Ian Frazer wins £300,000 in UK Poker Open triumph

A Croydon man is £300,000 richer after battling the world's top professional poker players to win the UK Open Championship.

Ian Frazer holds his winning pair of 6s.

December 2, 2005. Ian Frazer, 46, competed against five others in the final, including World Bracelet winner, Brian Wilson and Julian Gardner the youngest ever world poker champion.

He eventually saw them all off with a winning hand of two sixes to scoop the massive cash pot.

In the competition's semi-finals Ian kicked out veteran West Ham United striker Teddy Sheringham.

The money was presented to him at Maidstone Film Studios by US TV poker presenter Jesse May and Mad' Marti Wilson, the 888.com tournament director.

"All the crew were rooting for me. They thought I was a bit of a character and they don't like the Yanks to win," he joked.

"I was obviously very excited. I was nervous inside but on the outside you really do have to be poker faced. Sometimes my heart felt like it was racing at 1,000 miles an hour!"

But Ian wasn't surprised that he won as he felt very confident. "I was never intimidated. I have got a very good game and I didn't have any bad luck."

The dad-of-three entered the event after meeting fellow contestent and owner of Leyton Orient football club Barry Hearn on a flight to Las Vegas.

He has already used some of his winnings to buy a £125,000 red Ferrari and plans to spend the rest treating friends and launching a television programme.

Despite the win, Ian said he has no plans to give up his job as project manager for Vidette Ltd in Croydon, a leisure establishment refurbishment company where he has worked for 15 years.

But he does want to write a poker book, "Win the Frazer Way", and has also made it into the last 12 of the £150,000 European Open Poker Championship due to take place in January.

Ian, from Caterham, learned his skills on a website set up by his friend and has been playing Texas hold 'em poker for two-and-a-half years. He started playing tournaments online, and landed £100,000 and a trip to the world's gambling capital, Las Vegas.

"My family used to give me stick at night if I was playing on the computer but now they tell me to carry on.

"At first I thought poker was all about luck but then I realised the same faces were making it to the top so I decided to study how the professionals played.

"I've definitely got the formula now," he grinned. "I've been playing poker throughout my life and I don't just mean cards!"