Seat 1: Nickolas "daaaaaaang16" Davies, 30, Bend, Oregon, USA (currently living in Playa del Carmen, Mexico) PokerStars Player, 4,000,000
Originally from Bend, Oregon, poker pro Nickolas Davies is one of many Americans who have relocated to Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. He's been in Europe since August though as he travelled over to Barcelona to play EPT100 with his good friends Nick Rampone and eventual runner-up Samuel Phillips.
He's been playing poker for seven years but his career would've taken a very different path but for the economic crisis. He'd secured a job in finance but the economic down turn meant he wasn't taken on. He was already playing a bit of poker because his brother Seth, who has a SCOOP title to his name, was also a keen player. The rest, as they say is history and Davies, who plays on PokerStars under the username daaaaaaang16, has several mid five-figure scores to his name online. His biggest live cash is $25,000 so should he finish seventh or higher he'll have a new high score.
Seat 2: Rasmus Agerskov, 28, Denmark, PokerStars Qualifier, 3,150,000
Danish player Rasmus Agerskov is an EPT regular and no stranger to final tables. In March he finished sixth in the €10k EPT Vienna High Roller event for € 91,150 and in May last year won the Danish Championships for DKr 524,000 (around $92k). He also won the UKIPT Edinburgh £2k event in January this year for £22,430 and was fourth in the Sanremo €2k last season for €16,400. The £12,800 he is now guaranteed for making this UKIPT London final takes him well over the $600,000 mark for lifetime live tournament winnings.
Seat 3: Sandro Mescola, 68, Venice, Italy, 1,145,000
Sandro Mescola - now 68 - has been playing poker since he was 14 when he used to play five card draw with friends. Now retired from his work as a cultural events organiser in beautiful Venice, he has played numerous EPTs and IPT events. His best live result was at EPT Vilamoura in 2009 when he won a €1k side event for €20,181. He also made the final of IPT Venice in 2009, finishing 7th for €20,000. His lifetime live tournament winnings already amount to nearly $140,000.
Seat 4: Vladimir Troyanovskiy, 41, Russia, PokerStars Player, 2,705,000
Vladimir Troyanovskiy is almost certainly the best-known player at this season's UKIPT London final table with a series of huge results on the European Poker Tour and global stage. He first came to fame in EPT Season 9 when he won EPT High Roller Player of the Year after finishing fifth in the EPT Grand Final €100 Super High Roller (for €339,500) and runner-up to Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst in the PCA $25k High Roller event for a lifetime best cash of $792,180. He also came seventh in the $100k Super High Roller a few days earlier. In August this year, he finished third in the EPT Barcelona Super High Roller for €473,200 and is currently eighth in the Russia all time money list with more than $2.6m live tournament winnings to his name.
Seat 5: Brett Angell, 31, Middlesborough, UK, 5,190,000
The chip leader going in to the UKIPT London final table is 30-year-old Brett Angell from Middlesborough who has come close to a UKIPT title in the past. At UKIPT Nottingham in Season 2, he was runner-up Gareth Walker and his £80,000 payday from that event is still his biggest live cash to date. Brett's interest in poker was first piqued by watching his brother play online and the IT professional saw a way to use his mathematical skills to his advantage - he hasn't looked back since. He plays recreationally while still working full time in IT.
Seat 6: Fabrizio Fuchs, 26, Zurich, Switzerland, PokerStars Qualifier, 1,240,000
Fabrizio Fuchs has been playing poker for around eight years with deepstack Texas Hold'em cash games his favourite format. This is only the third big live tourney but he plays a lot online - using his winnings to support himself while he studies law at University. "I don't feel the pressure in poker because my focus is on studying and making a normal career, but (making the final) is a huge bonus."
Seat 7: Caicai Huang, 29, UK, 1,960,000
Huang left Beijing six years ago and currently runs her own company placing Chinese students into university and college courses in the UK. She got into the game of poker when she was on a night out in a London casino, and saw the game being played. It looked like something she wanted to know more about and she sat down. The rest, as they say, is history, Huang's biggest cash to date is a second place at GUKPT Luton for £42,750 back in October 2013.
Seat 8: Mark James, 39, Guisborough, UK, PokerStars Player, 2,300,000
Mark James is a recreational player from the Yorkshire town of Guisborough. With three businesses to run, and two children, the 39-year-old doesn't have much time to play poker but tries to compete in live events a few times a month. He's been playing UKIPT for the last 2.5 years and this is his second cash. If he finishes fourth or better, it will be his best live result so far. His previous record was winning a €300 tournament in Nottingham for £25,616. His total live winnings amount to more than $144,000 - not bad for someone just playing for fun!
