A poker-fan who swapped racket sales for playing cards has taken home £65,000 after winning a major tournament.
The penultimate leg of the 2015 Grosvenor Casinos UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) has come to a close with Will Davies, in Barnhill, Pinner, emerging victorious.
An Arsenal fan and golf fanatic, the 23-year-old left his sales job in a racket store in Amersham ten weeks ago in order to pursue poker as a full time profession.
He said: “Poker is what I enjoy doing and I got offered a good deal to play for a sponsor, so I don’t play for myself, I thought I’d give it a go.
“The job I was at wasn’t really a career job for me, and this gives me a chance to do something I love. Yeah, I took a chance.
“I live at home with my parents so I’m in the lucky in the sense that I can use this opportunity now to try and make a career out of it, and if it doesn’t work I can still look for a career in something else.
“The competition and social aspects are the main things with poker. I get to travel up and down the country and playing in the competitions, but I meet a lot of new people and it is really the social side of things.”
After winning his £1,090 seat for the tournament for just £90, he had his work cut out for him at the final event as 226 players from around the country flocked to the Grosvenor Casino Luton - generating a prize pool of £226,000.
But the young player maintained his poker face as he took on friend and competition Gary Banks to take home the coveted trophy and £65,550 in cold hard cash.
Mr Davies said: “I’ve played at that level before and I know a lot or most of the players there, so I was pretty relaxed about it.
“I’m really good friends with Gary so it was pretty strange playing him in the final, really surreal.”
Mr Banks, also a Grosvenor Casino Luton regular, came second winning £42,920 while Richard Kellet finished third taking home £26,900.
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