Former Soccer Star Anthony Gardner Wins Live Poker Title
Anthony Gardner secured his first live poker title March 26 when he won the £100,000 guaranteed DTD200 at Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham.
Official final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Gardner | £20,550 |
| 2 | Alan Summers | £12,450 |
| 3 | Luke Flack | £8,400 |
| 4 | Sanjay Patel | £6,700 |
| 5 | Gary Copeland | £5,450 |
| 6 | Martyn Frey | £4,500 |
| 7 | Stuart Fox | £3,800 |
| 8 | Ibrahim Ilksoy | £3,300 |
| 9 | Aqeel Butt | £2,850 |
A field of 453 turned out at Dusk Till Dawn over the weekend with Gardner being one of the players exchanging £220 for the right to play for a share of a guaranteed £100,000.
Gardner, a former professional soccer player who played for Port Vale, Tottenham Hotspur, Hull City, Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday during his career, was the last man standing and walked away with £20,550, his largest live tournament score by far.
Renowned players such as Ben Vinson, Yucel “Mad Turk” Eminoglu, Paul Jackson, Richard King, Sunil Mistri and Jack Allen bust before the money places with Dave Quince (31st for £500), Anthony Kennedy (20th for £1,350) and Mark McCluskey (15th for £1,800) falling in the top 44 places.
Once the final table was reached, each of the nine players had locked up £2,850 for their efforts.
Aqeel Butt, Ibrahim Ilksoy, Stuart Fox, DTD regular Martyn Frey and Gary Copeland saw their tournament end prematurely before Sanjay Patel and Luke Flack bust to send the tournament into the heads-up stages.
Gardner and Alan Summers locked horns in a one-on-one battle, which ultimately ended with Gardner having all of the chips in play in front of him.
A delighted Gardner took to social media shortly after his victory and said, “Some Sunday Grind. Thanks for the support. My best live tournament to date. Visualising this one for a while. Thoroughly enjoyed.”
This is Garnder’s first five-figure tournament score with his previous largest cash weighing in at £2,150, his reward for a runner-up finish in a £165 side event at the 2014 Genting Poker Series Sheffield festival.
Gardner has become a familiar face in the British poker community, following in the footsteps of former professional soccer players who now play poker including Steve Watts, Tony Cascarino and Teddy Sheringham.
