When he’s not installing windows, to rephrase George Formby’s classic song, Matt Brunskole is winning poker tournaments – the 30-year old Canadian lifting the opener at the Seneca Fall Poker Classic and taking his career earnings over the $100K mark.

A total of 636 entries had battled it out over several days for a shot at the title – some who had evidently been struggling to wait for the Fall event at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino…

Seneca Niagara Poker Tournament Results

Seneca Niagara Casino Poker Tournament Results Company Registration Number C50978. 2.3 Dazzletag Entertainment Limited is licensed to provide remote casino facilities to customers in Great Britain by the British Gambling Commission under License Number 039358-R-319429-009. Richard Giambra's Results, Stats. AKA Rich Giambra. Date Country Place Prize GPI Points; 24-Nov-2019: United States: $ 43 + 17 No Limit Hold'em 2019 Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel Recurring Tournaments, Niagara Falls.

…but when the prizefund hit $160,113 and over 100 players still there or thereabouts come the final day, it was a fast-paced affair as they played down to a winner.

For Brunskole, the home region has been a happy-hunting ground, his previous biggest cash of $28,465 coming in the 2016 WPT Fallsview Poker Classic at Niagara Falls and he also had a scary 666th place finish in the 2015 Millionaire Maker at the WSOP in Vegas. Tournament victories, however, had eluded him – until yesterday that is.

When the final table bubble burst, it left 10 men standing to battle it out for top honours – half of them quickly hitting the rails as the blinds forced play along, eventually leaving Brunskole heads-up against early chip leader Leo Kaplin.

A gruelling day’s play came to an end when Kaplin, no stranger to winning at the Seneca Casino with 4 wins this year alone in their small-to-mid stakes recurring tournaments, couldn’t find a card to fill out his draw, leaving Brunskole’s second pair to take the hand and the title.

The final hand looked like this, according to PokerNews.com – a scary flop for Brunskole but the wrong reds appearing for Kaplin.

All the chips went in on a flop of

9♦ 10♣ 8♦

Kaplin showed the

Seneca Niagara Poker Tournament Results

A♦ 7♦ and Brunskole called with the 5♣ 10♦ giving him middle pair. But the turn card

8♥ and river

Q♥ meant that Kaplin had to settle for second place while the title, trophy and big payday went to Brunskole.

Final table results