EPT London: UK’s Ian Hamilton Comes From Behind in Heads-Up to Win Main Event Title (£664,400), India’s Sahil Chutani Finishes 44th (£12,900)

The 2022 European Poker Tour (EPT) London £5,300 Main Event ran two starting flights and took another five days to finish, with Ian Hamilton emerging as the champion! The poker player from the UK topped the 749-player field to bag his maiden EPT title and a personal-best £664,400 in first-place prize money.

One of the six finalists returning on Day 6, the 31-year-old started as one of the shorter stacks in the field, but some run good, and patience saw him pulling through the over eight hours of play. In heads-up play, Hamilton overcame a significant chip deficit against compatriot Jack Sinclair to clinch victory in the first EPT London Main Event to be held in almost eight years. Hamilton had a modest $271,971 in live tournament winnings to his name, which he more than tripled after the win.

One of the most crucial hands for Hamilton came early into play on Day 6 with the Brit at risk with ace-five against the dominating ace-queen of Alexandre Vuilleumier. Hamilton got his “one time” when he spiked a five on the river to score an unlikely double-up and, in jubilation, took off his vest! Later, he knocked out Vuilleumier in third place with his queen jack completing a king-high straight, taking down Vuilleumier’s ace-queen.

Talking to PokerStars commentator Joe Stapleton after winning the Main Event, Hamilton said, “A couple of levels in, I went out feeling a bit demoralized and then just came back and said it’s time to put the pedal down and go for it. We’re here now. Let’s take it while we can.”

When asked what he would attribute his incredible Day 6 run to, Hamilton replied, “Months of run-bad.”

He hid his face most of the time on the final day and later explained, “That’s just me blocking the world out and trying to play my cards and not worry about all the screens and stuff in your face.”

PokerStars Blog tweeted about Hamilton’s remarkable victory run.

Ian Hamilton roars back from the dead to claim #EPTLondon title and £664K! https://t.co/oqGzrbw98x pic.twitter.com/15ULmEFQXe

— PokerStars Blog (@PokerStarsBlog) October 28, 2022

While the field was stacked with international pros, two Indians, Santhosh Suvarna and Sahil Chutani made Day 2 of the Main Event. Suvarna advanced through Day 1A, while Chutani bagged the fifth-biggest stack among the 156 survivors on Day 1B.

Suvarna, who later finished runner-up in the £3,000 Platinum Pass Mystery Bounty, fell out empty-handed, but Chutani advanced to Day 3, carrying an above-average stack among 80 qualifiers.

Chutani, who is ranked #1 in annual profits on our tracked database, ended his tournament run in 44th place, netting £12,900. He fell in the third level on Day 3 after going heads-up with Enzo Vito on a board that ran . Vito shoved on the river, and Chutani tanked for some time before making the call. It turned out to be a questionable call by Chutani, whose were dominated by Vito’s .

The EPT London Main Event registered a field of 749 players via the two starting flights, collecting £3,632,650 in the prize pool.

Day 2 began with 239 starters (Day 1A – 83 and Day 1B – 156), and only 80 moved forward. Less than a third of them, i,e, 25 advanced to Day 4, where they played down until 16 players were left standing. Only six players made it to Day 6. Czech Republic’s Roman Hrabec (6,135,000) led the group, while Hamilton (3,505,0000) was fourth in chips.

You can watch the replay of the nerve-wracking heads-up match between Ian Hamilton and Jack Sinclair below.

Final Table Results (GBP)

1. Ian Hamilton – £664,400
2. Jack Sinclair – £414,650
3. Alexandre Vuilleumier – £296,150
4. Roman Hrabec – £227,800
5. Danut Chisu – £175,250
6. Nils Pudel – £134,800
7. David Docherty – £103,700
8. Harry Lodge – £79,750

Content & Images Courtesy: PokerNews

Cover Image Courtesy: Danny Maxwell

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