For many poker fans, the mysterious world of backing, staking and swapping in poker are complete unknowns. Conversations on these topics happen frequently between some of the best — and richest — poker players around the world, but a spotlight is rarely shone on this particular area of poker’s hidden underworld.

In a recent blog post, poker player Lynne Ji (pictured) explained in more detail about how staking deals come about, how people make money through them and why, in her opinion, you probably shouldn’t back anyone. You can read the original post here

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I recently had a conversation with someone who asked me if I knew anyone who backed people for high stakes live cash ($50/$100+) right before remarking that “It seems like sooo many people lose buying action and staking, myself included lol,” which is pretty ironic, but it got me thinking:

Why do so many people lose backing and buying action?

What is Backing?

There’s a multitude of reasons why that might be the case:

Most people that reach out to me for backing claim the first reason. Instinct and experience tell me it’s usually the third or fourth.

People who win consistently rarely need backing or to sell for long, which means out of the pool of people that are looking for outside investment, it’s reasonably skewed to people who don’t.

For these reasons (and because I’ve already lost a million dollars backing and buying action), I almost never get involved with backing people.

Types of Players You Can Profitably Back

With that said, let’s talk about exceptions to the rule, and players that you could look to back profitably. I’ll be candid, I can’t think of many.

1. Winning Players on Hard Times

A player who’s consistently won for years but suddenly had large (unexpected) bills that have severely cut into their bankroll.

The problem with these players is: People simply aren’t telling the truth often enough.

I’ve seen too many horror stories where rather than their mother getting cancer, it’s a degenerate blackjack problem or a major downswing.

I understand emergencies happen, but why didn’t you have the money in the first place? Not having the money makes me think they’re not great at managing funds, in which case, I definitely don’t want them managing mine.

If they truly had an emergency, there is often continued fallout (and expenses) to be dealt with. I have a pretty strict policy of not entering into business relationships with anyone desperate and this conflicts with that. Desperate people tend to be more rash and less ethical, and stress can severely inhibit the ability to make good decisions.

What is Swapping? Why Do Poker Players Swap With Each Other?

2. New Players

A player that’s coming up in poker AND fairly new to the game. The second part of that sentence is pretty important because if they didn’t manage to move up stakes the first few times they took a shot, why should I expect anything different this time around?

“If they didn’t manage to move up stakes the first few times they took a shot, why should I expect anything different this time around?”

The problem with these players is that as much as we joke about high stakes being soft, games tend to get tougher, or at least, trickier as games get bigger, which means that there’s probably going to be a learning curve, and unless I really like you, I don’t want to be there to suffer through them with you.

3. Serial Horses

And finally, this is a player who’s always been backed, simply because that’s how they’re used to doing things. This is usually someone who’s won on every stake they’ve been on and those stakes have typically ended for one of a number of reasons:

• Because the backer has wanted to get out of backing
• The player wants to move up stakes faster than their backer
• Or because of personal issues

The third is typically rare, because two people usually need to have a pretty good relationship to start a backing agreement and because people like people that make them money.

I like backing this type of player. Especially if their previous backers can vouch for their character and poker ability. Unfortunately, these players don’t come along all that often and they tend to know their worth, which they often exhibit in the form of a demand for a more favorable profit split.

How to Back Profitably

Hopefully, you’re slightly less inclined to back people now. Buying action is a much better deal for the investor as you’re not paying the markup inherently built into staking and it’s much simpler to do on a per session basis where you’re not married to your horse.

HOWEVER, if you’re still chomping at the bit to back your friend, girlfriend, or nephew, here are a few things you could do to make the agreement more favorable for yourself.

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Poker Bankroll Management in 2022: An Introduction

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1. A Profit Buffer

As far as staking goes, usually the backer and the horse profit chop anytime the horse is in profit which means, besides the few short moments between when a win has been booked and when you next settle, the number on stake is always 0 or negative.

Makeup is inevitable, but being in a lot of makeup is no bueno for a variety of reasons. Players already tend to play worse on a downswing, and being in a lot of makeup tends to increase stress (for both parties), decrease motivation, and encourage shady behavior.

One of the ways we can decrease the likelihood of a horse being in a lot of makeup is to implement a profit buffer.

2. A Less Favorable Profit Split

I’ve seen this done in a variety of ways. The simplest is for the first $X a horse wins, they get a 30/70 profit split (30% for the horse, 70% for the backer), then for the next $Y, it 40/60, and so on.

Generally, backers insist that the horse leave the profit on stake to realize the increase in their profit split, so for example, let’s say for the first $100,000 of profit, the horse gets 30%. When the amount on stake is between $100,000-$200,000, they get 40%, and so on, that would mean that the horse can’t profit chop until they hit $100,000 if they want to “move up to the next tier” and receive 40% of the profit, but once they do, they get the additional 10% on the total amount.

A couple of other ways backers have done it is by:

• Method A: Giving horses the improved profit split without insisting the horse leave the profit on stake, because theoretically, they’ve now already made you some money and proven it more likely that they’re a winning player
• Method B: Only giving their horse the improved profit split on the additional profit. For example, if they want to chop $120,000 in the example provided above, they get 30% of the first $100,000 and 40% of anything over that amount (the next $20,000) for a total of 38k, rather than 40% of the total profit ($120,000) for $48,000.

I don’t have strong feelings about Method A where the horse doesn’t have to leave their profit on stake, because while that protects the backer quite a bit, it simply isn’t feasible for a lot of horses who need the money.

I dislike Method B because horses are far less incentivized to leave profit on stake when they only get the improved profit split on the additional profit, and I think it’s valuable to reward delayed gratification especially when it simultaneously protects your own interests. (The horse leaving money on stake functions similarly to a profit buffer.)

3. Get Them Coaching/Study Tools

Unless you’re working with player type 3 (mentioned above), you probably don’t have a winning player on your hands. And even if you do, additional coaching and an improved hourly only helps your horse’s ability to make the two of you money. For that reason, I generally encourage backers to either personally provide coaching/resources (ranges, study tools, etc.) or to prove their horses with access to them.

I like putting costs associated with coaching and studying on stake, so for instance, if the current makeup number is $2,000, and coaching costs $500, the new makeup number is $2,500, because I find it to be a win-win.

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Do You Know ALL the 14 Best Poker Training Sites in 2022?

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It doesn’t hurt the backer, because as long as your horse eventually gets out of makeup, you get 100% of the money you’ve paid back and it’s good for the horse because now you just got coaching with $ you didn’t pay for out of pocket. You’re charging it against your future earnings, which is okay, because you just gave the future you the gift of a higher win rate!

888poker is the online poker site to head to if you are a fan of bounty tournaments because from November 6 through November 22, 888poker is running the KO Games. The schedule for the exciting festival is made up entirely of knockout, progressive knockout, and the ever-popular mystery bounty events. There are 44 KO Games tournaments to get your teeth into, 44 events with combined guaranteed prize pools in excess of $2,000,000.

Five events get the KO Games off the ground on November 6, including a huge $120,000 guaranteed KO Games Opening Event Mystery Bounty tournament costing $109 at 7:00 p.m. GMT. This event, in particular, should be massive if the previous incarnation is anything to go by.

In late September, 888poker hosted its first $100,000 guaranteed Mystery Bounty tournament. Some 1,887 players bought in and created a guarantee-busting $188,700 prize pool. Brazilian duo “marllonsanti” and “supppp” chopped the event and scooped $17,482 and $16,842, respectively. The mystery bounty element paid out a cool $10,000 top bounty to “brubsb” who banked this five-figure score despite falling in 89th place!

The $120,000 guaranteed KO Games Opener is one of four eagerly-anticipated tournaments singled out for the special 888poker Twitch treatment. The 888poker Twitch team are on hand to bring you cards-up coverage from the final tables of the following KO Games events:

888poker’s Mystery Bounty Launch HUGE Success After Online Event Almost Doubles Guarantee

The KO Games MB Main Event will be spectacular. Its Day 1s begin shuffling up and dealing on November 16, and run through up to and including November 21. Day 2 also takes place on November 21, with the final table running on November 22.

You will notice that the KO Games MB Main Event has “MB” in its name, which, you guessed it, stands for mystery bounty. The $250 buy-in tournament has a cool $500,000 guaranteed, so expect those mystery bounties to give your bankroll a serious boost. Of course, 888poker is running dozens of cur-price satellites into the KO Games Main Event; buy-ins start from as little as a single cent.

It is possible to play in the KO Games MB Main Event for free, thanks to an incredible promotion from the 888poker team. Players who have made at least one deposit into their 888poker accounts are eligible to play in The Knockout Games – Mystery Bounty Edition Freeroll where the top finishers get their hands on a ticket to the $500,000 guaranteed Main Event! Not yet deposited at 888poker? Now id the time to change that fact.

The High Rollers among you should keep November 20 free because at 7:00 p.m. GMT, the giant $2,100 Super High Roller PKO tournament kicks off. There is $100,000 guaranteed to be won here, and the bounties, particularly the all-important final payment, are going to rock your world.

“raw_dawg” Wins 888poker XL Retro Main Event for $70,164

Begin Your Quest for KO Games Glory with an 888poker Welcome Bonus

Now is the perfect time to join 888poker if you have not already done so. Download 888poker via PokerNews, create your free account, and 888poker will give you a free $88 worth of cash game and tournament tickets – this is a free £20 for residents of the United Kingdom – just for reaching this stage.

Your first deposit is matched 100% up to $400 in the form of a releasable bonus. You have 90 days to release as much bonus as you can. Contact 888poker support for more details.

It’s been well over a year since GGPoker first introduced the revolutionary Flip & Go game format to its client, and if you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet there are now one million reasons to do exactly that!

Get Ready for the “Biggest & Richest Flip & Go To Date”

This November, GGPoker is giving its players a chance to win a share of $1,000,000 in cash prizes with the Flip & Go Millionaire. Flip Stages will take place hourly from November 1-11, before the Go Stage takes place at 19:00 UTC on November 11.

“Flip & Go Millionaire will allow players to turn pennies into a share of a million,” said Sarne Lightman, Global Head of GGPoker. “This format gets players to the most exciting part of the poker tournament faster than ever – it has been designed to maximize the fun, maximize the prizes and accommodate as many players as possible!”

Satellites to the $11 Flip Stages are now running in the GGPoker client, with players able to win their way for as little as $0.11.

Check the Flip & Go Millionaire Schedule Here

This isn’t the first time that GGPoker have innovated on the Flip & Go tournament format, successfully bringing the format to the WSOP in 2021 and 2022 to rave reviews from players and industry personnel alike.

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Christopher Chatman Flips to Win First WSOP Bracelet in Event #24: $1,000 Flip & Go

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How does the Flip & Go Millionaire Work?

The Flip & Go Millionaire tournament will, like all Flip & Go Tournaments, come in two parts: the Flip Stage and the Go Stage. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar, GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu famously called Flip & Go tournaments “incredibly easy” and PokerNewsis here to explain it for you.

Flip Stage

The first stage is arguably the simplest — although tell that to Scott Seiver!. Players will receive three cards and must discard one before the flop, turn and river are dealt.

Each table plays down to a single winner, who will then proceed to the Go Stage.

Go Stage

The Go Stage of the Flip & Go Millionaire will take place at 19:00 on November 11 and is played as regular No-Limit Texas Hold’em — no discarding here! All players who make it to this stage will be guaranteed a share of $1,000,000

Check Out GGPoker’s Exclusive Satellites to WSOP Europe Main Event

Sign Up to GGPoker and Receive a $600 Welcome Bonus

Now is the time to join GGPoker if you do not already have an account. Download GGPoker via PokerNews, create your account, and make your first deposit knowing GGPoker matches your initial deposit 100% up to a maximum of $600.

The bonus releases into your playable account balance in $1 increments each time you contribute $5 in net cash game rake or pay in tournament fees. You have a full 90 days to release as much of the bonus as possible.

In addition, new depositing players can get involved in the Honeymoon promotion. The promotion revolves around completing daily challenges. Completing just three see you win a prize. Complete all 30 and you will have received $170 worth of cash and $180 in other rewards on top of your $600 welcome bonus!

Canada’s Philippe D’Auteuil enjoyed a super Sunday at GGPoker thanks to taking down the $525 Bounty Hunters HR Main Event, an impressive result that saw his bankroll boosted by more than $105,000. Popular streamer Michael “Minthon” Iakovlev also bagged a six-figure payout in the $1,050 GGMasters High Rollers event.

The $525 Bounty Hunters HR Main Event drew in a bumper crowd of 2,386 entrants, who created a guarantee-busting prize pool that weighed in at $1,193,000. Such a large pot meant each of the nine players that navigated their way to the final table walked away with prizes worth at least five figures.

Brazil’s “dutra n8” was the first casualty of the star-studded finale. They banked $13,617 for their efforts. “SoloMid” and “rainbowdaytona” were the next pair of players heading for the exits, doing so via the cashier’s desk to collect $10,733 and £17,854, respectively.

Sixth place and $19,886 went to “privetiki” of Ukraine before Japanese star Eisuke “LEN12349800” Katsuren bowed out in fifth for $27,699. The supremely talented Thomas Muehloecker‘s latest deep run in a high-stakes GGPoker tournament ended in a fourth-place finish worth $32,730.

Heads-up was set when “fearthereaper” busted in third for $55,532. D’Autueil locked horns with Cypriot “krifaloupas” for the title and the lion’s share of the monster-sized prize pool. D’Auteuil got the job done and his hands on $105,098, leaving his fallen opponent to scoop a $58,892 consolation prize.

GGPoker’s $50M GTD Bounty Hunters Series is BIGGER and BETTER Than Ever Before

$525 Bounty Hunters HR Main Event Final Table Results

Iokovlev Triumphs in the GGMasters High Roller

Some 889 players bought into this weekend’s $1,050 GGMasters High Rollers event and created an $889,000 prize pool. A cool $124,776 of that prize pool is now nestled in the GGPoker account of Michael “Minthon” Iakovlev who was the last player standing once the dust had settled.

None of the finalists walked away with less than $13,684, which was the amount ninth-place finisher Mateusz “SsethTzeenta” Szymanski banked when his tournament ended abruptly in ninth place.

China’s “sutem” fell in eighth for $18,039, with Aram “Pusha T” Zobian banking $23,780 after falling in seventh. The final six became five when “Empirical700” of Austria ran out of steam, a finish worth $31,317.

Austria-based Lithuanian grinder Audrius “Audrii” Stakelis busted in fifth for $41,322, “GIAKYRA80” secured the $54,472 fourth-place prize, and “dash4fun” had to ultimately make do with the $71,805 third-place prize.

Nobody would have batted an eyelid had Iakovlev and Karolis “Internecik” Sereika struck a deal when heads-up because there was a $30,000 difference in the payouts. However, there was no deal, which meant Iakovlev reeled in a cool $124,776 score after he eliminated his final opponent, leaving the runner-up to head into the night with a $94,655 consolation prize.

Ignacio Moron Clinches Latest GGPoker Super MILLION$ Title

$1,050 GGMasters High Rollers Final Table Results

Other GGPoker Results Over $20,000

Estonian Aleks “JustaMortal” Dimitrov was another GGPoker player that enjoyed a large score this weekend. Dimitrov took down the $1,050 Sunday High Rollers Main Event for $71,371 with bounty payments included.

Christian Rudolph also won a high-stakes event, taking down the $5,250 Bounty Hunters Super High Roller for $56,182 in total.

*includes bounty payments

The PokerStars EPT has returned to London for the first time in eight years. With new tournaments, new scenery and much more; we sent our own @Jack_Bittker to document his experience. Today Jack toured the city alongside PokerStars team pros GJReggie and Pyefacepoker!

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Businessman Bill Klein made one of the most memorable bluffs in Hustler Casino Live history Friday night to win a massive pot.

Klein, a regular in the high-stakes community but a recreational player, has long had a tight image at the table. His range exceeds aces and kings, but he’s certainly no Alan Keating.

Bluffing into Kings

With a $400 staddle on, Brian Kim, who finished fourth in the World Poker Tour Five Diamond at Bellagio last week, raised to $1,000 from the cut-off with .

Action folded over to Klein in the straddle, who played it passively and just called with . The flop came out and it was checked over to the preflop raiser who bet $1,600, and he received a call.

When the paired the board on the turn, Kim continued to build the pot, this time wagering $4,000. Not a believer, Klein made the call and saw the on the river. He made a surprising decision to lead out, putting $13,000 into a pot of about the same size.

Kim, only worried about his opponent having a 5 or pocket 10’s, sensed he was in great shape, so he went for a raise to $50,000, leaving around $77,000 behind. Klein, who had him covered, shocked Hustler Casino Live commentator Marc Goone when he three-bet it to $127,000, a gutsy play from a player who isn’t known for making such moves.

On the surface, it appeared that Kim, with the over-pair, had an easy call to make. After all, he was getting 2.5-1 on his money and was only beat by a few possible types of hands. But this is where the wealthy Klein was able to use his tighter image and bankroll to his advantage. Regardless of the pot odds and strength of his hand, Kim was facing a wager for a significant amount of money against a player he likely knew doesn’t three-bet jam rivers without the nuts often, if ever.

After tanking for a couple of minutes, he eventually folded the best hand. Klein showed the bluff and Kim sat in stunned silence. “That was the most ridiculous hand I’ve ever seen,” one player at the table said. It was definitely an exciting hand, but not even close to the most “ridiculous hand” on Hustler Casino Live lately, let alone ever. That title goes to the Robbi-Garrett hand on Sept. 29, which just might be the craziest hand in poker history.

Still, Klein deserves a hat tip for pulling off one of the most impressive bluffs in recent memory. He’d go on to finish the six-hour stream with over $280,000 in profit, far and away the most at the table. Kim, on the other hand, took a small $6,800 loss.

Sunday is traditionally the busiest day of the week for online poker tournament grinders, a fact that is most certainly true if you are one of the thousands of players who frequent 888poker Ontario. While 888poker Ontario has some amazing tournaments running around the clock, the online poker room really stands out on a Sunday when some huge events shuffle up and deal between 1:00 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.

The Sunday Big Shot tournaments are waiting for you to buy into or win your seat via one of the many satellites taking place throughout the week. C$1,000 Sunday Big Shot 16.5 is the event that kicks off a Super Sunday at 888poker, a C$16.50 buy-in affair with C$1,000 guarantee to be won.

Other Sunday Big Shot tournaments come with buy-ins of C$11, C$22, C$33, and C$55, with guaranteed prize pools worth up to C$5,000.

Inaugural 888poker.ca XL Autumn Series Was a Huge Success

888poker Ontario Sunday MTT Highlights

There are a pair of Sunday tournaments that stand out from the crowd, thanks to their impressive guarantees.

The C$30,000 Sunday Ontario major shuffles up and deals at 5:30 p.m. Buy in direct for C$109 or win your way in from a few cents. However you get in, you will sit down with 10,000 chips, and play to a 12-minute clock where the blinds start at 30/60/7a. Unlimited rebuys are available for the first three hours, which, incidentally, is when late registration closes. Depending on the number of entrants, first place should be in the region of C$5,800 to C$6,500, which is huge for Ontarian online poker.

Ninety-minutes after the C$30,000 Sunday Ontario Major starts, the C$10,000 Sunday High Roller kicks off at 7:00 p.m. The High Roller commands a chunky C$525 buy-in, which grants you 10,000 chips. Blinds start at 30/60/7a, and increase every 10 minutes. The last time a $525 High Roller ran, it was part of the XL Autumn series, and saw 39 entrants create a $19,500 prize pool. Perhaps it will be a similar story this weekend?

Of course, there are cut-price satellites feeding into the high roller.

The Dallas building official who filed a lawsuit against the city’s Board of Adjustment and Texas Card House won in court, dealing a swift blow to the Texas poker community, but it was far from a knockout punch.

Although the victory for plaintiff Andres Espinoza could be seen as damaging for card rooms across the state, the fight continues. Texas Card House Dallas will soon begin the process of filing an appeal.

Last month, in preparation for the Oct. 25 court date, Texas Card House CEO Ryan Crow told PokerNews he anticipates the case will eventually end up in the state’s Supreme Court one way or the other. If he’s correct, an unfavorable ruling could serve as a death blow to poker rooms in the Lone Star State.

Bad Day for Texas Poker, But Not the End of the World

In January, TCH Dallas was slapped with a Certificate of Occupancy revocation despite its business model being approved by the city in 2020. In fact, the same city council member who originally backed the business plan has since gone back on his word. The card room has remained open while fighting what will inevitably turn into a lengthy legal battle.

Two months later, the Dallas Board of Adjustment voted in favor of TCH’s appeal, a major victory for the poker club. But, shortly after, interim city building inspector David Session, vowed to sue the BOA for, as he claimed, illegally reversing the COO decision. On Thursday, three days after the mini trial, District Court judge Eric V. Moye agreed.

“The Court finds that the Board of Adjustment abused its discretion and made an illegal decision when it reversed the Building Official’s revocation of Certificate of Occupancy number 2003031040, which was issued in violation of state law to ‘Ryan Crow’ DBA ‘Texas Card House,’ the judge wrote in court documents obtained by PokerNews.

What the Law Says

In the state of Texas, poker rooms such as TCH operate as social clubs and charge membership and seat fees instead of taking rake out of cash game pots. They do so because collecting rake is illegal, but some lawmakers argue the same can be said about the club-based model.

Texas Penal Code 47.04 states that so long as the gambling occurs in a private place, no economic benefit other than personal winnings were received from the game, and that every player had an fair shot at winning, the game is legal.

The definition of “economic benefit” has been debated across the state, with some officials arguing the term implies that as long as rake isn’t collected during the games, the poker is legal. Others, however, claim that any form of gambling in Texas is illegal regardless of how and where the games are played.

One of two things will likely happen, perhaps within the next couple of years: the Texas Supreme Court will determine the legality of poker via the ongoing Texas Card House case, or lawmakers will reword the letter of the law to clear up any confusion.

888poker’s Ontario-based customers thoroughly enjoyed themselves in the inaugural XL Autumn Series Ontario festival, with thousands of poker players buying into the 33 major events and 27 side events. 888poker guaranteed it would award at least C$226,300 via the 60 prize pools, but the fantastic support of the Ontario poker community meant the site paid out C$253,040 when all was said and done.

A cool C$50,000 of that sum stemmed from the C$109 buy-in Main Event. A field of 374 unique players purchased 76 re-entries between them, for an impressive turnout of 450 players. That crowd meant an overlay of C$5,000, even more value for 888poker Ontario players.

888poker Ontario XL Autumn Main Event Final Table Results

*reflects a heads-up deal

All but one of the nine Main Event finalists padded their 888poker Ontario bankrolls with four-figure scores. “Spades165” busted in ninth and collected C$780 for their effort.

“Price3524” banked C$1,045 when their tournament ended in eighth place, before “halladayfan1” and “AAsFullovQQs” crashed and burned, earning prizes of C$1,405 and C$1,900, respectively.

The final five became four when “nutsonadonk” found themselves void of chips. Getting so deep in a major tournament and not winning is always disappointing, but the C$2,585 payout will have helped to numb the pain.

Heads-up was set after “JhobPoker” fell in fourth for C$3,510 and “Dustyourfish” bowed out in third, a finish good for C$4,805. The heads-up duo, now guaranteed a substantial return on their C$109 investment, paused the tournament clock, and discussed a deal. Those discussions bore fruit they heads-up duo struck a deal that saw “2sick2bluff” receive C$7,443 when the fell at the final hurdle, and “Liquornutz” secure a C$8,331 top prize, in addition to the title of champion.

Other XL Autumn Highlights

It was not only the C$50,000 Main Event that drew in a big crowd because the C$30,000 guaranteed Mystery Bounty did too. A total of 372 entries were processed, meaning this tournament dished out $37,200 to the lucky 888poker Ontario players.

The C$525 buy-in Sunday High Roller also obliterated its guarantee. Instead of paying out C$15,000, the 39-strong field fought it out for a slice of C$19,500!

Check Out The Pair of Mystery Bounty Events on October 29

As you can see, online poker is booming in Ontario and at 888poker, in particular. There are so many fantastic tournaments for Ontarians to get their teeth into that it is challenging to single any of them out for special attention. That said, there are a brace of Mystery Bounty events taking place on October 29 that definitely deserve your attention.

The C$22 buy-in C$3,000 guaranteed Mystery Bounty kicks off at 7:00 p.m. on October 29. Eliminate an opponent during or after Level 17 and you will win a mystery bounty. The biggest of those mystery bounties tips the scales at C$300, which will be a nice bonus for someone.

A C$5.50 buy-in C$1,000 guaranteed Mystery Bounty tournament starts half-hour later at 7:30 p.m. Again, the mystery bounties start flying around after Level 17, and C$100 is the largest you can win, which for a C$5.50 buy-in is pretty good.

The PokerStars European Poker Tour London has seen some impressive comebacks over the last two weeks. The likes of Pavel Plesuv and Henrik Hecklen spinning up their short stacks to the titles in the EPT Platinum Pass Mystery Bounty and £50,000 EPT London Super High Roller respectively.

Well, the United Kingdom’s Ian Hamilton continued the trend after he emulated the aforementioned players to take down the EPT London £5,300 Main Event for £664,400 at the fantastic Hilton Park Lane. The 31-year-old ran pure throughout the more than eight hours of play on Day 6 and overcame the sizable heads-up chip lead of fellow Brit Jack Sinclair.

“A couple of levels in I went out feeling a bit like demoralized and then just came back and said it’s time to put the pedal down and go for it,” Hamilton said in a winner’s interview with PokerStars commentator Joe Stapleton. “We’re here now, let’s take it while we can.”

Only six players remained of a field of 749 players heading into Day 6 of the £5,300 buy-in event, which generated a prize pool of £3,632,650. Those players included Switzerland’s Alexandre Vuilleumier (3rd – £296,150), Day 5 chip leader Roman Hrabec of the Czech Republic (4th – £227,800) and Romanian filmmaker Danut Chisu (5th – £175,250).

EPT London £5,300 Main Event Final Table Results

Former Deliveroo CFO Adam Miller Binks EPT London £10,300 High Roller (£312,383)

A Revolutionary Victory

Hamilton, who had $271,971 in live tournament cashes heading into the EPT London Main Event, according to The Hendon Mob, started the day as a short stack but was able to stay afloat with a little help from positive variance.

In a crucial hand early in the day, Hamilton was at risk and dominated with ace-five against the ace-queen of Vuilleumier and had just three outs heading to the river. The river brought him one of those outs earn him an unlikely double as his rail erupted in celebration.

What does Hamilton attribute to his incredible Day 6 sun run?

“Months of run-bad,” Hamilton told Stapleton with a laugh.

Throughout the final table, Hamilton’s face was heavily concealed beneath a dark oversized hoodie and pair of sunglasses that called back to the Golden Age of televised poker. But after the final hand was dealt, the British grinder was all smiles.

“That’s just me blocking the world out and trying to just play my cards and not worry about all the screens and stuff in your face,” he explained.

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Another Close Call for Sinclair

It appeared likely Sinclair would be the next EPT London champion as the 2018 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) winner dominated the final table and entered heads-up play with a sizable chip advantage.

But Sinclair, who had help from his hippopotamus card protector and a supportive father on the rail, had to settle for second place — his second runner-up finish in a major tournament in just the last few months. Back in August, he finished second in the €1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event at EPT Barcelona for €377,120 to Rick van Bruggen of the Netherlands.

With his latest close call, the British poker pro adds £414,650 to his $4.7 million in career live earnings.

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Day 6 Action

Germany’s Nils Pudel was the first to go on Day 6 and he fell in brutal fashion as his pocket aces were cracked by the runner-runner flush of Sinclair’s ace-king. Not long after, Romania’s Chisu bowed out in fifth place when his king-jack couldn’t get ahead of the pocket queens of Vuilleumier.

In a turn of events, Hrabec, a former ice hockey professional who started the day with the chip lead, fell in fourth place when his ace-ten was dominated by the ace-jack of Sinclair.

Hamilton stayed quiet for most of the Day 6 action but that changed when he open-shoved holding queen-jack only to be called by the ace-queen of Vuilleumier, who had a slightly smaller stack but couldn’t fade Hamilton’s run-good as the Brit made a straight to eliminate his Swiss opponent.

Despite entering heads-up play with a chip deficit, Hamilton managed to double through Sinclair and later took the lead by making trips to take a big pot off the 2018 WSOPE champ.

In the final hand of the tournament, Sinclair moved all in with ace-queen only to find himself dominated by the ace-king of Hamilton. Both players managed to flop gutshots but bricks on the turn and river left Hamilton ahead with the better ace-high to earn him the title.

“I’m feeling very good,” Hamilton said after the victory. “I’m very tired, it’s been six long, long days.”