While the lure and appeal of being a professional poker player and travelling the world will never diminish, it is not for everyone. There are more than enough people that like to enjoy poker as a hobby or past-time. There are plenty of folk that enjoy poker as a way of adding more fun to their life or giving them a break from the important things they have going on in their life. This is why even though it is inevitable that there will be a focus on the professional poker world, it is important to look at what is going on with the amateur poker community too.
There was a celebration of the amateur poker community over the Easter weekend with the highly praised Dusk Till Dawn venue being the host for the APAT World Championships Of Amateur Poker (WCOAP). Anyone looking for a thrilling end to the Main Event were treated to a fine display of poker skill and play that would have graced any final poker table around the world. At the end of it all, Erimas Livonas, from Lithuania, was the champion in the £110 buy-in event. The buy-in price was set at a good level considering the amateur nature of players and there was a lot of interest in the Main Event. A total of 451 players were involved at the start of the process but this had been whittled down to 64 on the final day.
Money and bling for the winners!
As well as playing for the kudos of being the Main Event winner players were battling for a £10,000 prize, a seat at ISPT Day 2, a gold medal from APAT and there was a custom made bracelet created especially for the event by Aspire Jewellery. Livonas may not have been the most conventional of players at the final table but he had a strong level of effectiveness to his play and in the end he managed to outlast his opponents and claim the glory and the prize.
There were also plenty of over events and poker tournaments held during the celebration which means that plenty of people ended the Easter weekend feeling the glow of being a winner. In the WCOAP Heads Up Championship, there were 64 players duking it out in a one versus one style to grab the crown. There was a lot of joy at Dusk Till Dawn in this event because Weswell Ellis, the eventual winner, is a regular player at the club. Weswell triumphed against Vikrum Mehta in the last match, earning himself £1,100 for the Heads Up winner. Mehta shouldn’t feel too down though because he received £700 for his second place finish and he also managed to come second in the WCOAP Seven Card Stud event. He could look at the weekend as one of near misses but he should take a lot of pride in his performance.
32 poker players stepped up to the challenge of the WCOAP Razz Championship and there was a strong finish to this as well. The 4th placed player, Duncan Hodgkins earned £160 while in second place, Mark Lassman grabbed £320. In 2nd place was Simon Lawlor who received £416 while in first place was Joanna Sharp. Joanna received £592, a gold medal and a bracelet, giving her plenty to remember from her time in Nottingham.
There were 113 players competing for the WCOAP Omaha Championship but it was Mike Perry, from Southampton, who was rewarded for his trip. The buy-in was set at £55 but there was additional incentive for poker players due to the fact that a ISPT Day 1 seat had been added to the prize pool. This was claimed by Perry in addition to £1,666.75.