This past weekend, Dusk Till Dawn became the battleground for a 492-strong war, all fighting for the honour of becoming the Sheriff of Nottingham and inaugural Black Belt Nottingham Live Champion.
But before a king could be crowned, Black Belt Poker hosted a six-max High-Roller event on the Saturday evening for those with a slightly larger budget.
The £1,000+90 price tag lured an all-star cast of 27 to the felt, including Black Belt Poker sponsored pros Neil Channing, Kevin Williams, Jamie Burland and Sam Razavi. The field also boasted Daniel Elder who had qualified for the reduced price of £110 through an online satellite on Blackbeltpoker.com.
The eventual winner was Ben Vinson. He overcame an incredibly tough final table that also featured Jake Cody, Matt Perrins and heads-up opponent Stuart Fox, to collect £12,600 for first prize.
The tournament ended on a coinflip, Fox the man all in with Kc-Jd versus 4s-4h. Although Fox paired his cowboy, the flop came a decisive 4d-8d-Kh to give Vinson a set. By the 9s turn it was all over and Vinson had bested one of the strongest fields ever to grace Dusk Till Dawn.
"I was really surprised. There weren't really any weak spots," commented Vinson just moments after victory. "Everyone knew what they were doing, and the final was like a who's who of poker. Matt Perrins in particular is one of the toughest I've played against. I rate him a lot and really like his game."
"These guys are capable of doing anything," he continued, "so you have to be on your guard at all times, and think outside of the box. They're never going to be playing ABC. You need to try and outthink them, because they can play no hand the same as the nuts."
Despite his tender years, Vinson has been playing the circuit for over five years and collated in excess of $600,000 in live tournament winnings. His biggest payday came at the 2007 GUKPT Grand Final when he finished fourth for £53,500. Just a fortnight earlier, he finished third in the Blackpool leg for £38,850.
This year, Vinson has been somewhat quieter in comparison, but with a recent cash in Cannes and his High-Roller triumph in Nottingham, he's finishing the year strong and could well be enjoying a turn of fortune as we head towards the festive period. You Vinson, you lose some - Ben's hitting that winning form.
The High-Roller event was just one of a number of tournaments hosted by Dusk Till Dawn over the Nottingham Live weekend. The Main Event was a $125+15 freezeout won by Orange Belt Stuart Hyson who took home a total of $15,500, as well as the illustrious trophy. Poker personality Nick Wealthall also made the final.
For more information, check out the following links:
Nottingham Live Main Event - Live coverage/upadates
Press release: Hyson Cleans up at Nottingham
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