Summer of Sam

One of my regrets this Series is that I wasn't able to rail the final table of the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout. At the time, I was blogging the Omaha event in the Pavillion Room, but when possible, I would venture over to the Amazon Room to check out the progress of UK representatives Sam Trickett and Paul 'Pab' Foltyn.

As expected, the scenes were reminiscent of James Dempsey's final, and the Brits were once again out in full force, singing and cheering as if it were the F.A. Cup Final. According to Nolan Dalla, the rail built up a $4,600 bar tab (even without Dubai in tow), and at one point had bottles of Cristal champagne wheeled into the playing area.

Even before the final, there was a real buzz about the event. As we crept into the cash, Stuart Rutter and James Dempsey were also still in, and it was assumed that between the four of them, someone would have a real shot at the bracelet. On this occasion, that man was Sam.

Like the six-handed event Sam finalled in 2008, this event has a tendency of attracting a tough field, and one that is perhaps younger than the average. The final table line-up perhaps reflected this: David Benefield is a hugely talented online pro who remains one of durrrr's closest friends; Amit Makhija is a member of the Brunson 10; whilst 23-year old Jeff Williams is a former EPT Grand Final winner. This was arguably the toughest final table of the Series so far.

Despite being ahead of Trickett in chips, Pab would ultimately find himself eliminated in eighth place for $79,957 when he ran pocket fives into the bullets of Jason DeWitt. A 25-year old online pro from Doncaster, Pab hardly ever plays live tournaments, yet has two WSOP finals and a GUKPT Grand Final title to his name. Not too many people can top him when it comes to ROI.

Sam, meanwhile, was firing on all cylinders, and after Dewitt eliminated Williams in third place with 7-7 versus A-5, he found himself heads-up for the bracelet. A near two hour battle was required to determine a winner, that man being 26-year old DeWitt of Georgia, USA, who tied up victory when his Ts-8h spiked top pair on an eventful 8d-6s-5c-6c-5h board against Trickett's As-7d. The bracelet and $818,959 was to stay in the hands of the host nation.

"I feel like I didn't make any mistakes at the final table," beamed DeWitt. "There is not one move I regret, I was happy with every play I made. I made it to two final tables last year and this one was tougher than those other two. Out of the three final tables, I played my best at this one, so it's nice the Poker Gods rewarded me."

Much like James Akenhead was in 2008, Sam will inevitably be gutted to have come so close, especially after such a dogged heads-up, but the sight of $505,725 for second place will undoubtedly soothe those pains. Johnny Chan won the inaugural event in 2003, and TJ Cloutier emulated that success two years later - Sam would have loved to have joined that elite group, but it just wasn't to be, no matter how bracelet-hungry he was.

Sam cut his teeth in poker at the same venue as myself: the Gala Casino, Nottingham. Although he started playing there a month or two after I relocated to London, I was continually hearing his name, and people were quick to label him a potential future star. After running rampant through his local casino, Sam eventually joined the live circuit and within a year was a GUKPT Champion after taking down the Luton leg for a mouth-watering £109,050.

I don't think you'll ever see Sam researching his Poker Tracker or sitting at home reading strategy books. He's a naturally gifted player who's biggest assets are his aggressive style and his testicular fortitude. He seems to have an innate ability to detect weakness and apply the necessary pressure. He's a dangerous player who'd be a nightmare on any table.

Sam doesn't strike me as the type of guy who's likely to sit on a bankroll either. He's dying for success, and he'll always be looking to climb the stakes and play a bigger game. I expect he pushed a little too hard after his earlier wins, but I sense he will have learned from past mistakes and will this time, along with the support of recent sponsors Titan Poker, scale the ranks with a slightly tighter rein on his bankroll. One thing's for sure, Sam will be enjoying both his success and winnings in equal measure, and I'm sure the local bars will be profiting too.

Either way, Sam's near miss is yet another reminder of the British invasion at this World Series, and that unlike any other year, we have come armed with an array of talent that could finally prove that we are catching up with our American friends who have, for so long, been regarded as the front-runners in poker. With the likes of Neil Channing, Praz Bansi, James Dempsey, Stuart Rutter, Richard Ashby and now Sam Trickett already making their mark, I think we're going to have a pretty strong case.

1st Jason Dewitt -- $818,959
2nd Sam Trickett -- $505,725
3rd Jeff WIlliams -- $328,762
4th Peter Gilmore -- $241,472
5th Amit Makhija -- $179,866
6th David Benefield -- $135,718
7th James Carroll -- $103,594
8th Paul Foltyn -- $79,957
9th Manelic Minaya -- $62,350

Previous Bulletins:

Employee of the Month
Fairytale Endings
Must Be Nice
Make Mine a Double
Blonde on Blonde