Londoner Mike Ellis wins Event #30 $1.5k NLHE

Londoner Mike Ellis wins Event #30 $1.5k NLHE

Saturday, 19 June 2010

England's footballers may have proved to be a major disappointment at the World Cup but their poker equivalents certainly haven't at the World Series. Mike Ellis has added to the burgeoning British reputation by winning the $1.5k NLHE bracelet.

Ellis, a regular at The Vic, steered his way through a massive field of 2,400 runners to take the biggest win of his career. The bracelet isn't his first big tournament score though as Ellis claimed the GUKPT Champion of Champions event in 2007 for a payday of almost £200,000.


The Londoner started the day as one of the short stacks but judiciously worked his way up the leader board, eventually facing Christopher Gonzales in what turned out to be a marathon heads up session.


The lead changed hands on a number of occasions before Ellis gained control. The end came after three hours of two-handed play. With the blinds at 80,000/160,000 Ellis raised from the button. Gonzales re-raised by another 500,000 and the Englishman called. Gonzalez then bet out 1.25m into the Jd7s6d flop with Ellis again making the call. The turn brought the 5d and Gonzalez went all and Ellis snap called revealing Ad10d for the nut flush. A disconsolate Gonzalez revealed pocket aces which must have been an awful way to go out.


The 45-year-old Ellis was obviously delighted saying, “This means absolutely everything. It’s definitely the marking post for playing poker. If you have won a bracelet, then you have really achieved something playing poker.”


Hopes had been high for Neil Channing going into the final day but some rough luck meant that his search for an elusive bracelet continues. Channing cashed for the third time this year but busted out in 11th place.


Hopefully he'll seal the deal in a future event. As winner Mike Ellis said, “The British players have had a fantastic year. And you can see from all the support we get. We are all kind of rooting for each other here and we come together. We are all friends and we know each other back home. It’s nice to see all of us doing well. It’s great.”


The final table positions and payouts were as follows:


1 Mike Ellis $581,851
2 Christopher Gonzales $360,906
3 David Wilkinson $254,996
4 Martin Jacobson $183,345
5 Billy Griner $133,574
6 William Kakon $98,605
7 Jason Hallee $73,719
8 Chris Kastler $55,814
9 Jeff Cohen $42,790



Tags: Poker News, Londoner, Mike, Ellis, wins, Event, #30, $1.5k, NLHE