Tour Manager Jonathan Raab posts a daily diary during each GUKPT event

Bolton Day 1a and 1b

Ex Republic of Ireland footballer Tony Cascarino has won the seventh leg of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) in Bolton, scooping a first prize of £52,850. He took down the four-day tournament by overturning local legend Ali Mallu in a frantic heads up encounter. Ali had dominated the final table from the off and by the time Roberto Romanello had been eliminated in third place, he held a four to one chip lead over Cascarino. Ali continued to press hard and just when it looked like it could all be over in regulation time, the ex-striker equalized to take the match into extra time. Ali had pushed all in with 8-4 on a 7-4-3 flop, but Cascarino called holding Q-7 and it stood up for him.

On the very next hand Ali shoved again, this time with K-8. Cascarino called immediately with pocket kings and when they also held up Ali was left with just over 60,000 chips. The dinner break then slowed down proceedings but when play resumed it was all over just a few hands later. In the final hand he held A-8 of clubs against Mallu's 9-3 of hearts. A flop of 5-3-T of clubs gave Cascarino a flush and sealed the victory.

In the post match interview Cascarino compared the elation that he felt from winning the tournament with that of scoring a hat-trick. He went on to say. "I had a great sports career, but even this I think has overtaken some of things I have done in football. I just enjoyed it. I've had a strange year and this has made a big difference for me in the poker world."

Cascarino, 46, first took up poker six years ago and has been a regular on the UK poker circuit for the past two years. He has won invitational events before in the Caribbean, but this is his first major tournament victory on home soil. His next target will be the European Poker Tour event that takes place in Barcelona later this week.

The side events earlier in the week were reasonably well attended, with 153 players taking part in Monday's £200 NL Hold'em freezeout. The winner was Glenn Ashworth, who has now won two events on the tour this year and increases his starting stack for the Champion of Champion's tournament to 10,000 chips. Andy Greekfish won the Omaha event on Wednesday, which was also his second victory on the tour, having won a side event last month in Luton. He also moves his C of C starting stack up to the 10,000 mark.

Although this was the smallest field at a GUKPT main event this year, the final table featured several very accomplished players, including former World Poker Tour winner and Late Night Poker stalwart Surinder Sunar. UK heads up champion Kevin O'Leary, who is sponsored by Blue Square Poker also made the final table, finishing in fifth place. The next leg of the tour takes place between 16th-19th of October in Kent at the G Casino in the coastal town of Thanet.