Italians Dominate UKIPT London as Sposato Books First Major Title in Style

London’s iconic Leicester Square was the scene for the final day of UKIPT Main Event action as all the remaining 13 players started well inside the money places. With £696,000 ($888,750) in the prizepool, the top prize of $162,800 was won by Italian poker professional Gaspare Sposato across 12 hours of terrific poker action courtesy of PokerStars.

Hindry Can’t be the Hero

Heading into the final 13, Sposato had the chip lead but he wasn’t to have it all his own way at all throughout a tough day’s play. Exits for Bulgaria’s Boris Velev (13^th place for $10,150), Jamie Geraghty (12^th for the same amount), George Sandford (11^th for $12,130) and Alex Romero (10^th for $12,130 too) kicked off proceedings.

Before those players had cashed, the previous day had seen several late exits for big names such as Craig McCorkell (22^nd) and Barny Boatman, with the PokerStars ambassador exiting in 21^st place. Another legend, Jack Hardcastle, busted in 17^th place.

Romero was unfortunate to lose a flip at the exact wrong time in 10^th place and bubble the final table, his pocket sevens shot down by Alessandro Pichierri’s ace-ten as the Italian flopped K-Q-J to make a Broadway straight that was unassailable after a ten landed on the turn and a brick on the river sent Romero home.

Hopes for an Englis winner in England took a knock when Joe Hindry left for $15,050 in ninth place. All-in with pocket sixes, Hindry lost out Pichierri’s ace-ten as once again, the Italian made the better hand on the board, pairing his ten on the turn to eliminate Hindry and take a lead into the final eight.

O’Driscoll Loses Out

With eight players left, the final Irish player in with a chance of glory busted. Conor O’driscoll moved all-in with ace-queen after a flop of Q-7-2 with two hearts landed. Called by Sposato with king-nine of hearts, the turn of a nine of spades was safe enough but the five on the river came in the right suit for the Italian and O’driscoll – and Ireland’s – hopes were flushed away, as he left for a score of $19,600.

Colin MacAndrew’s was the next player to go, first seeing his pocket kings cracked by Pichierri’s ace-high when all the chips went in pre-flop then losing with ace-king to Sposato’s pocket queen-nine. A queen-high board landed to take the at-risk Scotsman out, leaving him to lick his wounds on the rail for $25,400.

The Spanish player Artus Gimenez busted next, losing out in sixth place for $33,050. All-in with ace-ten, his attempt to replicate Pichhieri’s record with that hand fell flat as it lost a flip to Pichierri’s countryman Candido Cappiello with pocket nines. And soon after, five became four. The last British hope, Saigokul Kannan, busted for $42,850 when his ace-nine lost to Pichhierri’s ace-four, a four on the flop coming to oust the dominating player at the start of the hand.

Sposato Outlasts His Countrymen

Three Italians and one Bulgarian began four-handed play dreaming of glory. Alessandro Pichierri had been running so well, he might have been tempted to hop on a Eurostar train to Paris on the final day of the Olympics to stand in for Tom Cruise, but – just like Tom – a big fall was coming.  Pichierri had the best of it with pocket jacks to Sposato’s ace-jack, but a three-outer ace landed on the turn and critically damaged Pichierri’s stack.

Not that he busted next. That honor was reserved for his countryman Candido Cappiello, whose luck ran out when his ace-king lost to Atanas Pavlov’s pocket queens. A king on the flop raised Italian hopes of a three-way battle for glory between players from the same county but a queen on the turn sent Cappiello to the rail in cruel fashion for a return of $55,600 in fourth place instead.

Out in third was Pichierri, who had a bitter demise, his rivered flush bettered by the nut flush of Pavlov, and the Bulgarian went into heads-up with a dominant 6:1 chips lead. That swung this way and that over hours of play, during which point Pavlov had a better than 12:1 lead with Sposato down to six big blinds. The Italian played fearless poker to double back twice, however, before moving ahead and getting it in with pocket sevens. Pavlov called with ace-eight but couldn’t win the flip, hitting nothing across the Q-J-9-6-4 board to hand Sposato the first major title of his career and $162,800.

Watch how all the action went down right here:

Photographs courtesy of award-nominated photographer Danny Maxwell for PokerStars, the home of the European Poker Tour.