Press Releases / Amy / 22 July 2008 / 1 Comments

It's not often you can turn some loose change into a big pay out in just a few days but Edinburgh man Tam Gourlay has managed to do just that.

Tam, who's 23 and from Bo'ness , opened a Betfair account on a Friday, played in a $7 qualifier for the World Series Of Poker, and just two days later was flying off to Las Vegas courtesy of Betfair Poker. And to cap it all, this poker novice then bagged himself £10k in prize money after holding his own against the best players in the world.
After watching his brother play poker online, Tam, known as 'Big Tam' on account of his 6'8" frame, opened his account to play a "wee game".
"I only wanted to play a little bit of poker and the satellite qualifier was the next game that started, I did not expect to win that let alone go to Vegas"
This wee game led Tam to win a seat at the WSOP (World Series of Poker) Main Event, a $10,000 Buy In which sees seasoned pros from all over the world head to the tables in Las Vegas. Over 6,844 poker players entered the Main Event hoping to get their hands on a share of the $69 Million Prize Pool - $9 million of which goes to the first place finisher.
'Cashing' in the WSOP Main Event is every poker player's dream but Tam entered having only played once before at his local casino. Tam came 654th, outlasting 6,190 players and cashing for $21,000, proof that you don't have to play poker for years to succeed in this competitive game.
"I came to Vegas with no pre-conceptions and wanted to enjoy the experience, to be honest, I was still a little shocked that I had won the package in the first place. This has been amazing, staying in a 5 star hotel at the Wynn, meeting lots of great people and cashing in the main event has been pretty special."
Tam has returned home to his native Bo'ness where he plans to spend some of the money on a holiday and buy a new mountain bike. Tam's next goal is to qualify for the WSOPE (World Series of Poker Europe) held in London, which is the European partner of the WSOP held in Vegas.
The WSOPE is sponsored by Betfair.com. Betfair Poker is the only place to qualify for the tournament online.
For more information or interview possibilities please contact:

Amy Trodd
PR Executive - Poker and Games
www.betfair.com

Office: +44 20 8834 8318