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C H A M P I O N S H I P


A new champion was found in the form of UK circuit stalwart Nikhil Persaud at


the World Heads Up Championships held at The Vic in November.


The £2,000 buy-in event brought just 28 players together to fi ght through up to fi ve one-on-one rounds, playing a cross-


We're down to the heads-up fi nish in the tournament... Oh' hang on a minute, it's all Heads -Up!


section of online risers, previous heads-up champions and regular live tournament competitors. The number of players registered meant that four


received byes in their fi rst match, and of these four, two were to make it all the way to the semi-fi nals. The fi rst, Jeff Kimber, who


had won this event back in 2007 in Barcelona, fi nally fell at the hurdle presented by eventual runner-up Leon Louis. Louis, although a rarity on the live scene and therefore to many players a wild card, appeared coolly competent, unfazed by the television cameras and the beady eyes of the commentators as he headed to the fi nal, having already seen off stiff competition in the form of John Tabatabai, Jim Reid and last year’s winner Bambos Xanthos. With two previous World


L♠ST M♠N ST♠NDING 


In the fi nal a few early pots heading Persaud’s way were responsible, he claims, for the later stage pressure he was able to exert. Louis admitted that, “Nik was a lot more aggressive than I expected him to be, and I never found the spots to take him on.” Nik said in return of his young opponent: “He was a bit unlucky, he never really picked up anything to fi ght back with. After taking a slight lead early on, then it was at the point where I had 27k and he had 13k and I was always going to keep the pressure on him.”


The fi nal hand gave Winner Nikhill


Persaud is presented with his winners trophy


Heads Up champions making the quarter fi nals, it was by no means easy action on the way to the fi nal game for either Persaud or Louis, and the latter admitted he’d come back from a dangerous-looking defi cit to double through a couple of times and fi nally topple Kimber, who took £5,500 for his tied third place with Toby Lewis. Meanwhile it was Toby Lewis who had stood


in the way of Nik Persaud in the second semi-fi nal. Perhaps advantageously for Louis, this was the last game to fi nish, stretching through the afternoon and giving him a chance to watch both of his potential opponents in action.


the rail their breath- holding moment, as a min-raised rainbow fl op of 4-7-6 brought a swift conclusion to their slow-starting match before the 150/300 level was out. Louis three-bet all in with two red Fives (the best hand he’d seen, he later admitted), and Persaud


had him well covered and elected to call the fi nal 7,900 holding 9-8 of diamonds. The turn and river double paired the board (with a 7-6) which meant that Louis’ pair of Fives were counterfeited and somehow a Nine- kicker swung the hand – and the tournament overall – for Persaud.


Nik Persaud, who picked up £30,000, was


delighted to have won a tournament in a discipline which he admitted was not his primary game, live or online, but which turned out to be, “a lot of fun and some good practise.” Runner-up Leon Louis received £15,000.


bit unlucky, he never really picked up anything to fi ght back with. After taking a slight lead early on, then it was at the point where I had 27k and he had 13k and I was always going to keep the pressure on him...


‘‘ He was a 'Winner, Nikhil Persaud' ’’ www.PokerEuropaOnline.com | JANUARY 2011 | Poker Europa 15


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