2017 partypoker LIVE Grand Prix UK

Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info

2017 partypoker LIVE Grand Prix UK

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
k10
Prize
£150,000
Event Info
Buy-in
£200
Prize Pool
£1,028,600
Entries
5,143
Level Info
Level
43
Blinds
1,500,000 / 3,000,000
Ante
300,000

Peter Craw Eliminated in 7th Place (£21,450)

Level 37 : 400,000/800,000, 100,000 ante
Peter Craw busts out, to his obvious disappointment
Peter Craw busts out, to his obvious disappointment

Peter Craw moved his last 17 big blinds all-in from early position, getting folds all the way round to Antonis Poulengeris in the small blind who makes the call.

Craw's {a-Clubs}{j-Hearts} was a 3:1 dog versus Poulengeris' {j-Clubs}{j-Diamonds}, who held on a {8-Clubs}{k-Hearts}{4-Hearts} flop. The {7-Hearts} turn offered Craw a flush draw, but the river bricked the {10-Clubs} and Poulengeris picked up the 34,000,000 chip pot.

Peter Craw's 7th place finish earns him a huge £21,450 as well as a £2,200 UKPC seat!

Player Chips Progress
Antonis Poulengeris gb
Antonis Poulengeris
45,000,000 3,000,000
Peter Craw
Peter Craw
Busted

Tags: Peter Craw

Badgers on Tour

Level 37 : 400,000/800,000, 100,000 ante
Peter Craw in action while his friends hover in the background, ready to cheer him on.
Peter Craw in action while his friends hover in the background, ready to cheer him on.

Peter Craw came to Dusk Till Dawn on his own after qualifying for the Grand Prix Main Event online via partypoker's satellites, but he's not on his own at the final table. Watching from the rail are three of Craw's best friends in poker - Ged Ronan, Leon Inman and Dave Moore.

"We're from the Brinsworth Poker League," Inman, a manager in a popular clothes retailer told us. "There are fifteen of us who play. It's £50 a week for 12 months and there are four winners at the end of the year."

Peter Craw steps in to tell us how it was set up.

"The original idea was that we'd all play all year and by the end of the year one of us would win the league and play the WSOP Main Event and everyone else would have a piece of their action."

The question begs asking: where did Craw finish in last year's league. He laughs and so do the others.

"Third!"

"He's never even won that!" chips in Ged Ronan, who is a bookmaker by trade. "I make him 6/4 to win this final though."

The group are known as the Badgers, a group term that is so fondly remembered because no-one has any idea when the name was established. It's just stuck.

"Whatever happens, it's a badger or that player is a badger." explains Moore, who is a courier by trade. All three friends travelled down from Rotherham to watch their pal clean up. "Peter plays a bit more than us, though. He does treat the game a bit more seriously."

"I do play a little more and I qualified for this online." Craw confirmed. Then with that, he's back to the action, the next hand, each one closer to the dream of a major title. He's already guaranteed his best ever live score. He has time to mention one last thing, that would he take third-place money if offered.

"£70,000 is a lot of money but I'd love to go for the win, I really do want the trophy. I know... but it's true."

Adam Maxwell Eliminated in 8th Place (£15,250)

Level 37 : 400,000/800,000, 100,000 ante
Adam Maxwell during the final table of the Grand Prix UK Main Event
Adam Maxwell during the final table of the Grand Prix UK Main Event

Adam Maxwell was the first casualty of the official final table after he was knocked out by Antonia Poulengeris.

From early position Maxwell moved all in for his remaining 12 million holding {10-Spades}{10-Hearts} and found himself flipping against the {A-Diamonds}{K-Hearts} of Poulengeris, who re-shoved from the button, having Maxwell covered.

The flop was safe for Maxwell, showing {5-Hearts}{7-Clubs}{7-Hearts} but the {Q-Hearts} turn gave Poullengeris a flush draw to go with his two over cards.

The {8-Hearts} was enough for Poulengeris, and with his backdoor flush, he sent Maxwell to the rail.

Player Chips Progress
Antonis Poulengeris gb
Antonis Poulengeris
42,000,000 13,000,000
Adam Maxwell gb
Adam Maxwell
Busted

Poulengeris Doubles Through Whyte

Level 37 : 400,000/800,000, 100,000 ante

Antonia Poulengeris has just doubled through Jamie Whyte after the pair both flopped big hands.

After Whyte opened to 2.2 million, Poulengeris called only for both players to check the {Q-Spades}{J-Hearts}{3-Spades} flop.

Poulengeris moved all-in on the {9-Diamonds} turn only to be greeted by a snap-call from Whyte.

Despite Whyte having {Q-Clubs}{Q-Diamonds} for top set, he would have to fade Poulengeris’ straight and flush draws with Poulengeris holding {9-Spades}{10-Spades}.

The river brought the {7-Spades}, securing the double for the shorter stack Poulengeris.

Player Chips Progress
Antonis Poulengeris gb
Antonis Poulengeris
29,000,000 14,000,000
Jamie Whyte gb
Jamie Whyte
27,400,000 -13,000,000

Seat 8 - Jamie Whyte - 40.4 million

Level 37 : 400,000/800,000, 100,000 ante

Jamie Whyte already has some impressive scores under his belt, with five-figure scores in both the WPT500 here at Dusk Till Dawn in 2015 and the WSOP Main Event last summer. He's looking to follow that up with another five-figure, maybe six-figure cash on this final table.

Whyte tells us his poker hero is Phil Ivey, and describes him as "the goat." He says he'd love to play him heads up one day, "in the Caribbean somewhere."

He says he really likes the new aesthetic of the cardroom here, and appreciates what partypoker and Dusk Till Dawn are doing for the players and poker in general. He qualified for the Grand Prix UK through a $2 satellite ticket via the Click & Collect promotion on partypoker - let's see how much he can run that up to!

Seat 7 - Antonis Poulengeris - 15 million

Level 37 : 400,000/800,000, 100,000 ante

Antonis Poulengeris, otherwise known as "The Enigma," already has an impressive tournament resume, with cashes in UKIPT Edinburgh, PokerStars MegaStack London, and WPT National right here at Dusk Till Dawn. No matter where Poulengeris places from this point on, though, this will already be his largest tournament score to date (no mean feat, given that he qualified online via a $55 satellite on partypoker!)

Poulengeris says he has almost admired Sammy Farha as a poker legend and, if he could fulfil his poker dream, it would be to play Farha heads up in the Caribbean.

Seat 6 - Richard King - 46.8 million

Level 37 : 400,000/800,000, 100,000 ante

Richard King has already won a $10,000 package to the Caribbean Poker Party later this year and can't wait to take his wife over to the lush beaches and fun in the sun that only a partypoker experience provides. He's heard all about the fun in Punta Cana last November and will be flying out courtesy of having a golden chip in this event and making the final table.

Second in chips, King has a massive chance of taking down what would be his first major title tonight in Nottingham. He won £7,500 as part of the winning Team Challenge here in 2016, so knows this final table territory at Europe's most popular cardroom.

If Richard King could change one thing about live poker, it would be other players ever being miserable at the poker table. King always plays with a smile on his face and his happy-go-lucky mentality has manifested some great poker already this week. He qualified online for a fraction of the buy-in via partypoker online.

Tags: Richard King

Seat 5 - Roberto Gordinas - 79.3 million (Chip Leader)

Level 37 : 400,000/800,000, 100,000 ante

Lithuanian player Roberto Gordonas is truly living the dream at the Grand Prix Main Event. He has the chip lead and a massive one at that, and he's looking to close out what is guaranteed to be his biggest cash ever even if he somehow finishes 8th.

He has enjoyed the "very good" Grand Prix structure and with his best live result just $2,000, Gordinas is following in the footsteps of his countryman and poker legend Tony G - Roberto's poker hero.

Tags: Roberto GordinasTony G

Seat 4 - Andrei Frujina - 28.9 million

Level 37 : 400,000/800,000, 100,000 ante

Andrei Frujina hails from Romania and has enjoyed Day 3 more than any other day in the tournament...it could end with him being £150,000 richer!

Frujina played mostly cash games until three months ago when he switched to tournaments as a focus. His reward could be a major title within 13 weeks! He too looks up to Tom Dwan and credits Dwan's bluffing ability and general grinding personality as two of the poker traits he admires.

Frujina dreams of playing at the World Series of Poker within two years. If he wins tonight he could fast-track that dream into Main Event glory!

Tags: Andrei Frujina

Seat 3 - Adam Maxwell - 10 million

Level 37 : 400,000/800,000, 100,000 ante

Adam Maxwell comes into play a little short-stacked, but he's loved the "friendly atmosphere" of Dusk Till Dawn all week and he's an absolute hero to his mates in the casino this evening, well supported as he shoots for glory.

Maxwell has previously won £25,000 in the Dusk Till Dawn Deepstack tournament, so any finish above 6th Place will represent his best-ever tournament result. His poker hero was the late Chinese Frankie, who played here at Dusk Till Dawn and was loved by all until his sad passing almost exactly a year ago.

Maxwell would love to play in more shot clock tournaments and loves an alternative poker format for side events, with mixed games just the springboard for his passion. He bought in for £220 on a Day 1 and one day hopes to take on Tom Dwan in the Bahamas. Maybe he can get a roll big enough to take him on in the nosebleed stakes and challenge him to fly there!

Tags: Adam Maxwell