Sometimes making it to the final table is the main thing for players when playing in a big poker tournament. Getting past the bubble and into the money is always going to be an important thing and once players get beyond that stage, some will relax. There will be other poker players that can sense victory and will push on to win but there will be others who will be delighted with the fact that they can earn some cash. Getting to the final table can often take a lot of skill and effort and by the time a player arrives and the final table begins, some players may find that they have little left to give.
It is no doubt annoying to go out at this stage when the action is really starting to heat up but for UK poker player James Mitchell, there was a lot to be grateful for in his 9th placed finish at the EPT Berlin High Roller game. When you play in a high roller event, you know that there is big money on the table and for his ninth placed finish, James received €54,900. This is not a bad return for playing some poker hands and any disappointment felt by James for not pushing on further would have been tempered by the big cash amount he heads home with.
To the victor the spoils
Of course, the real financial prize goes to the winner and the EPT Berlin High Roller 2013 champion was Griffin Benger from Canada. Benger is a Team Ivey poker player and he received €429,000 for winning the event. This is definitely a prize that is well worth celebrating but there is no doubt that James Mitchell can take a lot of confidence and cash from his cracking Berlin performance.
This latest triumph continues the fine run of form that James has been in since 2012 where he has managed to clock up a great run of cash wins and high prizes. It is not always possible to win big poker events but finishing strongly and consistently is always going to be the mark of a good player. The first success James achieved in 2012 came at the EPT Deauville event in February.
It was the €2,000 No Limit Hold ‘Em game and a 19th position saw a prize of over $8,000 making its way to the UK. This was followed by two money finishes at the 43rd World Series of Poker (WSOP) event in Las Vegas. A 283rd finish in a $1,000 No Limit Hold ‘Em game may only have brought about a prize of $1,942 but a lower finish garnered a much higher prize in the $10,000 World Championship No Limit event. James may have finished in 508th place but this saw him bag $24,808. The last big money win for 2012 for James came at the Fox Poker Club in their October Main Event where a 9th placed finish in the £400 No Limit Hold ‘Em game saw James pick up $1,052.
The first success in 2013 came once again at the EPT Deauville event where a 12th placed finish in the €5,000 No Limit Hold ‘Em game saw a prize of $53,193 picked up. On the 1st of April 2013, there was no fooling James as he finished 4th at the Genting Poker Big Game and this saw him bag $12,987. Earlier this month, the bwin WPT National event in Marbella saw James finish 21st in the € 1,500 No Limit Hold ‘Em game where grabbed $4,629 for his troubles.
With millions of poker players all over the world desperate to take part in an event like this one, let alone reach the final table, there is a lot for James Mitchell to be proud of. Hopefully the UK poker player can continue his fine run of form and his money winning abilities for the rest of the year.