The poker elite gathered at London’s Kensington Close Hotel Monday night to honour the UK’s best poker talent. Top pros, card room managers and online operators all converged to poker’s very own “BAFTA’s” in order to celebrate a year when British players dominated the poker tournament circuit both at home and abroad.
Onhand to collect awards were:
Neil Channing: Best Cash Game Player
James Akenhead: Best Tournament Player
Sam Trickett: Player’s Choice; Best Newcomer
Victoria Coren: Best Contribution to Poker
Richard Ashby: Player’s Choice; Best All Round Player
Other winners included:
Praz Bansi: Editor’s Choice; Player of the Year
The Nuts Poker League: Best Poker League
Phil Ivey: Best International Player
Chris Moorman: Best Online Player
The Hendon Mob: Best Poker Forum
“I think the awards are a great thing, it’s a great night and a really good thing for poker.” said award winner James Akenhead.
Black Belt Poker’s Neil Channing said “I’ve been grinding in the Vic for years, along with my fellow nominees like Bambos Xanthos and Ben Roberts, they are real cash grinders, and to be voted above those guys, it’s a real honour.”
Michael Caselli, who co-hosted the awards with Antonio Esfandiari, said, “The event has been fantastic and I hope it’s the first of many to come. More than 3,000 people voted online for their favourite players, which is a fantastic response. Big thanks to Antonio, my co-host, and to the media partners Poker Europa and PokerNews.com for helping us to organise the event.”
The British Poker Awards are the official awards event for the London Poker Festival and individually honour the Best of British Poker. The event supports British Poker but also allows Poker enthusiasts to get involved by voting for their favorite players or by attending the actual awards event.
Following the cocktail party and ceremony The British Poker awards also hosted a Pro/AM tournament.