French Poker Pro Secures Highest Payday After Winning UKIPT Nottingham ME

Summary:

• Meli topped a 1,227-entry field to win the Main Event and collect £159,325 in prize money
• The French pro agreed to a heads-up deal with Germany’s Patrice Brandt
• The win gave Meli his biggest tournament cash to date

Vincent Meli emerged victorious in the PokerStars UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) Season Finale Main Event, claiming the trophy and collecting a nice payout of £159,325 ($195,750), his largest cashout to date.

A major win had been elusive for the French poker pro since he started playing poker professionally nine years ago. That changed this week after he was declared the 2023 UKIPT Season Finale Main Event winner.

Meli Dominates UKIPT Season Finale Main Event

The UKIPT Season Finale Main Event ran at Dusk Till Dawn from November 5-13 as part of the UKIPT Nottingham stop. The tournament brought in a total of 1,227 entries across five Day 1 flights to generate £1,177,920 in total prize pool, smashing its £1,000,000 guarantee.

The massive field dwindled to just 10 players on the final day of the UK tournament, with Meli and Germany’s Patrice Brandt becoming the last two players standing. Upon reaching heads-up play, both agreed to a deal, leaving £2,000 and the trophy to play for.

Brandt secured the larger slice of the pie worth £168,425 as he was ahead in chips, while Meli was guaranteed to take home £157,325 regardless of the outcome of the one-on-one match.

The heads-up battle was a pretty quick affair, and in the end, the French pro triumphed over his German opponent, walking away with a total payout of £159,325 and the coveted PokerStars UKIPT trophy.

That was a huge victory for Vincent Meli who had not recorded any significant results in his live tournament pursuits since embarking on a professional poker career in 2014. That was partly due to the fact that he was originally more inclined to play live cash games and only transitioned to tournaments just a few years ago.

Brandt settled for second place with £168,425, yet another great showing from the German pro who has had a productive year so far at the felts, both live and online.

Final Table Results

The rest of the final table was made up of Andrew Tuxworth (3rd, £90,070), Thomas Middleton (4th, £69,250), John Farrell (5th, £53,300), Jack Nolan (6th, £41,000), Matthew Bonham (7th, £31,400), Niall Murray (8th, £24,200), and Guillermo Nuez (9th, £18,650).