Gaspare Sposato Triumphs In PokerStars United Kingdom and Ireland Poker Tour London Main Event

The 2024 PokerStars United Kingdom and Ireland Poker Tour London £1,100 no-limit hold’em main event attracted 725 entries, resulting in a prize pool worth $889,906 when rendered in US dollars. The top 108 finishers earned a share of that money, with the largest chunk going to eventual champion Gaspare Sposato. The Italian poker pro struck a heads-up deal with Atanas Pavlov to bring the event to an end, with Sposato securing $137,805 and the title.

The live tournament circuit is a relatively new frontier for Sposato, who only began to record results at brick-and-mortar events in 2022. This was his first recorded live victory. He nearly managed a title run in 2023, finishing second in a €2,200 buy-in event at a French Poker Series Paris stop for $56,702.

“I was only playing for the trophy. I was really close last year in Paris but I lost heads-up, and many times tonight I thought the same thing was going to happen again. But this trophy is a present for my wife, it was her birthday yesterday. It’s a great moment to be all together with friends and enjoy it.”

This event ran from Aug. 4-11 at The Hippodrome Casino London. The final day began with Sposato leading the remaining two tables. He battled his way down to heads-up play, at which point a deal was cut that saw Pavlov lock up Atanas Pavlov $127,155 while Sposato was guaranteed at least $132,685, leaving the title and $5,200 to play for.

The final two battled it out for several levels before a coin flop brought the tournament to an end. Sposato’s pocket sevens faded the two overs of Pavlov, who held A-8. The pocket pair remained best by the river and Pavlov was officially eliminated as the runner-up.

In addition to the title and the money, Sposato also earned 912 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. This was his second POY-qualified score of the year. He now sits within striking distance of the top 500 in the 2024 POY standings presented by Global Poker.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Photo credit: Danny Maxwell / Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd.

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