Cream Of UK Poker Players Honoured At British Poker Awards

Throughout 2010, British poker players have been stamping their authority on live poker tournaments around the globe making Monday night’s inaugural British Poker Awards all the more poignant.
 
London’s Kensington Close Hotel was chosen as the glitzy setting for the event which saw the cream of British poker turn out to have various titles and honours bestowed upon them.
The Awards proved a successful combination of celebration and entertainment, and as  Master of Ceremonies Michael Caselli announced:
“The event has been fantastic and I hope it’s the first of many to come. More than 3,000 people voted online for their favorite players, which is a fantastic response. Big thanks to Antonio, my co-host, and to our media partners Poker Europa and PokerNews.com for helping us to organize the event.”
Picking up the award for Best Tournament Player was James Akenhead, who in 2009 made the final table of both the WSOPE and the WSOP Main Events. The 27 year old Londoner has now accumulated $2,123,399 in live tournament cashes over his incredible career.
The 43 year-old Neil Channing too boasts around $2,508,856 in tournament cashes but it was for his cash skills he was honoured at the ceremony, after being named the UK’s Best Cash Player. Commenting on his award, Channing said:
“I’ve been grinding in the Vic for years, along with my fellow nominees like Bambos Xanthos and Ben Roberts – they’re real cash grinders, and to be voted above those guys – it’s a real honour.”
Chris Moorman was named the UK’s Best Online Player and with around $5,680,062 in online winnings since turning poker pro in 2006, few would dispute his credentials.
Other players named at the awards were as follows:
Best International Player – Phil Ivey
Best Poker League – The Nuts Poker League
Best UK Card Room – Dusk till Dawn
Best Contribution to Poker – Vicky Coren
Best UK Poker Forum – Hendon Mob
Player’s choice: Best newcomer – Sam Trickett
Player’s choice: Best all round player – Richard Ashby
Editor’s choice: Player of the Year – Praz Bansi