So here we are again, a fourth year of VEGAS100 has been and gone, a concept which just goes from strength to strength each year. On this occasion over 250 Redtooth Poker members and guests joined us in Las Vegas to experience the greatest prize in pub poker, the Redtooth Poker VEGAS100 National Final.

What is VEGAS100?

In 2012, Redtooth Poker revolutionised pub poker in the UK by introducing VEGAS100, a concept taking the UK’s top 100 poker players, which are found via regional, national and online qualifiers, to the poker capital of the world, Las Vegas, to join the VEGAS100 experience and compete for the title of UK Pub Poker Champion. 100 players would travel across the pond but only 1 would return as the champion. Fife’s Gordon Cuthill emerged victorious last year to become our first ever Scottish champion but would he hold onto his crown or would a new star emerge from the desert of Las Vegas?

The cards were in the air on time at around 12:00 noon with a 12 hour poker marathon ahead of our 100 winners. The fantastic structure we use for VEGAS100 ensures all of our players get a lot of play in the early stages and as expected it took a while for us to lose our first player. Last year it took 90 minutes before we saw our first elimination, this year it took 45 minutes as Danny Albanese‘s A-K was unfortunate to run into A-A to eliminate him from the tournament.

The chip lead exchanged hands throughout the tournament as it went from James Taylor to Jose Allessendro (below right) to Adam Balazs to Paul Harrison (below left) as every player who was eliminated from the tournament received a big round of applause to show respect for what each player has achieved. The final 20 players were found in the early evening and all 20 received an introduction.

Welcome our final 20 players…

20th: Tommy Walker – Gartocher, Glasgow
19th: Charles Bullock – Crown, Maidenhead
18th: Laura Thompson – Midland, Sheffield
17th: Andy Jones – Market Tavern, Sandbach
16th: Andy Hiew – Old Manor, Paignton
15th: John Gurnhill – Mosborough Miners Welfare, Sheffield
14th: Dennis Pietragallo – Crown, Bridgnorth
13th: Thomas Lees – Challow British Legion, Challow
12th: Scott Anderson – Trimpell Sports & Social Club, Morecambe
11th: Liam Davidson – Poachers Cottage, Newcastle

VEGAS100 2016 Final Table

After a 3 hour final table battle the remaining player’s exited in the following positions…

10: Toni Perks – Highway Man, Doncaster
09: Adam Balazs – Fountain Bar, Aberfeldy
08: Paul Harrison – Mundy Arms, Heanor
07: Matthew Evans – Crown, Chesterton
06: Sam Pearson – Spencers Sports & Social Club, Melksham
05: Ray Bartram – Barley Mow, Leeds
04: Graham Brandreth – Riverside Farm, York
03: Neil Jalfon – Snooty Fox, Crawley

Neil’s elimination in 3rd place brought us to our heads-up battle between the big stack Jack Morton and Michael Knight. After around a 50 minute heads-up battle with the chips moving from one player to the other the final hand was upon us. With Jack at risk he tabled A-8 to Michael’s 9-9 and with a board favourable to Michael, Jack was eliminated in 2nd place and with it a new UK Pub Poker Champion was found in Droitwich’s Michael Knight!!

Meet the 2016 UK Pub Poker Champion!

VEGAS100 Finishing Positions

01 Michael Knight – Copcut Elm, Droitwich
02 Jack Morton – Brownlow Arms, Newark
03 Neil Jalfon – Snooty Fox, Crawley
04 Graham Brandreth – Riverside Farm, York
05 Raymond Bartram – Barley Mow, Leeds
06 Sam Pearson – Spencer Sports & Social Club, Melksham
07 Matthew Evans – Crown, Chesterton
08 Paul Harrison – Mundy Arms, Heanor
09 Adam Balazs – Fountain Bar, Aberfeldy
10 Toni Perks – Highway Man, Doncaster
11 Liam Davidson – Poachers Cottage, Newcastle
12 Scott Anderson – Trimpell Sports & Social Club, Morecambe
13 Thomas Lees – Challow British Legion, Challow
14 Dennis Pietragallo – Crown, Bridgnorth
15 John Gurnhill – Mosborough Miners Welfare, Sheffield
16 Andy Hiew – Old Manor, Paignton
17 Andy Jones – Market Tavern, Sandbach
18 Laura Thompson – Midland, Sheffield
19 Charles Bullock – Crown, Maidenhead
20 Tommy Walker – Gartocher, Glasgow
21 Trevor Kirby – Melbourne, York
22 Craig McDonald – Observatory, Widnes
23 Graham Case – Saracens Head, Henley-on-Thames
24 Reece Low – Market Arms, Aberdeen
25 Bud Chatwin – Green Dragon, Hucknall
26 Kevin Monger – Duke of Northumberland, Erith
27 Caroline Quinn – Green Dragon, Hucknall
28 Matthew Fisher – Durham Ox, Northallerton
29 Jim McKeown – Mundy Arms, Heanor
30 Cameron Johnstone – Pyramid Snooker Club, Kilmarnock
31 Clive Knowles – Rose Inn, Ashford
32 Maz Maszlag – Royal Oak, Gloucester
33 Gary Barnard – Three Blackbirds, Bexley
34 James Taylor – Greyhound, Blandford
35 Gary Robinson – Farmers Arms, Wirral
36 Jose Allessendro – Duke of Cambridge, Battersea
37 David Booth – Crosspool Tavern, Sheffield
38 Jamie Todd – Old Brewery, Alloa
39 Jamie Grayson – Scenario, Stoke Newington
40 Karen Gallagher – Old Lion, Mortimer
41 Ian Galpin – Dusty Miller, Chesterfield
42 Mark Warner – Boot & Shoe, Newark
43 Matthew Perry – Black Lion, Cardiff
44 Mark Higgins – Stag Inn, Wigan
45 Peter Stevenson – Golden Hind, Cambridge
46 Richy Mackie – Scotia Bar, Aberdeen
47 Richard Thomas – Rotunda Tavern, Cheltenham
48 Chris Tuzinkiewicz – Haywain, Peterborough
49 Martin Bremner – Green Dragon, Hucknall
50 Peter Morgan – Peacock, Shrewsbury
51 Tomas Simoliunas – White Hart, Andover
52 Danny White – Anchor, Clowne
53 Jack Sheppard – Railway, Crawley
54 Kevin Trent – Village Inn, Walthamstow
55 Chris Brindle – Jonty Farmer, Derby
56 Chris Pastfield – Mecca Bingo, Southend
57 Jennifer Brown – Mulberry Tree, Warrington
58 Mark Andrews – Kittiwake, Dover
59 Andy Cannon – Black Bear Hotel, Wareham
60 Ashley Sheppard – Barrow Hill Social Club, Chesterfield
61 Martin Cox – Two Brewers, Brackla
62 Antonio Rochira – Greene Man, London
63 Matthew Salter – Mecca Bingo, Southend
64 Peter Hendrick – Park Hotel, Southport
65 Terry Kempe – Redruth Railway Club, Redruth
66 Gareth Boyle – Old Clarence, Coventry
67 Chris Wilson – Kings Arms, Leicester
68 Andrew Carr – West End, Cleckheaton
69 Mark Jewell – Courthouse, Caerphilly
70 Darren Hinchliffe – Fox & Goose, Lancaster
71 Stavros Achilleos – Ship Inn, Paignton
72 Gerry Forbes – Mecca Bingo, Aberdeen
73 Mark Barnard – Two Brothers, Southampton
74 Andrew Winbourne – Dun Cow, Stevenage
75 Jon Whale – Duke of Cornwall, Ivybridge
76 Kevin Cairney – Westport Tavern, Cupar
77 Bradley Staight – Ash Tree, Ashford
78 Phil Brereton – Old Inn, Weston-super-Mare
79 Richard Blanchard – White Lion, Hemel Hempstead
80 Greg Coles – Black Horse, Trowbridge
81 Nathan Clayton-Higson – Pear Tree, Purley
82 Ricki Thomas – Two Brewers, Cardiff
83 Michael Rispin – Big Tree, Sheffield
84 Emily Glancy – Seven Woods, Warrington
85 Daniel Parsons – Duke of Cornwall, Ivybridge
86 Jonathan Vasey – Shuttle & Loom, Darlington
87 Michael Thompson – Oyster Catcher, Hull
88 Jeffrey New – Rhodrons Clubs, Surrey
89 Richard Williams – Ferndale Hotel, Rhondda
90 Paul Arthur – Green Dragon, Hucknall
91 Hugh O’Donnell – Leopard, Doncaster
92 Gary Hilton – Seven Woods, Warrington
93 Shane Ross – New Crown, South Shields
94 Gordon Cuthill – Ceres Inn, Ceres
95 William Thompson – Peacock, Shrewsbury
96 Darren Jenkins – Paddock, Derby
97 Martin Woolf – Plough, Skellingthorpe
98 Danny Albanese – White Bear, Barrowford