APAT's first visit to Leeds for the UK Amateur Poker Championship attracted 123 players, with Carl Norris the sole survivor after two gruelling days at the felt to take home a gold medal and £2,815, plus a seat into the APAT World Championship of Amateur Poker next year.
Norris defeated APAT legend Rob Swindells heads-up to win the title after Swindells pushed from the button with QH-7C only to be snap-called by Norris with KD-QC.
The 3S-KS-2C flop left Swindells crushed, with a four on the turn and three on the river sending him home with a silver medal and £1,825 for his efforts.
At the start of day two Swindells was the chip leader on 133,500 as 30 players returned to the Grosvenor Westgate Casino. He was closely followed by Martin Paul on 128,200, with Craig Dawson in third place on 106,975.
And Swindells was still out in front when the final table was reached, sitting down with 360k, with Norris second in chips on 280k, Paul now down in fifth place on 204k and Dawson just missing out after departing in 12th place for £175.
Dave Battersby was third in chips on 250k, with Scott Berridge (220k) fourth and Mike Sharkey (200k) sixth. Zac Crosland was seventh on 110k, with Tom Masterson on 91k and Bill Sheppard bringing up the rear on 90k.
First to exit was Crosland who found no answer to Swindells’ JH-QH on a 6D-9C-10C-5S-KD board.
Sharkey and Paul then locked horns, with a pre-flop raise and re-raise seeing a flop of JD-9H-8H with Paul holding pocket kings and Sharkey holding JS-9S.
Paul shoved the flop and was called by Sharkey with a four on the turn and ace on the river providing him with no salvation and he exited in eighth place.
Masterson bust out in seventh place when his pocket queens failed to hold up against Swindells' AS-KS, an ace arriving on the flop.
And on the next hand Sheppard followed him to the cashier's desk after he moved all-in with AD-5C only to be dominated by Battersby’s AC-10H.
The QH-4H-2H flop left Sheppard praying for a three or a five and no heart but the 8H on the turn left him drawing dead as Battersby hit a flush.
But Battersby's tournament was the next to come to an end when he shoved with the ducks against Sharkey's pocket tens. But the mantra that twos never lose was proved false when the 9H-6C-JC-8S-9S board saw him depart in fifth place.
Short-stack Berridge scooped a few pots with his all-in pushes getting through without opposition until his shove with AC-QH was called by Sharkey with AS-KD. The board offered no help and he was the man to miss out on a medal, exiting in fourth place.
The bromze medal ended up going to Sharkey when all his chips went in pre-flop with KS-10C against Norris' AH-10H. An ace on the flop left Sharkey in a world of pain but a king on the turn restored some hope, before a three on the river sent him to the rail.
APAT UK Amateur Poker Championship, 11-12 October
1 Carl Norris £2,815
2 Rob Swindells £1,825
3 Mike Sharkey £1,190
4 Scott Berridge £810
5 Dave Battersby £590
6 Bill Sheppard £420
7 Tom Masterson £310
8 Martin Paul £270
9 Zac Corsland £240
