Joe Beevers(credit: Wikipedia)
The Great British Poker Tour came to a dramatic conclusion on Sunday as Joe “The Elegance” Beevers was crowned the ‘king of British poker’ at the Bristol Harbourside Casino. Despite facing an invasion of sorts from American players Jennifer Tilly, Robert Williamson III and 2006 WSOP Main Event winner, Jamie Gold, the final table was an All-European affair with eight of the finalists hailing from Great Britain and one, Manuel Palanca, from Toulouse, France. As the remaining nine players sat down to play, the London-born Roland de Wolfe, the first man to ever win a WPT and EPT event, held the chip lead with over 315k.
Things got off to a slow start as the fellas, most of whom had played each other previously, felt their way around the first couple of orbits. Most of the hands were won by the first individual to make a raise. On hand 36, Beevers won a big pot off cash game specialist Charalambos 'Bambos' Xanthos. Bambos was in the big blind. Beevers bet 18k and then went all-in from the small blind after a re-raise of 46k by Bambos. Beevers, a member of the Hendon Mob, then went on to take the next pot.
About 45 minutes later, Neil Channing, another successful cash gamer, became the first one to hit the rails. Channing, who entertained the crowed and TV crew – the finale will air on ITV within the next few months – with his witty banter, was busted by Bambos after slow-playing a pair of jacks in the hole.
At this point, Bambos took control of the table and a good portion of the chips. However, de Wolfe wasn’t about to be steamrolled. He made a couple of well-timed and aggressive plays to re-assert his dominance. Bambos then lost a critical pot to Bristol boy Rob Akery in hand 74. Akery goes all-in after Bambos made a positional raise to 35k from the button. This caused de Wolfe to comment, “You got out of line, Bambos.”
On the very next hand, Akery, the only amateur at the table, doubled up through de Wolfe with aces in the hole. Matt Tyler tried to get a piece of the action by moving all in under the gun on hand 83. Unfortunately, he went to the well once too often. Bambos immediately called and flipped over pocket rockets. Tyler’s A,Q was on the ropes. The board brought 6c,7h,7c,9c,5h and Tyler bid the table adieu in eighth position.
Manuel Palanca, this time in the big blind, saw a flop on hand 91 with de Wolfe. However, after two fives hit the board, he bet 30k. de Wolfe immediately replied with an over the top re-raise all-in. Palanca folded. After the dinner break, Barny Boatman, another member of the Hendon Mob, crushed Palanca’s hopes for the title, putting the Frenchman all-in with his A,K. Boatman, who held pocket queens, made quads on the river. Ouch!
A few hands after Palanca’s elimination, the blinds got up to the break-neck level of 10k/20k with a 2,000 ante. Beevers, who played smart poker throughout the evening, picking his spots carefully and maximizing his wins while minimizing his losses, grabbed hold of the chip lead. A few hands thereafter, Roland de Wolfe called it an early night. Boatman called his all-in with a K,3 and was thrilled when de Wolfe flipped over the raggy 7,4. The board helped neither player. de Wolfe collected £16,000 and a seat in a 2008 GBPT tournament of his choosing for his efforts.
At this point, each of the final four – Bambos, Akery, Boatman & Beevers – were jockeying hard for position. Aggression was the name of the game. The action heated up and Beevers wielded his chip stack like the pro he is. He used the all-in to get his way on more than one occasion. Bambos, with a much smaller stack, used the move on hand 126 with his J,9. Unfortunately, Akery called with a pair of jacks in the hole. The board brought no help with 3,8,A,K,5 and Bambos took a bow in fourth position.
Boatman and Beevers made it clear to the amateur Akery that they wanted this finale to be a one-two Hendon Mob finish. The Mob-sters each took turns attacking Akery’s stack. However, Rob proved to be a more than worthy opponent. Despite this being his first live action tournament – he tends to play online – Akery impressed the throng gathered to watch the final table play out. On hand 145, he kicks Boatmen to the curb with top two pair. The elimination gives Akery a 2-to-1 advantage at the start of heads-up play.
Beevers wasn’t having it though. He played solid and, of course, aggressive heads-up poker to re-take the lead within ten short hands. He’d never give it back. On hand 161, ‘The Elegance’ earned a full house, fives full of tens on the river to take the top spot, the title, a payday of £87,500 and a ticket to the Main Event of the WPT’s Bellagio Five Diamond tournament from December 13 – 18, 2007.
These are the final results:
- Joe Beevers - £87,500 & Bellagio Five Diamond Package
- Rob Akery - £53,250 & Aussie Millions Package
- Barny Boatman - £36,500 & EPT Package
- Charalambos Xanthos - £22,250 & GBPT 2008 Package
- Roland De Wolfe - £16,000 & GBPT 2008 Package
- Manuel Palanca - £11,000
- Matt Tyler - £9,250
- Neil Channing - £8,000
- Mark Stuart - £6,250