English poker player Timothy Chung was crowned champion at the third MPN Poker Tour Manchester Main Event which took place at the Grosvenor Casino, located in the eponymous city, from July 20 to July 23. The event drew the attention of 288 participants who all competed for a share of the £150,000 guaranteed prize pool after contributing with a £550 buy-in. Two days after the start of the MPN Poker Tour Manchester, the 288 field was reduced to nine contestants who took a seat at the final table to compete for the first-place prize of £29,900 and the champion trophy.
The final day of the event commenced with Yiannis Liperis leading in chips. As Liperis succeeded in maintaining his dominance through Day 2, many people considered him a favourite for the champion title. Alex Kong was the short stack at the Main Event’s final table and joined the action with a handful of chips, which caused many to question his ability to survive more than a few hands.
The final table did not lack in surprises as Sebastian Gruszczynski doubled up opponents Cieran Tighe and Timothy Chung shortly after the action began. Gruszczynski’s aggressive play, however, caused him to fall behind in chips. The first player to get eliminated at the final table was Andreas Olympios, who finished in 9th place with £2,800 in chips after running into the pocket kings of opponent Cieran Tighe.
Olympios’ elimination was surprising as many were left with the impression Alex Kong would be the first one to go. Kong was left with less than two big blinds but a pair of pocket aces saw him through the first level of play. Olympios was followed by Cody Wagner who settled for the 8th place and a prize of £3,650. He had contributed way too many chips to the pot before the flop so when Cieran Tighe flopped a quad with his pocket nines, it was too late for Wagner to fold his pocket aces.
Tighe continued his elimination spree and Colin Guthrie was his next victim, finishing in 7th place for a prize of £5,100. Finnish player Jari Hurri followed in Guthrie’s footsteps as he was forced to settle for a 6th place finish and a £6,500 in prize money. Chung’s suited ace-king led to the demise of Gruszczynski whose pocket threes proved powerless against his opponent’s top hand. The Polish player left the final table in 5th place, with a prize of £8,350. Liperis was the next to go despite the fact he succeeded in gaining some chip advantage during the first half of the event. Chung sent Liperis to the 4th place, which earned him a reward of £12,350.
The elimination of Cieran Tighe in 3rd place, with £16,350 in prize money, marked the start of a heads-up battle between Timothy Chung and Alex Kong, who evaded earlier elimination by winning several all-in pots. Heads-up play lasted for a single hand only as Chung prevailed over Kong with a top pair and sent him to the runner-up position for a second-place prize of £21,800.
The final blow Chung delivered to his opponent earned him the champion trophy and a reward of £29,900. The English poker pro already boasts an impressive tournament record although he shared he was more comfortable with partaking in live cash games. Chung’s latest win at the MPN Poker Tour Manchester has boosted his total live earnings to nearly $300,000.
- Author
Harry Evans
