Joe's Million Dollar Christmas Present
Professional poker player Joe Beevers from Hendon received an early Christmas present after scooping the top prize of $1,000,000 (£496,474) at the Ladbrokes Poker Million VI grand final. Broadcast live on Sky Sports 2, the nail-biting final of Europe's richest and most prestigious live televised poker tournament saw Joe go head to head with five card sharps to be crowned the 2007 Ladbrokes Poker Million VI Champion.
After qualifying online at Ladbrokespoker.com for as little as $5 (£2.48), 77 players, including celebrities Danielle Lloyd, Matt Dawson and Brian McFadden, competed in weekly heats to win a seat at the final. With $2,150,000 (£1,067,420) up for grabs at the final table, the poker elite (including four poker millionaires) battled it out in a marathon game lasting nearly seven hours, which finished at 2.45am.
Joe, aged 40 said "It's fantastic to have gone all the way and won the Ladbrokes Poker Million VI, especially after finishing 2nd to Jimmy White in 2003. We'll have a fantastic Christmas now and I can't wait to come back online and defend my title next year."
A fixture in the poker calendar since 2000, the Poker Million is Ladbrokes' longest-running televised tournament has become the most significant and exclusive event of the year.
Samantha Alleyne, PR Manager for Ladbrokespoker.com said: "The 2007 Poker Million VI was the biggest and best yet. High profile players from around the world squared up against the cream of the UK players and online qualifiers. Qualifiers for the Poker Million VII begin in the New Year and competition is sure to be as fierce as this year."
Final Result:
1st - Joe Beevers ($1,000,000)
2nd - Marty Smyth ($500,000)
3rd - Julian Gardener ($250,000)
4th - Liam Flood ($175,000)
5th - Howard Lederer ($125,000)
6th - Ian Cox ($100,000)