Feldman and Schwartz on BBC Show
Last night Andrew Feldman and Luke Schwartz appeared on BBC London Regional show Inside Out in a feature about young online poker players. Schwartz was pictured driving a very nice Bentley then onto his apartment where he played a game of online poker, we met his agent and he discussed the highs and lows of poker. Feldman then also was shown in his apartment, with his section very much focussing on the lows of poker, where he revealed his lost his entire bankroll of $100,000 at the time a few years ago and went to Gamblers Anonymous, we also heard concern from his mother and he revealed he played often 80 hours a week.

It’s usually bad news when mainstream TV chooses to showcase poker in this manner and this feature did focus heavily on the low points of poker. The usually brash Schwartz actually came across more level headed than usual (At least compared to his ‘Fullflush’ alter ego) and his element seemed a lot more balanced. Feldman, however, was portrayed very much as a victim of the game, an isolated figure who had not resolved his gambling issues. Nothing was made of the sponsorship deal, the TV appearances or the jet set lifestyle we would associate with the high profile young UK player.

The overall tone of the show would suggest that it was heavily edited to portray both men and particularly Feldman in this light, or perhaps there are some personal demons he still needs to exercise. You can see for yourself on the BBC Iplayer.

Two WSOP final tables and a win in TV’s most prestigious tournament The Poker Million; to say that 2009 had been a good year for James Akenhead would be an understatement. The young player’s achievements over the last 12 months have been nothing short of phenomenal and, not only that, but a testament to his drive and determination.

After narrowly losing out on winning a bracelet in 2008 to Grant Hinkle, James bounced back in spectacular fashion this summer by making the much coveted November Nine. As if outlasting thousands of players and booking a place alongside the great Phil Ivey in the biggest poker tournament wasn’t enough, he used the three month break to make another final table at the WSOPE. At both final tables James was up against it from the start and despite looking as though he would defy his chip deficit and take down the title, luck played its part and saw to it that he was yet again a whisker away from victory.

There are, however, only so many times that you can knock on the door before fate finally lets you in and James finally clinched a much deserved victory in The Poker Million. On a final table that included sit-n-go sensation Dag Martin Mikkelsen, Taylor “GreenPlastic” Caby and Luke “FullFlush” Schwartz his path to victory was fraught with danger. The deadly trio soon fell though and with only Juha Helppi left standing in his way James set about demolishing the Finn and after both players got the money in pre-flop Akenhead’s tens ran out a comfortable winner against the pocket sixes of Helppi.

James has come a long way since driving trains and playing the £5 rebuy tournaments at the Gutshot but what does the future have in store for the UK’s hottest talent? His recent sponsorship with Full Tilt will give him a massive boost and will certainly allow him to play in more tournaments across the world. In terms of the influence James’ success will have on the UK poker scene at large the effects will be profound. The success of a British player on the world stage will certainly provide a platform for more young players from the UK to break into the spotlight. Indeed, the recent signing by Chris Moorman to Doyle’s Room along with J.P. Kelly’s association with Pokerstars are just the first signs that the UK poker scene is on the rise. Of course if James could have won the WSOP Main Event there would have undoubtedly been a second poker explosion in the UK, however, the notoriety he has garnered over the past three months will certainly be enough to encourage more interest in the game.

Already James has appeared on the increasingly popular Poker After Dark with some of the most famous names in the game and with more TV exposure predicted in the next 12 months it seems as though Mr Akenhead will likely become an ambassador for UK. It’s unlikely that we’ll see a complete changing of the guard as many of the more established UK pros such as the Devilfish and the Hendon Mob are recognised the world over. However, whereas these pros may have helped bring about the first poker boom, their influence is beginning to wane and the time seems right for players such as James to use their success to pick up where these players left off and help promote the game across the world. Maybe this is a cross many young players won’t want to bare but it is safe to assume that someone with such maturity, like James, is bound to relish such a challenge.

Former Chelsea and Republic of Ireland legend Tony Cascarino has confirmed he is the real deal at the poker table by landing his second Grosvenor UK Poker Tour title. Last year Cascarino took down the GUKPT Bolton Main Event and last night he went one better by winning the GUKPT Grand Final at the Vic in London.

183 players in total played in the £3000 main event and it was a case of De Ja Vu at the final table as both Cascarino and Stuart Rutter were making their second appearance at the final table of this event. Also at this final was recent World Heads Up Champion Bambos Xanthos and high stakes cash pro Albert Iversen.

Final Table
Romano Pizzo - 879,500
Albert Iversen - 589,500
Bambos Xanthos - 434,000
Philip Patrick - 407,000
Mike Hill - 371,000
Daniel Millar - 338,500
Stuart Rutter - 263,000
Tony Cascarino - 261,000
Antoine Arnault - 124,500

Amazingly it would be short stacks Antoine Arnault and Tony Cascarino who eventually found themselves playing for the title in a swingy heads up match. Eventually Cascarino captured the title when he hit runner runner hearts holding ace-two of hearts on a T-J-8 flop vs the T-9 of hearts of Arnault. Don't feel too sorry for Arnault however, as he is by all accounts the son of the 14th richest man in the world.

Cascarino won £168,800 and became only the second player to win multiple GUKPT main events (The other being Julian Thew). Perhaps even more significantly he has silenced any critics who may have considered him 'just another celebrity poker player', he commented after the victory: "Getting respect from your peers and being acknowledged for being good at whatever you do with your life means a lot to me…I think I have proved myself now."

It's also good news for poker in the UK and the profile of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour, as the footballing legend will no doubt bring some good publicity to the game over the next few weeks.

The 2009 tour is now coming to a close with the prestigious Champion of Champions festival which begins today with a week or warm up events (Which are also the last five chances to qualify for the event.)

1st - Tony Cascarino - £168,800
2nd - Antoine Arnault - £107,100
3rd - Philip Patrick - £71,400
4th - Daniel Millar - £43,900
5th - Albert Iversen - £32,900
6th - Charalambos (Bambos) Xanthos - £27,400
7th - Romano Pizzo - £22,000
8th - Mike Hill - £16,500
9th - Stuart Rutter - £11,000

The World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Chicago Main Event came to a conclusion that saw Dan Livingston of Oak Forest, Ill., snag the first place prize of $291,749. Despite facing a field of 248, which grew in attendance by 12% from the previous year, the 22-year-old part-time poker player felted the field on his way to the win. According to Livingston, his victory was well worth the effort. "I feel really good. What was it? Forty hours of work for nearly $300,000? I’ll take it," he said.

Although Livingston mostly plays low- to middle-limit buy-in tournaments at the Horseshoe Casino, he found his way into the $5,000 buy-in thanks to a special promotion from the poker room. Livingston gained entry to the Circuit tournament while playing one afternoon inside the Horseshoe poker room. As part of the special promotion, the Horseshoe gave away as many as four Main Event seats daily. Each day, on four occasions for two full weeks prior to the start of this year’s Chicago series, one poker table was randomly selected with the player at the table who was given the highest card received an entry into the Main Event championship. Livingston received his high-card entry about two weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised to play in his biggest poker tournament ever.

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According to Livingston, he realized he had a solid shot at a victory once he made the final table. "When we got to the final table, I had about 900,000 in chips. Then, I won a few early pots and I was up to 2,000,000. Then I said to myself, 'wow, I might win this – I have about a fourth of the chips in play. I have a really good chance.' And, I did it.”

Thanks to his new-found confidence at the final table, Livingston was able to make quick work of his opponents when the field narrowed to the final four players thanks to his sizable stack. "Everybody else as the table was around a million and I was up to four-million at that point. So, I could pretty much do what I wanted.”

With Livingston's biggest previous cash having come online ($4,000), this marks the biggest payday for the young player and he is setting his sights on the upcoming 2010 WSOP. "I have always wanted to really win a gold bracelet. But I must say that the gold ring will really do for now. This win was a big confidence booster.”