Congratulations to Scott Shelley, Event #3 Champion (£133,857)!
The amateur has done it! Scott Shelley, the amateur poker player from right here in London, has conquered his first World Series of Poker final table!
Just a few days ago, Shelley was just another poker player with a dream in the field of 582 entrants. He successfully maneuvered his way to the final table and from there, got lucky when he needed to and played great when it really mattered.
When Shelley got heads up with the defending champion JP Kelly, the room was literally cut in half between the two sets of railbirds. Almost everyone was anxiously waiting to see if Kelly could do the unthinkable: smash Phil Ivey's record of youngest player to win three bracelets, become the first player with two WSOP Europe bracelets and be the first player to win the same bracelet event in back-to-back years in Hold'em since Phil Hellmuth did it in the 1990s. Well, that was a great story and all, but it's going to have to wait until another time for the media to be able to put it in print.
Kelly didn't go home empty handed though, as he did win a nice payday worth £82,854. Shelley took home the better of the lot with £133,857 going in his pocket and the coveted WSOP gold bracelet. For Kelly, he was well aware of the records he was trying to break and the history he was trying to rewrite. He's now left with the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth after coming oh so close.
That wraps up our coverage from Event #3 here in London, but don't forget about the other events going on here this week. Right now, the High Roller Heads-Up event is going on and the field is one of the most elite ever. Check out that blog and stay tuned to PokerNews for all the up-to-the-minute poker coverage you can handle!