28 April 2009

POKER CHAMPION WINS £88,000 IN MANCHESTER TOURNAMENT

52-year old Simon Moorman from Shenfield, Essex has won £88,630 in the fourth leg of the 2009 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) at the G Casino Bury New Road in Manchester. A Credit Manager by day, Simon will now go on to compete against finalists from across the country in the Champion of Champions Final in December 2009, with the chance to pocket a share of the £100,000 prize money!

Moorman, who battled against 298 other players to win the £88,630 prize, is the father of online tournament professional, Chris Moorman. Chris bought his father into the tournament as a late birthday present and was only the second live tournament Simon had ever played in.

In its third successful year, the GUKPT is the biggest series of poker tournaments in the country. Players of all levels compete in several tournaments during the week long poker festival to win life changing sums of money and the chance to compete in the final at the G Casino Luton. Previous winners of the championship event have included ex footballer Tony Cascarino and actor Michael Greco.

When asked about his win, Simon said: "I would like to thank my son for putting me into the event – it’s the best gift I’ve ever had! Whether I play another leg of the tour or not this year, I'll certainly be back to play in the Champion of Champions tournament."

The G Casino Bury New Road regularly host poker events throughout the year and are happy to offer free 'how to play' sessions at any time. Anyone interested should contact the casino directly on 0161 831 6370 or visit www.gcasino.co.uk

The GUKPT will now continue on to its next location in Newcastle from 18th – 24th May. Anyone interested in watching the action live online can log on to www.aworldofpoker.com. For more information about the event please visit www.grosvenorukpokertour.com or contact the Grosvenor Casino Newcastle, 100 St James Boulevard, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4BN, 0191 260 3303.