Follow The England Poker League Final

We're here at the Loose Cannon club in London ready to follow a night of what promises to be fast paced poker with 149 runners and 30 minute blinds. The England Poker League final will start at 2.30pm today and we'll be keeping you up to date with the latest key hands, chip counts and eliminations as the tournament unfolds.

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20:28: In what was surely the fastest final table we have ever seen the remaining three players held no prisoners.

Chris pushes all in, is called by Jay, and also by Jacque. Jacque is left with just 1k, which he bets to be called by Jay on a flop of 2d-7c-Qd.

At this point Chris flips A-8, Jay Q-10 and Jac Ad-Jd.

The turn is 7s, the river Ks, leaving Jacque without a flush that he had hoped for.

The tournament is over with Jay Doshi winning the EPL final, Jacque Ramsden in 2nd place and Chris Robinson in 3rd place.

We could barely keep up with scribbling the hands tonight, as this tournament was definitely the most aggressive one we've experienced. Well done guys!

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20:17: The action continues. Just a couple of hands after we saw two players eliminated, Jacque Ramsden and Gary Leaderman go all-in.

Jacque shows A-K while Gary has 10-10. The flop comes 7-4-6 but a King on the turn saves Jacque and he explodes with delight. The river doesn't save Gary Leaderman. He's eliminated in 4th place.

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20:12: There is more carnage. Chip leader Jay Doshi pushes a big stack in before the flop and both Jake Slessor and Tom Moore go all-in.

Amazing action! The railbirds go wild as we wait to see the cards on their backs.

Jay shows A-10, Jake K-9 and Tom Q-6. When the flop comes A-8-8 it's looking good for Jay. So it proves when the turn and river fail to improve Tom or Jake's positions. Tom Moore finishes in 6th place and Jake Slossor in 5th place.

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20:09: The final table is absolute carnage. The first hand sees Morgan Lockyear's 10-10 cracked by Sanjay Patel's K-K, and with that we see Morgan's exit from the tournament.

But Sanjay pushes on the next hand with a call from Jay Doshi, who flips 10-10 to crack Sanjay's A-9.

Morgan Lockyear finishes 8th and Sanjay Patel 7th.

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20:00: The final table is as follows:

Sanjay Patel (Uxbridge Wildcard April)
Tom Moore (Cricketers 1)
Chris Robinson (Watford Wildcard June)
Morgan Lockyear (St Albans semi 5)
Jacque Ramsden (The Red House 1)
Jay Doshi (Harrow semi 4)
Jake Slessor (Grebe 2)
Gary Leaderman (Harrow Wildcard May)

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19:58: The last 10 minutes is a blur - the pace quickens and furious cheers break out every 30 seconds or so. Fantastic stuff as railbirds cheers on their mates, both tables crowded out.

Thirteen players become 12, become 11 and so on.... until we're down to the final table.

Here we go...

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19:50: Angie Geach is first out after the re-start. With the blinds now 5k/10k she is forced to play given she has only 3k of chips.

Her K-5 looks as though it may hold up against only one caller with 10-3, but a 3 on the river eliminates her in 14th place.

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19:58: The card room goes wild as Jay Patel calls Morgan's all in with 44 against Morgan's AQ. He hits two fours on the board and his quads cause madness in which I find myself lost (it in fact reminds me of being in the North Bank at Highbury as a kid) as his mates celebrate for him. The final table is now decided with just 8 players remaining.

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19:41: Heading into what seems likely to be the last level before the final table, David Behan of England Poker League provides us with some chip counts.

The leader is Jake Slessor with 63k, followed closely by Sanjay Patel with 60k.

Short stacks are Melanie Dempsey and Angie Geach with 2k and 3k respectively.

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19:37: Break.

This is likely to be the final break before the outcome is decided - back shortly.

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19:34: Blinds up 6k/12k. The final table should be decided within the next half hour.

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19:31: We are now down to two tables and 18 runners. As the final table approaches the card room is buzzing with excitement - with chanting and cheering from the cash tables for the remaining tournament players.

Jay Patel is having a great day having just doubled up with K-Q vs A-10. A flop showed K-Q-7 for a pair of kings, however also giving his opponent a straight draw. Jay hit a K on the turn for good measure giving him a set.

On the next hand Jay's mate Sanjay Patel (they are both from the Uxbridge club) doubles through with K-8 - hitting two kings on the flop as well as a flush on the river to rub it in.

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19.25: Albana Minaj is out in 22nd place. Great entertainment all day, Albana - as well as playing some excellent poker, her accent appears to have veered from cockney to eastern European depending on her mood. In the end she crashed out when her A-8 was beaten by 8-8. Lewis Insley was out on the same hand, with A-Q doing no good for him.

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19.16: Blinds up to 3,000/6,000.

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19.14: Don't worry, folks, we're back. Paul Randall is the latest player eliminated after going all-in with Q-10 against A-8 suited. His hand would have lost anyway but an A on the river confirms his departure.

The organisers split one of the remaining tables so we're now down to only three tables and just 25 players.

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18.53: Blinds go up to 2,000/4,000.

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18.49: A few players are getting nervous about their low chip stacks. It's no surprise to see risk-taking across the tables as short-stacked players attempt to build up their chips before the blinds are raised again.

Phillip 'Pip' Barrett goes out when his A-2 loses to A-7. Similar hands are taking place across the tables. Barrett's not the only one to crash out as the number of remaining players falls below 40.

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18:40: Tom Kearns takes out two short stacks with pocket twos, hitting a two on the flop for trips. Andy (there are several Andys so I'm afraid I am referring to one of the yet unidentified Andys) is out with his J-4 and Jay with 10-9.

A cool character with an unbuttoned white shirt and orange shades has come back from a rather nasty defeat (refer to the earlier update documenting his full house cracked by quads) to a healthy level. Most recently his K-K held up against A-K. A name is coming soon!

Celeste Trippet moves all in as short stack and is called by 3-3. She flips Q-J and hits a queen to double up.

On an unrelated note, it is very hot in here tonight and if anybody reading this would care to bring in a fan for us to plug in in our little corner we would be eternally thankful.

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18:32: The blinds move up again, to 1,000/2,000.

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18:25: And we're ready to go again.

There are 45 players remaining - the serious business begins here. Nine of the remaining contenders are women. Here at the venue we're debating whether this 20 per cent share of the players being female is higher than you would normally find in the latter stages of a live tournament. Answers on a postcard, please.

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18:05: Break.

Dave Behan, of England Poker League, tells us that although the blinds have moved up every 20 minutes for the last couple of hours there's been plenty of opportunity for the best players to excel.

"For the players taking part you've got to remember this tournament is the end of a season of poker playing and effort," he says. "We don't want it just to come down to pot luck. We've kept the blinds moving but there's plenty of opportunity for players to come through the field based on skill."

Yep, the blind levels seem spot on - four hours down a third of the field are left standing as they prepare for battle after the break.

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18:00: Small blind Brian Barrett moves all in on the turn (Q-J-9-4) and is called in two spots. The callers check down the river (7) and Brian flips 7-7 (trips, though the river wasn't relevant as his callers show A-10 and 2-2... 'deuces?' shouts a spectator, as confused as us with the call).

Laura Pearcey moves all in on a flop of A-10-2 and gets a caller, She flips A-10 for two pair against 2-2 for trips. The turn and river are useless and she is knocked out.

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17:50: Carly Tierny is in the news again - this time for going all-in with A-10. "I'm all-in!" she shouts and stands up, clearly nervous. Nice work, Carly - her hand holds up and she takes chips off a disgruntled opponent. Carly's one of fewer than 60 runners left in the tournament. The tension is starting to mount.

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17:40: Carly Tierny was standing away from the table so I asked her if she was still in. 'Yeah, only just!' she replies. 'I folded A-5 suited against a guy who was all in, and a flush came on the flop.' We both agree, however, that this was a good fold rather than bad play. Sometimes luck likes to stick its tongue out at you...

Jake Johnson doubled up yet again with 10-7 againhst K-Q. Flop comes Q-7-8, but he is saved on the turn with a 10 for two pair. Anael Hassen's K-Q leave him knocked out of the tourney.

Stuart Hepden, the player sporting a PV cap, tells us the story of the cap.

'You get a Poker Verdict cap when you finish last in a tournament with the EPL. I didn't finish last, somebody gave this to me, but I thought I'd wear it for table image to look like a weak player.'

It seems to have worked smoothly as judging by his chip count he must have doubled up several times against unsuspecting players.

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17:23: The guy in the poker verdict cap is called Stuart Hepden. As you'd expect from PV, he looks to us like the clear chip leader.

Craig Thomas is all in pre-flop with A-K against 8-8 and 3-3. Flop is K-K-8 leaving Craig with trips but his opponent with a full house! 'How did you flop that?' he asks. No worries for Craig however as he hits K on the turn for quads and pulls in a nice pot. The owner of the pocket eights looks at his crippled stack and throws away his chip holder 'Won't be needing this any more...'

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17:23: Just under 70 runners left as the blinds move up to 300/600. There are a lot of short-stacked players looking nervous now that the blinds are moving up rapidly.

We've spotted a guy in a Poker Verdict cap. Who is he and where did he get the headgear? More to follow.


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17:05: Blinds up 200/400. Levels are now at 20 minutes.

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17:00: Pre-flop, Lisa Hutchings pushes and is called by Malcom Pulman and Ian Sweet. Malcom flips A-A, Lisa Q-J, Ian A-9.

Board is 8-9-2-3-10 giving Lisa the straight and triple up- and leaving Malcom and Ian crippled with very short stacks. Malcom is clearly unhappy, and who can blame him? Having your aces cracked isn't very fun.

Elsehwere aces hold up as Carly Tierny pushes confidently announcing '1500 all-in' and gets a pocket queen caller for her pocket aces. She shouts 'I'm all in!' to call her friends over and they watch cheering her on as the board comes 5-4-A-2 (somebody shouts - 'It's not all over if there's a three!' but the river is a 6 meaning there is not a straight on the board and her aces double her up.

Another set of double ups occur as Carly rakes in her chips - Sanjay Patel is all in against Ash Patel on a board with K-x-x-J-x. Ash has K-J and Sanjay J-J. Ash is crippled yet again as we have seen several times this night but he manages to hold on with his stack not yet destroyed. Sanjay piles up his chips and asks 'Did you get that?'. We got it Sanjay

Jake Johnson doubles through with his A-10 against 8-8. The board is 9-10-J-Q-K giving him the ace high straight. 'That's harsh!' says the dealer.

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16:50: Play has resumed and there are slightly more than 100 runners left. Tighter play is on show across most tables, with the atmosphere less frantic than it was before the break.

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16:20: Loose Cannon staff are frantically shifting tables during the break. Half the tables aren't needed any more as we've lost a lot of runners during the first 90 minutes of play (head count coming soon, folks).

Oh, what a glorious buffet's laid on - bean burgers, beefburgers, pasta plus scones with jam and cream. Get in there!

Jason Doughty, who qualified from St Albans, crashed out just before the break. "I was a bit unlucky, but the standard is pretty high. There are some good players out there. Mostly they're playing pretty loose, rather than tight." Jason's first-hand experience of the tourney might explain why so many contenders have been dropping like flies.

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16:12: Break.

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16:02: Pre flop, Jake Johnson and Stephen Woodley are all in. Jake flips Jc-7c, Steven Qd-10d. The flop comes 6d-7d-rag. 'A couple of diamonds' says the dealer. 7s comes on the turn and Jake's trips look good - however the river comes 8d and Steven takes the pot with a flush.

Amit doubles up with pocket sevens holding strong against A-8, whilst on the next table Sag goes out with A-J against A-K.

I comment to one of the England Poker League guys that the field is dropping at a very fast pace despite the 3k starting stack, and he tells me 'Even with half an hour blinds these players are used to 15 minute blinds so they play fast and aggressively naturally.'

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15:51: 'AH! On the f***ing river!' we hear as we sit at our computers. These guys do not take defeat lightly.

They are a very bubbly bunch with several players happy to talk to us about their bad beats and also give us some extra information.

When asked if I was reporting, I asked Jay Doshi in return if he had anything interesting to tell me. He responded 'I'm a transexual AND I play poker!'. We should note that he added 'Only kidding, only kidding.'

As I took time to take in the information Jay called Paul Frank's push. Jay flipped 2-2 and Paul Q-3, on a board of 2-Q-4. Paul does not hit a queen and Jay's trips hold up.

They are dropping like flies here in the England Poker League final.

I bumped into Ben Richards (out against ace flush) and Jon Geldham (out with a full house vs full house) who told me the guys who they consider to be the biggest names in the league are out.

Alex O'Neill and George Cox are both gone with the field looking increasingly smaller.

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15:36: Blinds up 75/150.

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15:15: Stuart Pizans is all in on a flop of 8-2-5 and gets called by Craig Cameron. Craig flips 2-2 and Stuart 8-5. Craig watches quietly as the turn and river do nothing for Stuart and doubles up knocking Stuart out.

With a board showing K-6-J-K-rag a confident Clarie Foster chucks in 500, gets a raise from Ash Patel to 1500 and moves all-in. Ash calls and Claire announces 'Full house' K-6. Ash has A-K for trips and Claire doubles up leaving Ash badly down.

Claire's table seems to be the one to watch with another knock back for Ash calling Chris Robinson for 1k on a board showing J-Q-8-2-A. Ash has K-2 and Chris K-J.

A player comments to me that he's pretty sure Claire is the chip leader and I am inclined to agree. We'll get an official chip count on the break.

Cards are 8h-9s-5d-10s-4s. Chris Smith bets 2k and a curious Rob Bailey says 'big bet...' expecting, like the rest of us, a flush. He battles with himself and decides he will call but only to see Chris' Qs-Js. Rob mucks.

Blinds up 50/100.

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14:47: Attention gathers on Stedroy Lee-Skepple who is out on the first hand. I ask him how it went down and he simply replies 'Queen flush against ace flush.'

Meanwhile Celeste Trippit pulls in a reasonable pot with the better straight - A-J against J-9 on a board showing 10-8-Q-7-K.

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14:37: We're off. 25/50 blinds with a 3000 starting stack. The players and their supporters are being loud and filling the club with cheers and banter.

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14:26: The players are being called to their seats and the ruffling of chips is ringing through the venue as they await the call to shuffle up and deal.