Peter McCusker Crowned 2025 APAT World Amateur Poker Champion
Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham was packed to the rafters last week because the Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT) was in town for the 2025 World Championship Of Amateur Poker (WCOAP).
Known in the bustling APAT community as "the Worlds," the WCOAP is the APAT festival that every budding poker player dreams of winning at. Not only do the top three finishers in each event capture a coveted gold, silver, or bronze APAT medal, but the worthy champion also receives a WCOAP bracelet to cherish.
The most eagerly sought after medal and bracelet is, without doubt, those that come with triumphing in the World Amateur Poker Championship, the WCOAP's Main Event. This year's WCOAP Main Event attracted 475 players from far and wide, who created a £79,800 prize pool. The top 71 finishers saw a return on their investment, with a min-cash weighing in at £350, a final table appearance boosting that prize to £1,800, and the eventual champion scooping £13,000.
2025 APAT WCOAP Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter McCusker | £13,000 |
| 2 | Jonathan Rees | £8,500 |
| 3 | Kevin Smith | £5,500 |
| 4 | Mark Langdale | £4,000 |
| 5 | Anonymous | £3,300 |
| 6 | Nick Bowyer | £2,800 |
| 7 | Gary Colclough | £2,400 |
| 8 | Edward Johnson | £2,100 |
| 9 | Edward Tilbrook | £1,800 |
Two Edwards, Tilbrook and Johnson were the nine-handed final table's first casualties. They took home £1,800 and £2,100, respectively, for their efforts. Gary Colclough bowed out in seventh for a career-best £2,400 before Nick Bowyer came unstuck in sixth for £2,800. Bowyer was the reigning champion; reaching back-to-back final tables was an amazing achievement.
A player wishing to remain under the shroud of anonymity busted in fifth for £3,300, leaving the 2025 WCOAP Main Event on the medal bubble. Mark Langdale was the unfortunate soul who popped that bubble, busting in fourth place. Although disappointed not to bank an APAT medal, the £4,000 in prize money will go some way to numbing the pain.
The final trio of players locked horns and fought it out for the title of amateur world champion. Kevin Smith, who finished sixth in the 2017 APAT UK Amateur Poker Championship, saw his latest deep run end in a third-place finish worth £5,500 and a bronze medal.
Smith's untimely demise left Peter McCusker heads-up against Jonathan Rees. Welshman Rees had locked in his 12 APAT cash and was looking for his second victory. However, McCusker had other ideas, and he ultimately came out on top after an incredible one-on-one battle, taking home £13,000, a WCOAP bracelet and an APAT gold medal in what was his first recorded cash on his Hendon Mob profile. Rees had to make do with an £8,500 consolation prize and a silver medal, but the APAT regular certainly gets another shot at glory in upcoming APAT events.
PokerNews' Own Daniel Williams Strikes APAT WCOAP Gold
There were plenty of familiar faces in the winner's circle of other APAT WCOAP Championship events, including PokerNews' Daniel Williams. The PokerNews Commercial Manager – Community & Engagement guru turned off his laptop and jumped into the £140 WCOAP 6-Max Championship. Several hours later, Williams emerged victoriously with the title, gold medal, bracelet, and £4,000 in cold, hard cash in tow.
Other champions included recent Global Poker Awards winner Jonathan Raab, winner of the Mystery Bounty Shootout Championship for £2,253, and Ky Hutchison, who won the PLO8 Championship for £3,745 while enjoying a deserved break from his high-flying job in the education sector.
A special mention must go to Jonathan Douglas-Davies, who won two events. First, Douglas-Davies won the £140 2-7 Triple Draw Championship for £2,640 before following that up with a win in the £70 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball event for another £777.
Here's a table with all the 2025 APAT WCOAP results in full.
Your next chance to compete in an APAT event is between September 5-7, when the APAT Weekends Portsmouth takes place. Later in September, between the 19th-21st, APAT Weekends Glasgow runs, leading into the APAT German Amateur Poker Championships at the Grand Casino Asch between October 1-5.
