Shak Attack Leads The Way In London

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Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013 | Written by Shane Larson

When it comes to poker venues in London or indeed in Britain, it is fair to say that the Aspers Casino in Stratford City is developing a very strong reputation. There is always going to be an exciting element about a new poker venue, especially one in the Stratford area with the memories of the summer of 2012 still lingering in the air. However, it is the fact that the Aspers Casino has already played host to some majorly exciting poker finales in its short existence that pleases so many in the poker community and the climax of the PartyPoker.com Premier League VI event was no exception.

With a head to head featuring English lad Sam Trickett, there was always going to be a lot of neutrals hoping for an English victory but in the end this was not to be. This was not down to any failing on behalf of Trickett who played a strong game throughout the campaign but he was up against a formidable opponent. Dan Shack may still like to convince himself that his poker playing is a hobby that helps to take his mind off his day job but his winning record and skills belie that story!

A commanding lead in the end

Shak was in a strong position heading into the final table but as we all know, this can count for very little. Things can change very quickly in the final table of a poker event and the lead did change hands at many times, including when it was just down to the final two players. Shak made his way to the final table on the back of picking up 39 points during the group stages of the event. The unique set-up of the PartyPoker.com Premier League VI event meant that every point earned in the group stage was equivalent to 10,000 chips for the final table and it was also equal to $2,000 worth of prize money.

This meant that Shak was starting the final table with a stack of 390,000 chips and he already had $78,000 picked up to enjoy at a later time. Given that the buy-in for the event was $125,000 Dan Shak was well on his way to making all that money back and he would have been aiming to leave with a profit.

At the end of the event, this was never going to be in doubt as Shak picked up a massive $400,000 for his troubles. At more than three times the buy-in for the event, the decision to go big was one that worked out well for Shak and he looked delighted as he posed for pictures with the huge trophy handed out to winners.

Trickett will no doubt feel a little disappointed at coming so far but then miss out in the end. At one point in the final showdown he was ahead on chips but Shak clawed him back and eventually finished him off. Sam Trickett will have to find comfort in the $200,000 prize he received for coming second.