Poker Web Watch / Dave Allan / 07 December 2008 / 1 Comments

Betfair pro Sorel Mizzi has done what he has been threatening to do since turning professional last year - won a major live poker tournament.

Earlier this week, the 22-year-old beat a 135-player field in Event #5 ($3,000 No Limit Hold'em) of the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

The Canadian has come close on a number of occasions to landing that elusive first title including a joint-third place effort at the Irish Open in 2007 and his memorable second place finish in the WSOPE Pot Limit Omaha event when he was a river card away from landing not only his first live success but also his first WSOP bracelet.

The recent win came shortly after the Internet legend passed the $1 million mark in live tournament earnings when cashing in the Masters Classic in Amsterdam in November.

Mizzi acknowledged the strength of the final table and put his success partly down to avoiding any major showdowns. "It was a very diverse and tough final table and almost everyone knew what they were doing," said Mizzi.

"I'm thrilled with the win."

"I stayed patient and had no showdowns until five players remained and then grabbed a massive chip advantage when the game was three-handed that set me up for the win."

The victory means all three Betfair pros now have major live tournament wins under their belts.

Annette famously won the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe in September 2007 while the popular John Tabatabai won one million rand for taking down the 12th All-Africa poker tournament in March 2008.

Related Readings

Sorel Mizzi Blog
John Tabatabai Blog
Annette Obrestad Blog
Closing out satellite tournaments - Sorel Mizzi