London GUKPT Final Day  -  By Poker Boss

Fourteen players made it back for the final day of the London GUKPT, all ready to fight for the title and the juicy £119,780 first prize. 20-year-old Londoner Tony Phillips was the chip leader, but Essex boy and Late Night Poker contender Dave Rudling, Late Night Poker finalist Maria 'Chili' Demetriou and WSOP Main Event casher Ketul Nathwani were all hot on his heels.

Simon Wickenden and bouffant-barnetted Davood Mehrmand came back for the final day with barely enough chips to last a round, and indeed they were eliminated early, along with Darren Pearce, who suffered the misfortune of losing out on only the 2nd hand of the day. Play slowed down for a little while after these three early exits; one particular hand went unnecessarily slowly, when the clock was called and was down to 15 seconds before Marius Hogtun realised that the action was on him; he'd spent the whole time waiting for Dave Rudling to act, having not heard him announce all in. Lucky for him that he twigged just in the nick of time; he called the all in and doubled up.

As the blinds inexorably rose, so the casualties inexorably followed. Darren Pearce went out in 12th, and excitable Italian Alessandro Meoni was cruelly outdrawn by Ketul Nathwani to take 11th place. Steve Jelinek was lucky not to be the Final Table bubbler. Shoving with 9-T, he was called by Nathwani, by now the chip leader, holding K Q but Jelinek fluked a full house to double up and stay in the game. 10th place eventually went to crazy Norwegian Marius Hogtun who misread Dan Samson and was assassinated by his Pocket Queens.

The final table saw Nathwani as the early aggressor, but it was David Rudling who delivered the first knockout, Colin Kennedy losing out in a blind on blind battle to finish 9th. Lloyd Rees was next to join the rail, the Bristol based player finishing a creditable 8th. Well supported Irish player Fran Egan busted out 7th to the disappointment of his vocal rail. 6 handed now, Ketul delivered a fatal blow to Steve Jelinek, his A K racing successfully against Jelinek's pocket tens. Next out was popular player Maria Demetriou, who was unfortunate to get her chips in ahead against big stacked Ketul, only to lose out to his rivered flush. Dave Rudling played well throughout and was rewarded with a 4th placed finish, Ketul proving the vanquisher yet again. Londoner Dan Samson bowed out third, one more victim of Ketul, losing out in a T T v A J race, winning the chunky total of £50,880. Heads up Ketul's earlier dominance meant he held over a 7/1 chip lead and the contest was settled quickly, Ketul's pocket fives holding out versus Tony Phillips A 2. A prize of £69,960 was Phillip's reward for his 2nd place finish but it was Ketul Nathwani who looked destined to win throughout and this proved to be the case as he won his first GUKPT event, taking down the title for a cool £119,780.