Mark McCluskey battled his way to victory in the Coral.co.uk British Master Poker Tour.
Mark McCluskey secured the Liverpool title of the 2010 Coral.co.uk British Master Poker Tour in a hotly contested final last weekend (09 – 11 July).
Poker players can qualify for the British Masters online for free with Coral Poker. Sign up through CrunchPoker and get your $600 sign-up bonus.
The Worcester ace played a steady game from the start, getting to the final table with the second highest chip count before going on to victory. He took home £9,430, the trophy, and will also have a chance to win a £10,000 sponsorship package for 2011 at the end of season play – off*.
At Gala Casino Liverpool, 51 determined players registered on day one to try their hand at a British Masters title, which saw nine start at the final table on day two.
Looking good consistently, Mark started day two second in chips with 82,625. By the first break three had been eliminated including Saqib Ismail, the chip leader at the start of day two. Now in the dominant position with 148,900 – almost 50,000 chips clear - Mark didn’t stop there. Using his chips to the full and choosing his spots, his skills were rewarded as he knocked out the next three players - Brian Martin, Ky Hutchinson and Ron Wilkinson finishing in sixth, fifth and fourth respectively.
With three players left and 330,000 chips - enough to cover the next player two and a half times - you would be forgiven for thinking it was already over but with his soon to be heads up rival taking out John Callaghan in third, an intense one-on-one battle was looming.
After a quick five minutes recess, Mark McCluskey and John Cullen faced each other almost equal in chips. Over the next few hours the chips changed hands repeatedly with both players having chances to clinch the title until an out of the blue all-in and a call resulted in Marks 9s9c holding up over Johns AhKh, on a bored of 5c, 7s, 2c, 2s, 4h and securing the title.
Coral.co.uk’s assistant poker manager, Philip Harper, said: “The quality of the poker during the Liverpool leg of the Coral.co.uk British Masters Poker Tour was outstanding as always. Mark played a really strong game and knew when to make his moves. This was a well deserved victory for him.”
Harper added: “The dealers at Gala Casino always do a fantastic job and really help to give the tour its player friendly reputation. We’re expecting a great turnout at the next leg of the Tour which takes place in Nottingham on 30 July. Gala Casino Nottingham has a popular card room with a loyal following and it’s easy to get to from anywhere in the country. The casino will be running satellites and, of course, everyone can qualify online at Coral.co.uk.”
Next Stop: Nottingham
The next leg of the 2010 CBMPT is in Nottingham from the 30 July - 01 August. The main event will start at 2pm on the 31 July.
The dates and venues for the 2010 CBMPT are:
· Bristol – Gala Harbourside Casino: 07 to 09 May
· Leeds – Gala Casino Leeds: 11 to 13 June
· Liverpool – Gala Leo Casino: 09 to 11 July
· Nottingham – Gala Casino, Maid Marion Way: 30 July to 01 August
· Stockton-on-Tees – Gala Casino Teesside: 10 to 12 September
· Edinburgh – Gala Maybury Casino: 29 to 31 October
Players can claim their seat at the Liverpool event in the following ways:
1. Qualify online at Coral.co.uk, Galapoker.co.uk and Eurobet.com
2. Live scheduled satellites in Gala Casinos across the country
3. Buy-in at the cash desk of any Gala Casino
Nottingham CBMPT Schedule
· Friday, 30 July: £200+20 NLHE, 6pm start - one day
· Saturday, 31 July: £500+50 NLHE Main Event, 2pm start – two days
· Sunday, 01 August: £100+10 NLHE, 5pm start – one day