Paul Vas Nunes won his third major live title after taking down the GUKPT Reading main event from 28 July-3 August.
The Surrey-based pro added the GUKPT title to victories in the 2011 Unibet Open Dublin and a £330 side event at UKIPT Manchester.
The final day in Reading started with 19 players, but with 10 busting during the first 120 minutes the field was soon down to the final table of nine after Tim Wright's elimination on the bubble.
Top dog going into the final-table action was UK poker legend Willie Tann on 906,000, with Robert Whatsize second in chips on 875,500 and Vas Nunes third with 870,000, marginally ahead of Daniel James on 869,000.
Next came Haresh Thaker with 738,000, Albert Sapiano on 313,500 and Jeff Hemmerman with a 290,500 stack. Richard Turner (240,500) and Steven Chennells (162,000) completed the final nine.
The first 20 minutes passed with little incident until Sapiano made an ill-timed move on a 5H-10S-5D-6H-AD board, moving all-in on the river with his AS-JC. Unfortunately for Sapiano, Thaker fired back with 'rockets' and his full-house was more than enough to send Sapiano to the rail.
Chennells was the next player to leave after opening to 26,000 and then calling when Tann three-bet to 77,000. Chennells checked the QC-JS-3H flop and Tann again bet 77,000 and snap-called when Chennells check-raised all-in for around 400,000.
Chennells showed AC-QD and Tann pocket kings. Chennells failed to improve on the turn and river and was out in eighth place.
Within minutes there was another elimination when Vas Nunes raised to 32,000 and Whatsize called. James, the start-of-day chip leader, squeezed to 110,000 from the big blind and Vas Nunes folded. Whatsize paused for almost a minute before shipping his stack into the middle and James called.
Whatsize holding AD-JH was dominated by James' AD-KC and when the board ran 10H-2H-8D-10C-3D Whatsize’s tournament was over.
Turner followed him to the rail soon after when Vas Nunes claimed another victim. Turner bet 150,000 into the 225,000 pot on a 6D-5H-QH board which Vas Nunes called. The 2H on the turn saw Turner move all-in with Vas Nunes' calling to put Turner at risk of elimination.
Turner flipped over 5D-5C for a set of fives which was ahead of the KH-9H of Vas Nunes until it improved to a flush on the river.
From then on Vas Nunes piled on the pressure and by the time Hemmerman busted in fifth place, he had 2,553,000 chips in front of him with James’ 1,335,000 stack the next best.
The four remaining players decided to split the prize structure, with Van Nunes securing £20,000, James £16,000 and both Tann and Thaker locking up £14,000. The remainder of the prize pool being left for the final three finishers to chew on.
And it took another 90 minutes before they had to decide how to split it up when Thaker opened to 60,000, James three-bet to 130,000 and Vas Nunes four-bet to 280,000 from the big blind. Thaker jammed all-in for 725,000 with pocket tens, James folded and Van Nunes called with pocket jacks.
With no help on the board for Thaker, Vas Nunes claimed another victim.
Soon after Thaker’s demise, James was the next to go, albeit with an additional £6,000 to show for his third-place finish.
James’ exit hand saw Tann open, Vas Nunes re-raise to 165,000 and James four-bet to 315,000 with around 900,000 chips behind. Tann mucked and Vas Nunes moved all-in, with James calling.
It was jacks again for Vas Nunes and AD-JD for James and with the board failing to offer any help for him Vas Nunes sent another player to the rail.
That left Tann (1.5m chips) and Vas Nunes (3.5m) to battle it out for the title and after 90 minutes of play it ended with Vas Nunes stacking all of the chips in front of him and posing for the winner’s photos after all the chips went in on an 8D-2C-10S-KC board with Tann the player at risk and needing help for his AD-10C with Vas Nunes sat with KD-6D.
The river had to be a 10 or ace for Tann, but it was the 4S to see Vas Nunes claim the £29,200 top prize and Tann £22,800 as runner-up.
GUKPT Reading
1 Paul Vas Nunes £29,200
2 Willie Tann £22,800
3 Daniel James £22,000
4 Haresh Thaker £14,000
5 Jeff Hemmerman £6,850
6 Richard Turner £5,050
7 Rob Whatsize £4,050
8 Steven Chennells £3,200
9 Albert Sapiano £2,700
