Birmingham's Stuart Rutter has won the 5th leg of the 2010 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour at the G Casino in Coventry. He defeated a field of 142 players in the three-day tournament to bank the first prize of £41,910 and claim his seat in the tour's £150,000 Champion of Champions tournament. The 27-year-old Oxford mathematics graduate, now a professional poker player sponsored by gcasino.com was competing in a record equalling 4th GUKPT main event final table. He defeated Danny Toffel from Banstead after a cagey heads up encounter. After eliminating Darren Grosvenor from Glasgow in third place he took a commanding chip lead into the final stage of the tournament. However the 40-year-old company director did not roll over easily and despite being suffering a 6-1 chip deficit, the heads up play continued for almost two hours before reaching its eventual conclusion. In the last hand he had pocket nines versus Toffel's pocket fours to eventually claim victory.

During his post-tournament celebrations Rutter praised the staff at the Coventry venue, saying

"The tournament has been fantastically run throughout all three days and this is the perfect venue for this poker tour. Playing the final table on the stage in the show bar is an experience I'll never forget. I'd also like to thank my sponsor gcasino.com, who have given me the opportunity to play in all the GUKPT main events this year."

He went on to say, "This win is absolutely perfect timing coming just one week before I set off for Vegas and the WSOP. It gives me a great confidence boost which I always struggle for on the GUKPT having made three previous final tables and seeing them go wrong each time."

Also competing in the ten-man final was former champion Jeff Kimber, who was also taking part in his 4th main event final table. He exited in 6th place, having been short-stacked throughout the final day of the tournament. Welsh mouthpiece Roberto Romanello, who claimed 7th was yet another player on the final to have made it to four main event final tables. Hassan Mohammed, a lawyer from Birmingham finished 4th while former poker dealer Tom Mannion from Coventry had gone into the final as the chip leader, but departed in 5th place. Rupert Elder from Bury St Edmunds had been chip leader for much of the second day of the tournament, but the cards deserted him on the final day and he was eliminated in 8th. Poker journalist and host Nick Wealthall, who was competing in his very first GUKPT main event finished in 9th place while record producer Leon Campbell from London completed the final table line in 10th place.

The GUKPT Main Tour now takes a seasonal break, but the poker action continues next week when the tour's little sister, the Summer Series gets under way simultaneously in two separate venues. The first of these mini-festivals begins on Wednesday 26th May at the G Casino in Blackpool with several days of warm up events before the £500 main event takes place over the bank holiday on Sunday 30th & Monday 31st May. Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the country at the G Casino in Thanet, Kent, the second of these festivals begins on Friday 29th, culminating in a £300 main event, also taking place on Sunday 30th and Monday 31st May. A further eight GUKPT Summer Series festivals take place over the next three months taking in Newcastle, Aberdeen, Dundee, Walsall, Luton, Sheffield, Manchester and London. The main tour recommences in August when the 6th leg takes place at the G Casino, Luton from 7th - 15th August.

Venue: G Casino Coventry
Date: 21/05/10 - 23/05/10
Event: £1,000 NL Hold'em Main Event
Length: 3 days
Runners: 142
Total Prize Pool: £142,000
Result:

*1st placed winner also wins a seat in the Champion of Champions tournament.