayre Hetton Social Poker £84
14th Phil Colls FISO £60
15th Sonia Lee Duke Street Poker £60
16th Ben Walton Edgeworth Cricket Club £60
17th Mark Morris Frome Poker Group £60
18th Alan MacDonald The Hendon Mob £60
19th Omar Khan Elite Amateur Poker £60
20th Jack Prime APAT Forum Team £60
