Hutchison best of the best on UKIPT tour

UKIPT season four Edinburgh winner Dean Hucthison can justifiably claim to be the best poker player in the UK and Ireland after being crowned Champion of Champions and winning entry to all UKIPT season five events in 2015.

With 17 players eligible to take part in the Champion of Champions event only 10 were seated at the start of play on 13 October, with Series 5 winner Martins Adeniya and Marbella 1 champ Ludovic Geilich joining soon after play began.

Geilich sat down at table one, which began with five players and also included Online Qualifier of the Year Dara O'Kearney, Series 1 champ Jake Cody, Series 6 winner Paul Findlay, London 1 king Robbie Bull and London 2 victor Brett Angell, who had only earned his seat at the table the day before.

Adeniya took up his seat on table two, which was also comprised of Hutchison, Dublin champion Kevin Killeen, Isle of Man 2 winner Josh Hart, double-winner (Nottingham and Isle of Man 1) Duncan McLellan and Nottingham six-max king Ben Mayhew.

Series 2 winner Gabriel Dragomir, Galway champ Alan Gold, Series 3 victor Dinh Tuan Nguyen, Series 4 king Thomas Postlethwaite and Marbella 2 top-dog Rodrigo Espinosa didn't take up their seats in the freeroll turbo.

Play started at 10am, with the players beginning with 10,000 chips and the levels set at 10 minutes, and after an hour's play the final table of nine was set with Hart on 23,000, O'Kearney with 21,000 and Geilich on 19,000 the men to benefit most from the premature departures of Bull, Angell and McLellan.

Mayhew began the final table with 14,000, Killeen on 10,500, Adeniya with 9,600, Cody 7,500, Findlay 7,000 and Hutchison the short stack on 5,800.

Adeniya was the first to exit the final table and had barely played a hand when he moved all-in with QH-JH for 6,950 from early position and was called by Geilich with pocket tens. The board ran KC-2H-8S-8C-3C to hand the pot to the UKIPT Marbella champion.

Cody busted out in eighth place after shoving with his 6,200 stack from early position with KS-JS and finding himself dominated by Killeen with KD-QS. Despite fancying his chances, Cody's hopes were dashed by the 4C-AD-AC-QD-3C board.

Findlay left in seventh place after shoving for 4,600 with KC-QC after O'Kearney had raised from early position with pocket aces.

The 8H-JC-10C flop had O'Kearney sweating, but the 8D on the turn and 10S on the river saw him safe.

A three-way all-in then accounted for Hart, saw Geilich drop to 5,000 and Killeen take a commanding lead with more than 55,000 chips.

Killeen limped on the button with AH-10C before Geilich raised to 2,000 from the small blind with KS-QS and Hart jammed for 10,000 from the big blind with AS-7S. Killeen re-shoved for 22,500 and Geilich called. The board ran AD-QH-8C-9C-4H and Killeen scooped the pot with with his 10 playing and knocking Hart out.

Geilich and O'Kearney soon followed Hart to the rail after another three-way all-in. Geilich shoved from early position with JS-9C before Hutchison three-bet all-in for more than 20,000 with AD-KC and O'Kearney called for 19,200 with AS-QS.

The 9D-JD-QC flop saw Hutchison fall behind both his rivals and the 6D on the turn left him in big trouble but the 10D on the river made his straight to send Geilich out in fifth and O'Kearney in fourth place.

Killeen exited next after shoving from the button with KH-7H and being called by Hutchison from the big blind with QD-10D. A 4S-7D-3H flop was good for Killeen and the AC on the turn kept him ahead but the QH on the river saw Hutchison take a commanding lead into his heads-up battle with Mayhew.

And in the final hand of the tournament Hutchison raised to 5,000 with KC-JD and called Mayhew's all-in shove with AC-8D, Hutchison hitting a jack on the river to earn himself a season's pass to every UKIPT main event in 2015.