English Amateur Poker Champion crowned in Newcastle

The first event of APAT’s Season 10, in partnership with Grosvenor Casinos, kicked off at Grosvenor Casino, Newcastle on Saturday 28 May with players fighting it out for not only the title and National Championship Gold Medal, but also the added value of an ‘APAT 10th Anniversary Las Vegas 2017 Package’, which has been added to every Main Event on the Season 10 APAT Tour leading up to the APAT 10th Anniversary celebrations in Las Vegas in June 2017:

28-29 May 2016 English Amateur Poker Championship, Grosvenor Newcastle
9-10 Jul 2016 European Amateur Poker Championship, Grosvenor Luton
12-15 Aug 2016 Belgian Amateur Poker Championship, Spa Belgium
16-18 Sep 2016 Welsh Amateur Poker Championship, Grosvenor Cardiff
30-31 Oct 2016 Irish Amateur Poker Championship, Regency Hotel Dublin
10-13 Nov 2016 Benelux Amateur Poker Championship, Namur Belgium
26-27 Nov 2016 UK Amateur Poker Championship, Grosvenor Portsmouth
4-5 Feb 2017 Scottish Amateur Poker Championship, Grosvenor Edinburgh
11-12 Mar 2017 UK Team Poker Championship, Grosvenor Blackpool
8-17 Apr 2017 World Championship Of Amateur Poker (WCOAP), Grosvenor BNR Manchester
Jun 2017 North American Poker Championship, Las Vegas

Play ended on Day 1 with 27 players returning on Sunday, with the pack being led by Troy Rutherford with a sizeable stack of 111k, Craig Dawson 76k and Joe O’Donnell and Ali Ahmed both with 70k. By the first break after 3 hours play Ali Ahmed was starting to pull away, having amassed a stack of 250k and with his nearest being Craig Dawson with 113k and the remainder trailing in his wake.

At the Final Table 9 bubble, it was level 14 with blinds at 1500/3000 and an Ante of 400 with an average stack of 112k, but Ali Ahmed had moved further ahead:

Ali Ahmed 352k
Craig Simpson 225k
James Lowrey 125k
Iain Ayre 120k
Troy Rutherford 75k
John Murray 70k
David Amos 55k
Craig Dawson 45k
Alan Kirton 25k

And it was Craig Dawson who missed out on a Final Table finish when all his chips went in pre-flop holding Ac Ks against the chip leader Ali Ahmed with Jh Jc which stayed ahead.

Ali again goes on a winning streak, eliminated David Amos, and taking a huge pile of Iain Ayre before knocking out Craig Simpson and increasing his stack to circa 800k when 5-handed – Ali holding 66% of chips in play. And it continues… Ali takes all of John Murray’s chips when Ali raises all in blind from the Small Blind position, and John makes the call being short stacked in the Big Blind and holding Jd 6d… only to see Ali flip Ad 5s and he stays ahead, just before the departure of Ian Ayre on the ‘National Championship Medals’ bubble in 4th spot.

The end was inevitable when Ali takes out Troy Rutherford in Bronze Medal position, leaving him Heads Up with James Lowrey – with Ali having 90% of chips in play. Although it was a valiant effort by James, who at one point got back to having 33% of chips in play, James couldn’t resist shoving his stack of 373k over a 60k bet from Ali pre-flop – and Ali made the call. James with As 5d didn’t improve past Ali’s 5s 5c and James took home the Silver Medal, with Ali Ahmed being crowned English Amateur Poker Champion, winning the National Championship Gold Medal, £1,805 in prize money and the added value prize of a trip to Las Vegas with APAT in June 2017.

1st – Ali Ahmed: English Amateur Poker Champion, National Championship Gold Medal, £1,805 and APAT Las Vegas 2017 Package
2nd – James Lowrey: National Championship Silver Medal & £1,180
3rd – Troy Rutherford: National Championship Bronze Medal & £780
4th – Iain Ayre: £550
5th – John Murray: £400
6th – Craig Simpson: £310
7th – Sidney Button: £230
8th – David Amos: £200
9th – Alan Kirton: £170

To conclude the first event of APAT’s Season 10, Day 2 of the Championship also hosted an ‘APAT 10th Anniversary Las Vegas 2017’ live final, featuring a 10k stack on a 40/30/20 min slow structured clock which was won by Paul Herbertson beating Matthew Ward Heads Up, with Stuart Ward in 3rd spot – more players will join them from the added value and live Vegas finals being played throughout APAT’s Season 10.