CANADIAN CLINCHES WORLD POKER CROWN WIN

16 May 2008

A profitable trip to Barcelona for 49 year old player


The long trip to Barcelona in Spain to compete in the 888.com World Poker Crown final table was worth it for 49 year old Canadian poker player Jack Hinchey, a plumber in private life, who took the title and a million dollar main prize.

This week the epic final table was webcast at Pacific Poker as the culmination of an innovative tournament that featured both online and offline action. The first phase of the tournament was online at Pacific Poker, where play continued until ten survivors were left from a starting field of some 3 000.

The game was then suspended, and the players - including Hunchey and three other Canucks - carried their chip counts over to a final table in Barcelona, where the live face-to-face game took place, webcast to the Internet once a final eight players remained.

Players from both Europe and Canada were among the final eight, which comprised Canadians Jack Hinchey (chip leader), Michael Lawson and Mark Castonguy; Bert van Doesburg, Arjan van Bavel and Bart Wetsteijn from the Netherlands; Piotr Stanislaw of Poland and Mark Roessler of Germany.

Eight hours after the start of final eight play, the game was over. Hinchey was truimphant on a $1 million payday after a heads-up with second placed fellow Canuck Michael Lawson, who collected a $397 000 check from the cashier. Hinchey cracked: "This is a lot better than being in a sewage pit" - a reference to his pump business back home in Canada.

Third placed Piotr Stanislaw took home $210 000, and Hollander Arjan van Bavel $180 000 for a fourth place. The last of the six figure prizes went to Bart Wetsteijn on $120 000, whilst Van Doesburg, Roessler and Castonguy respectively collected checks for $90 000, $60 000 and $30 000.

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