As the Black Belt Nottingham Live entered its final table, the High-Roller was drawing to a close on the neighbouring table with a star-studded lineup of Jake Cody, Matt Perrins, Ben Vinson and Stuart Fox battling it out for a prize that was - due entirely to the £1,000+90 buy-in - even bigger than the booty on offer for the winner of the Main Event.
But despite the monetary overshadowing, there was something superior about winning the Nottingham Live, a prestige in fact; not only would you have bested a field of 492, but also turned a mere $125+15 investment into $14,000 - the satisfaction and accompanying bragging rights were too valuable to be ignored.
Eventual winner Stuart Hyson extended that profit gap even further, having qualified online - under the curious moniker of 'diiscostu' - for just $20, and as an Orange Belt, was the automatic recipient of an extra $1,500 added to his prize. And as for those bragging rights, his clenched fist as the final river fell and his proud-as-punch expression when he held the trophy spoke volumes - you would have needed a crowbar and a tub of vaseline to prise the smile off his face.
Originally from London, but now residing in Rye near Hastings, Stuart plays poker daily, in both the live and virtual worlds. When he's not playing MTTs on Blackbeltpoker.com, you may find him tucked up at the local Rendezvous Casino in Brighton. He's played a number of tournaments, but this is his biggest win and opening mark on the Hendon Mob database. Judging by his performance, there will be plenty more.
Snoopy: You've just become the first ever Nottingham Live Champion. How are you feeling right now?
Stuart Hyson: Knackered. Absolutely knackered. Heads-up was maybe two hours and it was back and forth, so I'm feeling pretty tired. I came up with this crazy idea that to stay awake, I'd get myself a Red Bull and coke, which didn't taste very nice, but did the job.
I really didn't want to double Daniel [Robertson] up again on that final hand. When I saw K-Q, it had to go in. It was a relief when the king came because I knew he'd be able to grind it out and I was very tired by that point.
Snoopy: What was your thought process for the final?
SH: I felt confident because I'd played most of them on the previous table and had some good reads. A couple of players were too tight, so I knew who I wanted to pick on. I could nick their blinds and raise them during a pot, and if I came up against resistance, I knew they had a hand. This made it a little easier to play against them.
Overall, I was just trying to pick my moments and take each hand as it came. I did have an incredible slice of luck four-handed though when I thought Daniel was trying to make a move on me. I shoved ace-high and managed to catch an ace on the river. After that, I think I was pretty solid.
Snoopy: Who was the toughest player at the final?
SH: I think Daniel actually. He wasn't aggressive, but he had good timing and knew when to make his move. Because he had that tight image, he could get his marginal hands through. I'd been playing with him for three hours prior to the final, so I knew his play a little bit. He's very tough, and can grind it out when he needs to. Even when he's short-stacked, he gets stuck in and doesn't give up.
Snoopy: How was your overall tournament?
SH: I was desperately short at one point. I managed to get up to 30,000 and then hit an ace-high flush on a board with a straight flush possibility. This guy kept betting into me, and I kept raising. I was left with 8,000 and I laid it down. I said, 'This is either the greatest fold of this tournament, or I'm a complete donk.' Thankfully, he showed the straight flush.
Although it didn't leave me with many chips, it kept me in the tournament, so it was a key hand, and maybe a turning point in a way. Everyone at the table said they would have donked their chips and many are of the opinion that you should stick it in and if he has it, good luck to him, but I just had this feeling. He was so tight, and didn't seem scared that I might have the ace-high flush. Also, I was sure he'd just flat-call the river with a king flush, so, basically, all I'm beating is a bluff.
Snoopy: Did you play any of the pros?
SH: I didn't play Neil [Channing], or Richard [Ashby]. I played Nick Wealthall for a while though. I managed to double him up three times, and every time I was ahead. Then I took him out eventually in the end with pocket sixes.
Snoopy: What did you think of the standard of play?
SH: Yesterday, I felt really, relay comfortable. From 8,000, I got up to above average by the end of the day. I felt I was in control, and that no one was dominating me. The final day was tougher as many of the weak players had been whittled out. I was just glad I had a spell where everything I did worked out and went my way. My hands were holding up and I was winning the important pots. You need that. When I reached a million in chips, then I could just pick and choose.
Snoopy: How did you come across Black Belt Poker?
SH: I know Neil, so joined a couple of years ago. I didn't give it much notice at first, but I kept seeing Neil on Facebook talking about how he'd taken people out to the World Series and stuff, so I thought I'd give it a go, try and progress through the levels and see where it gets me. I play mostly MTTs, and do okay in SNGs too, but the minute I go on the cash tables, I'm a massive fish. I need some lessons I think.
Snoopy: What does this money mean going forward?
SH: Neil said to me: 'You don't need the money,' and I replied, 'Neil, I've got an ex-wife, 19-year old daughter, a 21-year old girlfriend, and a gambling addiction, so there's not going to be much left over. I will be using the money to play some more tournaments, though. It's given me a bigger bankroll to kick off with, so it would be great to play more of the better MTTs, like the UKIPTs.
For more information on the Nottingham Live, check out the following links:
Nottingham Live Main Event - Live coverage/upadates
Black Belt Nottingham Live - Full Results
Press Release: Hyson Cleans up at Nottingham
Press Release: Vinson Victory in High-Roller
High-Roller Interview: Ben Vinson