Here are the details of the eight players who will today go looking for the title of UKIPT4 Nottingham2 champion. Here's a review of how they got here. Remember and you can follow along on UKIPTLive.
Seat 1: Trevor Pearson, United Kingdom - 965,000
Trevor Pearson, 56, is no stranger to risk, reward and late nights, working as he does - alongside his wife of 35 years, Caroline - as a self-employed commodities trader from his home (which is four miles from the nearest town).
Leaving private cash games behind over 10 years ago, he now finds time to squeeze online tournaments into his hectic schedule "day or night" as he and his wife trade, sometimes 24 hours a day in tag-team. He considers his stamina a bonus in the world of poker, and looks forward to his wife railing him on the final table as he tries to turn a short stack into a win.
Seat 2: Anthony Flynn, United Kingdom, 2,495,000
This is a rare foray into UKIPT territory for 42-year-old self-employed dad of three Anthony Flynn. But when the Stratford-Upon-Avon resident does play he usually does well, finishing 10th at a UKIPT Series event in July 2013. He also came fifth in the Sunday Million last June winning $56,000 - finishing the tournament on his phone as his laptop was playing up! Flynn also plays in a local league in Stratford-Upon-Avon and he expects half a dozen friends, some of whom travelled with him to play this event, to be on the rail tomorrow.
Should his pre-start "feeling" about the event come to fruition, he says his eldest daughter, who turns 18 on Tuesday, will get a new car, his 16-year-old daughter a new wardrobe and his 15-year-old son a trip with Dad to the World Cup in Brazil.
Seat 3: Duncan McLellan, United Kingdom - 3,320,000
Duncan McLellan is no stranger to success on the UKIPT, having won the inaugural UKIPT Isle of Man Main Event this season for £94,090. He followed that victory with a win in the last £300 Nottingham Cup (for £9,800) and has been busy winning satellites to everything from EPT Prague to the accompanying High Roller where he made Day 2. He credits his success in part to having picked up a book he names as, "'The 50 worst things that Hellmuth ever said' or something...it's a fantastic book. Cost me $50
online but then I went on to win tournaments. Three years ago I didn't know the rules!" McLellan is in good shape chip-wise, and says that he's now playing for the win. "I don't want to come 7th."
Seat 4: Ramey Shaio, United Kingdom (PokerStars Player) - 1,770,000
Professional poker player Ramey Shaio has racked up six years of poker experience despite being just 27. He splits his time between the online and live tables, but doesn't
travel the live circuit often. The exceptions are for the World Series, where he narrowly missed out on a bracelet in a $1,500 NL Hold'em event in 2012, coming 3rd for
$182,521, and Dusk Till Dawn. "When they're guaranteeing £1 million, how can I not?" Although he lost some chips in the last levels - doubling people up - he intends to come back with his 25bb and try to take the title, with a secondary plan to "have fun...a party if I win."
Seat 5: Juan Benito, Spain (PokerStars Qualifier) - 4,385,000
Juan "El bigotes" (the Moustache) Benito is a 23 year old Spaniard now living in Bournemouth looking for his first major win to catapult him on to the international tournament circuit in earnest. He currently makes his money online on PokerStars playing MTTs, but loves to play live and has done since he first started playing with
friends. Benito has been at the top of the chip counts all day, and has turned a £100 satellite on PokerStars into a guaranteed minimum payout of £20,800. Nottingham
represents his second foray into the UKIPT; his first was in Marbella, an event he plans to play again this year.
Seat 6: Angelo Milioto, United Kingdom (PokerStars Qualifier) - 2,455,000
Angelo Milioto, 43, is a sales director for a glazing company who has turned a passion for poker into a lucrative online pursuit. He started playing poker when he lived in Spain, in a local bar with friends. His first UKIPT experience almost ended 16-handed when he was down to 5bb, but he's turned his stack around and is looking forward to the final. This result will be his best to date, and his three children will be watching eagerly as he has already promised 10% of his winnings to them. With the rest, he'd like to play a few more live events but also do the sensible thing of paying off some of the mortgage and the tax man.
Seat 7: Ryan Spittles, United Kingdom - 3,305,000
Ryan "Scotty77" Spittles is recognised as one of the UK's up-and-coming talents both live and online, although his results have, so far, been mainly on the virtual felt. He started playing around six years ago, and improved his game to the point where instead of losing money he was racking up MTT wins and playing cash games professionally (which he's done for four years). His best live cash to date was for $19,015 in WPT Prague, but winning a major tournament remains something he eagerly aspires to do. He's also a poker TV celebrity, analysing hands and helping others improve their game.
Seat 8: William Elliot, United Kingdom (PokerStars Qualifier) 5,625,000
Chip leader William Elliot, from Galashiels in Scotland, stormed through Day 3 and has turned a £162 satellite win into a real title shot. A full time carer for his older, disabled brother, Elliott started playing poker after watching Late Night Poker and diving into UKIPT Newcastle with his brother as "a pair of fish". "Fergal Nealon put his arm round my shoulder and gave me a lot of tips - I soaked it up like a sponge," he recalls. Elliot's now friends with Ludovic Geilich and other Scottish players and cites them as the reason he's in this position today. Although he won the Scottish Poker Series recently for £12,000, winning this event would be "life-changing."