Former European Number One Become Inaugural GUKPT Champion of Champions
In the early hours of Friday 5th November, former European number one Ash Hussain triumphed over a field of 87 2008 GUKPT tournament winners to become the tour's inaugural Champion of Champions. He secured a first prize of £20,000 in claiming the prestigious title in the unique tournament at the G casino in Luton. The tournament broke new ground by allotting players varying sized starting stacks, based on the size of the buy of the tournament they won to qualify for it. Players were also uniquely given the opportunity to vote for two different prize structures. One option was to have a top prize of £25,000 and to pay the top nine players, while the second flatter option offered a £20,000 first prize and a total of 13 players in the money. The players voted in favour of the second option by a count of 45-34 (players who arrived late were not entitled to vote).
It was a high quality field that featured almost all of the 2008 tour's 93 event winners. GUKPT Grand Final winner Paul ‘Pab' Foltyn and GUKPT Player of the Year Marc Goodwin were two of the favourites to win and both made it to the final table. Goodwin went into the final as a massive chip leader claimed the first four scalps of the final. It looked like the 2008 GUKPT player of the year was getting it all his own way, however his luck was soon to run out. David Rudling, who had been quiet during the early part of the final then turned the table on its head, winning a series of large pots when there were three players left.
During this spell he knocked out Goodwin by outdrawing him with K-9 against Mr Cool's A-K, when a 9 came out on the turn. Stunned Goodwin stumbled from the table, losing the defining characteristic of his moniker for a short while before regaining his usual composure.
This left Rudling up with the chip lead over Ash Hussain going into the heads-up stage of the tournament. However, Hussain fought back and eventually overcame his opponent to become the inaugural GUKPT Champion of Champions. In the final hand Ash limped, David bet 45,000, which Ash called. As the flop was being dealt, David moved all-in in the dark on a flop of 2-J-T (rainbow) and Ash called with J-8. David had pocket nines but a further jack on the turn and a 5 on the river ended the tournament in favour of the former European number one from Accrington.
Hussain had taken time out from poker for most of the year, but signalled his return to the game by taking down the Grosvenor Grand Prix last month, which qualified him to play in the Champion of Champions tournament. He then went on to make a final table in a side event in leg 9 of the tour in Blackpool and has now confirmed that he is still a class act and one to watch on next year's tour.
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