Jack Hardcastle Storms to Victory in 888poker LIVE London High Stakes Series Main Event (£57,098)
A dominant final table performance from Jack Hardcastle saw him top a 96-player field to win the 888poker LIVE London High Stakes Series Main Event for £57,098.
In the final hand, Hardcastle cracked Kings to defeat Neil McCulloch heads-up who had to settle for £37,500, while start-of-day chip leader Jaspreet Panchhi fell in third place.
Tipped earlier this year as a 'British Player to Watch', Hardcastle moved into the chip lead after the very first hand and held on through a rapid-fire four-hour final day.
888poker LIVE London High Stakes Series Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Hardcastle | United Kingdom | £57,098 |
| 2 | Neil McCulloch | United Kingdom | £37,500 |
| 3 | Jaspreet Panchhi | United Kingdom | £24,500 |
| 4 | Shah Athar | United Kingdom | £17,200 |
| 5 | Andrew Seabright | United Kingdom | £12,700 |
| 6 | Euan McNicholas | United Kingdom | £9,400 |
| 7 | Matthew Skeadas | United Kingdom | £7,250 |
| 8 | Eoghan O'Dea | United Kingdom | £5,800 |
| 9 | Harry Law | Ireland | £5,100 |
Winner's Reaction
A regular in both England and the United States, Hardcastle admits that the tournaments are much tougher on this side of the Atlantic.
"American tournaments have bigger fields for sure, so that makes them more minefield-esque," he told PokerNews. "The standard of poker [in England] is much better, but also you're more familiar with everyone."
After knocking out Eoghan O'Dea on the very first hand of the day, Hardcastle never once relinquished the chip lead in what was a dominant performance. He said that that first elimination was a "sign of things to come."
"I don't think I lost an all-in all day," had said. "There wasn't any pressure with a big stack; it's just about taking it spot by spot and making the best decisions I can."
After securing victory, Hardcastle was planning to head off to his father's 50th birthday party, with a newly-acquired shiny new gold trophy in hand. Would that make the perfect birthday gift?
"If he wants it, he can have it!" replied Hardcastle.
Final Table Recap
There was a rapid-fire start to the final table, with two eliminations in the space of three hands. Harry Law had his kings cracked by Jack Hardcastle on the first hand of the day, before Eoghan O'Dea was felted by Shah Athar.
Matthew Skeadas failed to pick up anything at the final table, before falling in seventh. Euan McNicholas was then on the receiving end of a bad beat to bust in sixth, losing out to the running diamonds of Athar.
Hardcastle had held the chip lead since the early stages, and boosted his chip stack further with the elimination of Andrew Seabright.
Read More: Five British Poker Players to Watch in 2022
Five eliminations in the space of two hours were always going to inflate the average stack, but with Hardcastle holding more than 150 big blinds he was the clear chip leader.
The remaining three players nervously battled it out against one another, failing to land a clear blow on the chip leader as Athar fell in fourth place and start-of-day chip leader Jaspreet Panchhi in third place.
Hardcastle held a huge chip lead heads-up and despite McCulloch securing a double-up, he never looked like catching up to his opponent, who held on to secure victory at the Victoria Grosvenor Casino.