Ian Hamilton Wins British Heads-Up Battle to Take Down EPT London Main Event (£664,400)
Britain's Ian Hamilton became the first European Poker Tour (EPT) champion on UK soil in eight years by taking down the PokerStars EPT London £5,300 Main Event for £664,400 and his first EPT title. 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).
£5,300 EPT Main Event Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | COUNTRY | PRIZE (IN GBP) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Hamilton | United Kingdom | £664,400 | |
| 2 | Jack Sinclair | United Kingdom | £414,650 | |
| 3 | Alexandre Vuilleumier | Switzerland | £296,150 | |
| 4 | Roman Hrabec | Czech Republic | £227,800 | |
| 5 | Danut Chisu | Romania | £175,250 | |
| 6 | Nils Pudel | Germany | £134,800 | |
| 7 | David Docherty | United Kingdom | £103,700 | |
| 8 | Harry Lodge | United Kingdom | £79,750 |
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.
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.
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.”
That wraps up the PokerNews live reporting team's coverage of the £5,300 Main Event here at EPT London at the luxurious Hilton Park Lane. Be sure to check out the team's coverage of other events throughout the festival.