There is definitely something special about the first person to do something. You only have to look at the accolade and acclaim that goes to Neil Armstrong in comparison to the esteem that Buzz Aldrin or Michael Collins are held in. Armstrong was the first man on the moon, Aldrin was the second and bizarrely, Collins went all the way to the moon and never even stepped foot on the surface. You can’t help but feel that this was a wasted opportunity but if Collins was merely following orders, you can see why we wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardise the mission.
So, Armstrong is the hero for millions of people all around the world while Buzz Aldrin is just that other guy, even though he has achieved what barely anyone has managed to do. If you ever need reminding that first is everything, you only have to think about how history has treated Buzz Aldrin!
So, given that the weekend was the first every UKIPT Series event, there was a chance for a poker player to grab a little bit of history. The event was taking place at the Hippodrome, a London casino and poker venue that is currently working hard to be the number one poker destination in the city. It faces an almighty battle because Aspers in Stratford is determined to be the number one poker venue too but this can only be great news for poker players. The more brilliant poker venues the better and if these venues are looking to get into a battle, there is a very strong chance that promotions, bonuses and major events like the UKIPT Series will take place.
Team PokerStars Pro picks up the title
The first ever winner of a UKIPT Series event was Jake Cody. Cody is a Team PokerStars professional player and he added yet another big poker title to his illustrious list of successes throughout his career. There is no doubt that Cody was a worthy winner in this competition because he has shown himself to be one of the better poker players over a consistent period of time.
The event, which carried a £250 buy-in which made it accessible for so many online poker players managed to bring together 343 poker players for the initial two days. Although the first event of any well publicised promotion or event should get a good following, this was a big turnout and when the UKIPT Series finds it feet and develops, there is every chance that it will develop into a popular activity for poker players in the UK.
The fact that 343 poker players were in the mix for the big event ensured that there was a prize pool of over £80,000 to play for. There would be money for the top 40 players and the first player to exit the tournament with some cash to make it worthwhile was Darren Fuller. No doubt Fuller would have preferred to have stayed in the event longer and bagged more cash for himself but at this sort of event, making it to the money and earning £520 is not to be sniffed at!
By the time Sunday tea-time rolled around, there were eight players gunning for glory at the final table. With respect to the final table, Shantanu Banerji finished in 8th place with £1,977. In 7thh place was Kaloyan Kirov, who bagged £2,700. In 6th place was Uzzol Miah who received £3,400 and in 5th place was Enzo Gomez, who received £4,880. In 4t place was Tim Wong, who picked up £6,240 and in 3rd place was Terry Jordan who picked up £8,110. In second place was Lydia Cugudda who grabbed £13,140 and of course, Jake Cody grabbed the acclaim and £13,140.
It may not have been as big an accolade or achievement as walking on the moon but Jake Cody being the first winner of the UKIPT Series event will see his name listed in the history books.