Continued from Part Two…
Rich in History
Apparently, Les Ambassadeurs is rich in history. It’s something they seem to pride themselves upon and is a big part of how the venue is presented to the public: a prestigious establishment that has played host to “kings, millionaires, politicians, and playboys.” Not playboy bunnies, sadly.
They even boast a leaflet that whereby, like the guide to a National Trust, visitors can learn more about the venue’s past. According to this source, the site has been the home to numerous members of the aristocracy, including the Fourth Earl of Buckinghamshire, Robert Hobart, and the Marquis Conyngham family who had connections with the Prince Regent, later George IV. I also believe Sir Snoopy of Beagleham was once a resident, but that's another story.
It wasn’t until 1950 when 5 Hamilton Place became the address for Les A, when John Mills relocated the club to Mayfair. Three decades later, London International Clubs took over the reigns, transforming the Club into one of the most exclusive casinos in the world, frequented by some of the wealthiest gamblers in London. By 2006, it was the Sampoerna family who were in charge, stumping up an eye-watering 110 million pounds for the honour. Depsite the changing of the guards, Les A remained the private gaming club it is now and maintained the historic feel that has become such a vital part of the venue’s attraction.
But this week, Les A has leapt into the 21st century like an epileptic salmon, steering away from their usual policy of private cash games to host an open-to-all £2,000 No Limit Hold’em freezeout. The historic warmth of the venue is still in tact, but been infiltrated by some of the Capital’s most successful tournament players.
After a last minute flurry, the tournament maxed out at 111, 11 tables of 9 with 12 alternates. Considering Les A is an unproven competitor in an overly saturated market, and the Bolton GUKPT only managed a few more, this was an impressive turn-out that will have had Cardroom Manager Craig Stevens grinning from ear to ear. “This is a great structure,” he beamed proudly. “15,000 starting stacks with an hour clock, two day event.” The tournament clock, which I think is the first to be surrounded by an elegant, gold frame, confirmed his claim.
Although there were plenty of new faces, many of whom will have qualified online via tournament sponsors Mansion, the first man out was an old hat in high stakes Omaha pro Richard ‘Chufty’ Ashby. It was a curious hand, and one that involved Hendon Mobber Barny Boatman.
It was the opening level, and Richard made a standard raise from early position. Barny, experiencing a senior moment (I may get in trouble for saying that), mistook the colour of his chips and accidentally min-raised with A-J instead of making the desired call. The action folded around to another player, who then re-reraised! Richard, perhaps leveling himself and thinking his opponent was taking advantage of Barny’s mistake, raised again! His foe pushed and Richard made the call, showing eights in the process. The aggressor tabled kings. Both players hit a set, but Chufty couldn’t eek out quads, and a few hands later he was gone.
As the levels passed, it became clear that despite its unique setting, the London Open resembled many of the other tournaments on the circuit and shared a determination to create a well-structured, high value event that appeased both pros and amateurs alike. One oddity that I did spot, however, was the unusual size of the playing utensils, which closer represented discuses than actual poker chips. It was bizarre. At first, I thought the players had shrunk or pushed their chips closer to my line of view, but at second glance it was obvious that something was awry. Catman, who was railing partner Catgirl, thought this may encourage people to loosen up their game, but I wasn’t sure. Surely size is directly correlated to sense of value (well, that's what my girlfriend tells me anyhow), with players more protective of something that is more visible to the eye? If the chips were the size of donuts, I’d hesitate just putting my blind in. Then again, if the chips resembled donuts, I’d probably sprinkle some sugar on them and have a munch.
Over the course of the day, we lost a number of other pros and recognizable names as Teddy Sheringham, Greekfish, Bambos, Dave Gregory, John Tabatabai, Talal Shakerchi, Toby Lewis, and Richard Gryko all fell by the wayside. One player who kept plugging away, however, was Black Belt Poker’s Nik Persaud, swapping the comfort of his mouse and desktop for, well… the comfort of Les A.
“Not much really happened to me at the start,” reported Nik. “I just played pretty tight and didn’t get much in the way of hands. Nicked a few blinds and bet a few flops, but that was about it. It wasn’t until the 400/800 level that I played a hand of any significance. I was UTG+1 and raised it up to 2,200 from a stack of 12,500 with A-Q off. A short-stack shoved with A-J, I called and he hit his jack.”
This setback left Nik with a paltry 4,000 in chips and in dyer need of a double through himself. Fortunately, when the big blind passed, Nik found pocket sevens in the small, and with the button raising with 5-4, Nik was graced with the perfect set-up, and one that saw his stack jump back up to the 10,000 mark.
By 3am, play drew to a close, and Nik's dogged performance had led to a place in Day Two as one of 39 survivors, struggling with 13,000, but alive nonetheless.
The full overnight chip counts were as follows:
A. Coridad 14,600
Abi Kalattan 29,275
Andre Klebanov 52,025
Andrew Danzema 38,325
Andy Dunne 43,075
B Johnson 74,875
Barny Boatman 10,075
Baroukh 17,525
C Brider 36,875
Christian Heich 35,800
Cristiano Blanco 20,500
Daniel Dalah 129,725
David Courtney 15,250
George Johme 17,100
J Pusner 32,200
James Browning 33,500
Joseph Mahmad 56,575
Kamal Choriria 18,900
Ken Greaney 17,525
Laurence Houghton 24,075
Leonard Bellam 56,725
Martin Davis 46,825
Martin Malone 66,875
Matthias Much 35,825
Nick Jenkins 47,650
Nick Persaud 13,000
Nicky Evans 41,900
Patrik Shulz 33,250
Paul Alternam 60,725
Phillip Patrick 27,825
Roland De Wolfe 42,700
Ross Boatman 49,625
Salim Ghozali 55,000
Tim Maxwell 45,850
Tseri Plato 91,400
Willie Tann 34,475
Read Part Four...
Return To Les A - Part One: Do Not Pass Go
Return to Les A - Part Two: Same Game, Different Location
Also see our daily reports from the Full Tilt Million Dollar Challenge:
Les Ambassadurrrrs – Day One
Les Ambassadurrrrs – Day Two
Les Ambassadurrrrs – Day Three