Talk Club Takes Down the 2024 APAT UK Team Championship
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Forty teams of eight pokers descended on Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham over the weekend and competed for the right to call themselves the 2024 Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT) UK Team Championship champions. Talk Club came away with the bragging rights, £9,200 to share between them, and a coveted gold APAT medal.
2024 APAT UK Team Championship Team Results
| Rank | Team | Points | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talk Club | 375 | £9,200 |
| 2 | Midland Freelancers | 361 | £6,000 |
| 3 | Fair Play Poker | 351 | £4,000 |
| 4 | Malvern Poker Club | 330 | £2,800 |
| 5 | Blue Blood | 286 | £2,000 |
Talk Club, consisting of Simon Brooke, Tristan Chaplin, Adam Neal, Richard Wilcox, Ian Witt, Robert Hallworth, John Patten, and PokerNews' very own Daniel Williams ran out worthy winners, ultimately finishing 14 points ahead of Team Midland Freelancers.
First place was locked up for Talk Club when only 12 players remained in the hunt thanks partly to having Brooke and Williams still in the mix. Brooke busted in 11th place before Paul Haycock sent PokerNews' Williams to the rail in tenth on the final table bubble.
The Midland Freelancers had to make do with a silver APAT medal and £6,000, while Fair Play Poker claimed third place, a bronze APAT medal, and £4,000.
What is Talk Club?
Each member of Team Talk Club is passionate about Talk Club, a men's mental fitness community designed to remove the stigma around men discussing their feelings. Instead of asking your friend if they are OK and getting shut down by a one-word answer, Talk Club suggests asking them, "How are you feeling out of 10?" which is the slogan emblazoned on the shirts of Team Talk Club's shirts during the APAT UK Team Championship.
Talk Club offers several services, including Talk & Listen peer-to-peer groups, Talk & Exercise peer-to-peer sharing around physical activity, Talking Therapies that a qualified therapist runs, and Business Support.
You can support Talk Club through donations and purchases via the club's online shop.
Swindells Walks Away With Top Individual Honors
Although the team element of the APAT UK Team Championship was wrapped up with 12 players remaining, it was all to play for in the individual part of the £120 buy-in event.
Nicholas Howat was the first player to bust from the final table, with Mike Errington joining him soon after.
Seventh place went to Jordan James, who navigated his way to the final table despite being blind. James has the table action relayed to him by his partner, Shannon. PokerNews will be speaking to James soon and bringing you an exclusive interview with this remarkable man.
The final six became five when Neil Banks busted, then four after Glen Whitehead hit the rail. Nobody wanted to finish fourth because they'd miss out on a coveted APAT medal, but someone had to. The previously mentioned Paul Haycock, the destroyer of PokerNews' Williams' final table dreams, was the unfortunate medal bubble boy.
Third place went to Gareth Howard, leaving Robert Swindells and Rob Wheeler heads-up for the title. The battle went Swindells' way, and he scooped £2,000 and a gold medal for his impressive victory.
2024 APAT UK Team Championship Individual Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Swindells | £2,000 |
| 2 | Rob Wheeler | £1,300 |
| 3 | Gareth Howard | £800 |
| 4 | Paul Haycock | £600 |
| 5 | Glen Whitehead | £500 |
| 6 | Neil Banks | £450 |
| 7 | Jordan James | £400 |
| 8 | Mike Errington | £350 |
| 9 | Nicholas Howat | £300 |
Other Champions From the APAT UK Team Championship
It wasn't only the UK Team Championship that took place at Dusk Till Dawn but also a handful of exciting side events. Habib Chatoo was the biggest winner in these side event after scooping £2,520 in the £120 PLO Championship.
| Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £60 Bounty Hunter | 278 | £13,900 | Warren Jones | £1,080 |
| £60 NLHE | 184 | £9,200 | David Amos | £1,386 |
| £120 PLO | 74 | £7,400 | Habib Chatoo | £2,520 |
| £120 NLHE | 90 | £9,000 | Anonymous | £1,810 |
APAT Confirms 13 Stops on its 2024 Tour
During the UK Team Championship, APAT announced 13 stops on its 2024 tour. APAT stated there may be a few more events to add to the list – rumors of a Welsh Championship are lingering – but the table below shows the concrete dates of confirmed stops.
| Dates | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 9-11 | German Team Championship | Grand Casino Asch, Czech Republic |
| Feb 21-25 | European Championship Of Amateur Poker | Aspers Stratford, London |
| Mar 22-24 | APAT Open Championship | Man235 Casino, Manchester |
| Apr 27-28 | Mediterranean Amateur Poker Championship | Portomaso Casino, Malta |
| May 1-2 | Irish Amateur Poker Championship | Dublin, Ireland |
| May 17-19 | Scottish Amateur Poker Championship | Grosvenor Casino, Glasgow |
| Jun 14-16 | UK Amateur Poker Championship | Grosvenor Casino, Leeds |
| Aug 21-26 | World Championship of Amateur Poker | DTD, Nottingham |
| Oct 2-6 | German Amateur Poker Championship | Grand Casino Asch, Czech Republic |
| Oct 18-20 | English Amateur Poker Championship | Grosvenor Casino, Blackpool |
| Nov 2-3 | Maltese Amateur Poker Championship | Portomaso Casino, Malta |
| Nov 15-17 | UK & Ireland Amateur Poker Championship | Grosvenor Casino, Newcastle |
| Nov 29-Dec 1 | Poker Squads Live | DTD, Nottingham |
