The 2008 Mourant Charity Poker Series Champion is...

Me!

That's all...

Just kidding. 

Congratulations to Stuart Rowsell for finishing as runner-up.

Stuart picked-up his silver medal, a digital camera and we did a deal on the Widescreen TV too (I took the cash).

Congratulations are also due to James Schwarz who finished third, picking-up an iPod Nano and the bronze medal.

Before the final table kicked-off, I presented Garret 'Cowboys' O'Brien with his Player of the Year trophy.

The game started off pretty tight, I think we only got through four or five hands at the starting blind level. We started with 10,000 chips and unlike the heats, it was a freeze-out, so no re-buys, which is why everyone  was playing so rock-ish. 

Lawrence took the early chip lead and I gave him a few thousand when I flopped four to a flush with Ace, Jack of clubs. The fifth club never came for me.

Soon after, I slow-played pocket Queens only to flop trips. With two hearts on the board, I made a pretty tasty bet and only had one caller - Stuart Rowsell. Another heart hit on the turn and he bet out half his chip stack. I hated that bet and threw my Queens away. The table seemed surprised at the laydown but Stuart showed his flush after my fold. I was now down to half my starting stack... not a great start!

Richard was the first casualty from the final table on a completely sick hand. James Schwarz raised it up, Richard pushed all-in and Chris The Fish called! James also called and Rich turns over pocket Kings. James AND The Fish both have pocket Aces!!! Unbelievable, and they end up splitting Richard's chips between them as he fails to find his third King.

Jason Derrien is out next, I can't remember my hand but it's a low pair and they hold, taking him out and putting me back to my starting stack of 10,000.

Martin Le Guillou is out next, courtesy of The Fish, whose two-pair cracks Martin's pocket Aces.

The Fish's luck doesn't last long though, when his two pair (one pair is on the board) is cracked by Garret's pocket Cowboys... Jesus, he certainly earned his nickname! At this stage, Garret is a massive chip leader.

Jonathan Queree is out next, the short stack for most of the night, when he plays Ace, Jack and is up against Ace, Queen or Ace, King.

Stewart Daynes is next and we now have two players with massive stacks against the rest of us. Garret and Stuart Rowsell. My stack has dwindled again and I need a double-up if I am going to get a stab at finishing in the top three.

I get Ace, 9 and push all-in and Lawrence is the only caller. He flips over pocket Jacks and I'm in another race! I flop an Ace and take Renzo out and find myself in the final four.

Shortly after, I double-up into Garret when my pocket 8s hold against his Ace, something.

The chips are fairly spread out amongst the remaining four players, although James is starting to bleed chips a little. James puts me to a hard decision when I flop top pair (Queens) with a King kicker. I bet and he comes over the top all-in. I think I'm behind and throw them away. Soon after, he makes a big bet but gets called and he shows a bluff so I beat myself up a little over my earlier fold. He is now down to a few blinds in chips.

I get dealt pocket Aces. Beautiful! I push all-in and Garret is the only caller. I am slightly ahead in chips but only by a little. Now there is history here, as in the last heat I was all-in with pocket rockets against Garret's pocket Kings, and he made a straight when 9, 10, Jack, Queen came out on the board. Garret went on to win that heat.

This time, he flips over Ace, King. A King comes out on the flop and for a moment I am sure another bloody King is going to come. But it doesn't and my Aces hold. I am now chip leader and in the top three. I also win the Bounty Prize for taking the Player of the Year out of the final.

I try and take James out twice, but he doubles-up both times. Eventually, Stuart takes him out and we are heads-up. We strike a deal on the prizes and agree that he will take both prizes and I will take both cash prizes, whatever the outcome.

I make a bluff that costs me most of my chips, only to catch a straight draw that never completes, so lose half my chips. I then get them back when my pocket 8s hold again! At this stage, with the blinds so high, it's pretty much push or fold from both of us. I am more aggressive and build a healthy chip lead.

I push in with Ace, 9 and Stuart calls with King, Queen. He hits a Queen on the flop and it looks like we are going to be even in chips again. The turn is a blank and I spike my Ace on the river, taking down the title, WOOHOO!!!

It's been an awesome series and it feels great to win it. 

I think it was a tough final table and any one of the players deserved to win it.

Final Results:

1ST - Justin 'AnteVirus' Thorne

2ND - Stuart Rowsell

3RD - James Schwarz

4TH - Garret 'Cowboys' O'Brien

5TH - Lawrence 'Renzo' Hansford

6TH - Stewart 'Dark Horse' Daynes

7TH - Jonathan Queree

8TH - Chris 'The Fish' Shield

9TH - Martin Le Guillou

10TH - Jason Derrien

11TH - Richard 'BT' Hansford

In the £20 re-buy tournament, we had our first female winner when Lisa Feighan took down the top spot. Well done Lisa!

The final table looked like this:

1ST - Lisa Feighan

2ND - Martin Le Guillou (proving his final table seat was no fluke!)

3RD - Lloyd Dean

4TH - Nick Caunce

5TH - Tony Hearne

6TH - Mike Ovens

7TH - Steven Howard

8TH - Chas Saunders

9TH - Keilah Lewis

10TH - Kirsten Morel

Record Breaking Pots & We Have Our Final Table For The Mourant Series

Even with Kermit and Renzo being pussies (shame on you both, may you never see pocket rockets again), we still had a record turn out for the home game at Casa Fish. 

Three newbies in the form of Cowboys O'Brien, Dark Horse Daynes and Jakey, joined myself, The Fish, Ian, Poker Princess, BT and Scrooge McDuck for some massive pots.

Previously in home games, the largest pot was £140, taken down by myself at Kermit's Birthday Bash, but last night saw £130 in the first game and £140 in the second game. Nice one.

The first game was pretty lively, and I lost a chunk of my chips in the first few hands when my pocket  Jacks are crushed by the Fish's Ace, Rag (Ace on the flop). I doubled-up soon after though, when I called a pre-flop raise from the Dark Horse, only to flop a tasty straight with a raggedy 5, 7 with a flop of 6, 9, 8. Dark Horse bets and I push all-in. He calls eventually and flips over pocket Aces. Another 9 hits, which means he could fill a house with another 9 or an Ace but my straight holds.

At the end of the re-buy period, three players are all-in, BT, Jake and Dark Horse (I think). BT and Jake just want to go bust so they can re-load with a full stack but Dark Horse has a nice hand with pocket Queens. BT's 7, 3 off-suit, turns a sick straight, giving him a HUGE chip stack and leaving the Dark Horse very jaded about pocket face cards!

I get to the final four, with Cowboys in the lead and myself, BT and Scrooge about even in chips. I get Ace, King suited (clubs) under the gun so push all-in. The only caller is Scrooge, with Queen, 8 suited (diamonds). I'm looking good, Scrooge is about a 2-1 dog to lose (my hand will win 64% of the time) but when the flop springs two more diamonds, I find myself the 3-1 dog (Scrooge's hand  will win 84% of the time in this situation) and he hits on the river taking me out and giving him the chip lead. I steam like a motherfecker, appalled at his pre-flop call with Queen, 8 but that's poker.

BT is taken out soon after and Cowboys and Scrooge chop the pot £65 each way.

I'm still steaming over my Ace, King being dogged so play tight aggressive in the second game and start sucking up chips. The Dark Horse flops a straight but I flop a better straight, so I double-up early.

I then keep hitting hands and soon I own about two thirds of the chips in play and call the short stacks all-in moves. I take the Fish out when he pushes all-in on a draw, I had paired a deuce and it held. Jake was way ahead on a board that gave me a possible straight on the flop and I risk all my chips and river a King. I take Jake out later on with second pair.

I trap Ian beautifully when I call his pre-flop raise with King, 10 suited. I flop a King and check... he pushes all-in and I insta-call. He turns over pocket Queens so my Kings take him out. I take Scrooge out soon after and I'm left heads-up with the Dark Horse.

While we are playing, BT and Scrooge go heads-up for the final seat at the Mourant Charity Series Final Table. Their match lasts three hands! BT flops top pair and Scrooge middle pair. BT's 10 holds so he is our 10th finalist for the 22 August!

When Dark Horse and I start I have a 10-1 chip lead. He doubles-up pretty quickly and moves in again a few minutes later with Queen, 4. I call with Ace, 9 and pair my Ace on the flop. He rivers a straight and we are pretty much even in chips.

I try and avoid pre-flop all-ins as I know I can trap him after the flop. I get King, 8 in the big blind and the flop is King, 8, 7. The turn is a blank and the river another 8, giving me my full house. I push all-in and he calls with a King. So I take down the biggest pot.

Welcome to the game boys, see you next week!

jT