The final day of the Genting Poker Series in Edinburgh was easily the quickest concluding session in GPS history, with start-of-day chip leader Martin Smith seeing off his rivals for the crown and £33,730 in just under five hours.
The day began with 12 players, from 290 entries, returning to the Genting Club Fountainpark with Smith out in front on 1,830,000, followed by Martin Gallagher on 1,392,000 and Anor Ali on 1,121,000, with David Vamplew next on 514,000.
And it was Smith and Vamplew who ended up going head-to-head for the title, with Smith holding a 4,200,000 to 3,000,000 chip advantage when their duel began.
The final hand of the tournament saw Vamplew make it 180,000 to play on the 10H-3D-7H flop and Smith raise to 400,000.
At this stage Vamplew chose to shove with Smith turning over 9D-8H after making the call wit an open-ended straight draw, while Vamplew held pocket queens. The 2D on the turn was a blank, but the JD on the river gave Smith a tournament-winning straight that left Vamplew with the consolation of £22,500 as runner-up.
Within minutes of the start of Day 3 of the £440 main event Michael Kane busted out. His pocket nines proving no match for Vamplew's AS-KC after the AH fell on the turn.
Jamie Caira then became a second Vamplew victim, his A-9 unable to get there against Vamplew’s pocket 10s.
Chris Craig then accounted for Mindaugas Kriauciunas. Craig's kings holding up against Kriauciunas' sixes.
That left a final table of nine, comprised of Smith, Vamplew, Gallagher, Jonny Gray, Craig, Syed Zaidi, Iain Farrell, Ali and Jamie Anderson. And that was the order in which they finished, Anderson the first to bust out after only 15 minutes.
Vamplew raised to 35,000 and Gallagher called. Anderson shipped his 123,000 stack and both active players called.
Vamplew led for 80,000 on the 8-7-8 flop and Gallagher called. Vamplew then check-folded to a 175,000 bet on the 2C turn, leaving the 9-8 of Gallagher to crush the A-K of Anderson.
Ali joined Anderson on the sidelines after moving all-in for 200,000 with A-Q against Smith who called with A-10. The 4-4-8-9 board kept Ali in front, but a 10 on the river was just what Smith ordered to send Ali home in eighth place.
Next out was Farrell. Vamplew raised to 40,000 and Farrell three-bet all-in for 230,000, which Gallagher called. Vamplew folded and watched on as the K-10 of Farrell went up against Galagher’s A-J. A jack on the flop of the Q-J-6-5-Q board proving more than enough to bust Farrell in seventh place.
Despite cracking Smith’s aces with KD-QD when he hit a runner-runner straight, Zaidi was the next casualty, his all-in three-bet with pocket 10s running into Vamplew's queens.
Craig was the next to leave when he called off his last 200,000 chips with A-6 after Gray had open-shoved for 300,000 from the small blind with 7S-5S. The KS-4S-J flop gave Gray a flush draw, which came in with the 10S on the turn.
But Gray was the next player out after a clash with Smith, who raised to 50,000 on the button and Gray shoved over the top of for 379,000 from the small blind.
Smith called to discover his KQ was trailing the A-8 of Gray until the K-K-5 and turn seven sent all Gray's chips his way.
Heads-up was set when Gallagher busted out in third place. On an 8-7-5 flop Vamplew bet 180,000 and was raised to 425,000 by Gallagher, with Vamplew moving all-in over the top and Gallagher calling.
Gallagher flipped over pocket nines but they were way behind the pocket fives of Vamplew, who'd flopped a set, and that was the way it stayed to send Gallagher out in third place.
Genting Poker Series Edinburgh, 29 October-2 November
1 Martin Smith £33,730
2 David Vamplew £22,500
3 Martin Gallagher £15,000
4 Jonny Gray £8,750
5 Chris Craig £6,750
6 Syed Zaidi £5,500
7 Iain Farrell £4,250
8 Anor Ali £3,310
9 Jamie Anderson £2,380
