100-1 outsider takes PartyPoker Euro title
25th February, 2008
A virtual-unknown poker player from Lancashire has seen off stiff competition from the likes of Annette Obrestad and Ian Frazer to win the PartyPoker European Open IV title in London.
Nick Slade, 45, forked out a massive £3,500 buy-in for the poker tournament after having taken an eight-month hiatus from the game due to a serious water skiing accident.
Despite being in the midst of a long-term recovery for his severely broken neck, the stalwart player stormed through the 12 six-seater heats before bagging the first place £100,000 cash prize.
Speaking to the Lancashire Evening Post after his win, Mr Slade revealed that he had laboriously studied the playing styles of key opponents such as World Series of Poker bracelet winner Annette Obrestad and former Euro Open winner Ian Frazer.
"I basically knew that if she (Obrestad) got a lot of chips she would continually try and re-raise me with a bag of rubbish and it proved to be right," the dad-of-three said. "I knew that Frazer would try to be the table captain."
Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport - the organisers of the event - commended Mr Slade for his unexpected triumph, calling it a "huge achievement" that he "thoroughly deserved".
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