Dig the new breed

It started in August with zlatan35’s remarkable win in the Asian Poker Tour. Then just a few days later it was Beyne’s turn to do some giant killing - taking down the Asian Pacific Poker Tour High Roller Event by beating Johnny Chan heads up at the final table for victory and $261,000 in prize money.

And PKR players were at it again at the Heads Up Grand Slam. First came online qualifier Massimo ‘thekabalist’ Mele’s determined victory over 2008 WSOP Main Event runner-up Ivan Demidov.

Then it was PKR Pro James ‘james666’ Sudworth’s turn to take on Phil ‘the Unabomber’ Laak in a match that threw two very similar styles against each other.

James Sudworth vs Phil Laak

Sudworth turned Laak's advantages against him

James showed supreme confidence prior to the match and quickly proved it was more than just bluster. 

Not only did he manage to put the usually aggressive Laak on the back foot with quick-fire bets and un-callable bluffs, he also got under his skin with non-stop banter and a series of inventive side bets that robbed the Unabomber of his initiative and forced him into a reactive posture. After the loss Laak, who was clearly disappointed not to make it to the money, observed, “This kid is going to make a lot of money.” Ensuring his prophecy came true, Laak was then relieved of £800 in under five minutes of high-card action at the bar...

Meanwhile Beyne eagerly munched his way through a series of opponents, disposing of PKR online qualifier Brahimh and seasoned pros Alex Keating and David Steicke en route to a fateful semi-final showdown with James Sudworth.

Sudworth vs Beyne

Beyne made beautiful before taking his seat at the TV table

In the history of PKR, few players have garnered so much attention on and off the felt, and it seemed like destiny that the two young pros, the personification of the new breed, would meet at the felt. The two had traded blows at the felt (and shots at the bar) over the previous 12 months, both rising to prominence during that period. Now the good friends had to contest a match whose winner would take on Juha Helppi for the inaugural PKR Heads Up Grand Slam crown and $120,000 in first place money.

With PKR's two highest-profile Grand Slam entrants meeting at this crucial late stage in the event, it was also no surprise that the rail was jammed, in expectation of verbal and poker fireworks...

Watching and learning

Sudworth and Beyne battle it out while Juha Helppi limbers up

Juha Helppi watched on with the spectators, PKR community members and staff who crowded the rail. Though this match had the feel of a thrilling championship bout, the possibility of either playing Helppi in the final and taking down the title was also one to savour, a proud day for PKR.

From the start both players came out firing, with a succession of cards shown, bluffs called and verbal tussles fought. The action was so fast and the talk so free that tournament director Thomas Kremser dared not look away for a second, lest he miss an incident (many of which fell into the grey areas of tournament regulations) for which his skills would be required. Often he took a step onto the raised stage as either player flipped over the card of the other, or chose to dark-check or dark-bet, confusing their foe and the crowd with them.

Monkey business

Sudworth and Beyne pushed the limits of tournament poker

Both players were as keen to win the match as they were to maintain the good friendship they'd developed over the past year. It may have looked like a £5 SNG, but the play was fierce.

Just a few hands in, James handed almost a quarter of his stack to Beyne courtesy of a river check-raise, called instantly by the Swiss star with just second pair. "Owned!!" cried the Russian Bomber to the delight of the rail. "Don't bluff-raise me!"

From that point on, Beyne had the ammunition to lean on the young Team Pro. The final blow came when James held just 30,000 of his original 80,000, and called Beyne's pre-flop all-in. As the crowd rose to it's feet, the players revealed their cards. Beyne rather sheepishly turned over Q-5 to James' A-6 - and a deciding moment had arrived.

To stay in the match, Sudworth needed to swerve the legendary Beyne luck but - as so often before - Beyne's trailing cards spiked, and it was all over. Though it was Beyne who progressed to the final, it seemed that both players were celebrated by the roaring applause and cheers. A new breed of poker players is here, and they mean business...

Find out how Beyne got on against Juha Helppi in the final.