2025 The Hendon Mob Championship London

With his elimination of Rudy Hanna, Joseph Saunders is now crowned the winner of the £200 Opener. Saunders locked up £7,495 after the heads-up deal; it’s his biggest ever live cash, but he was more excited about winning a Hendon Mob hoodie and the iconic trophy.

That wraps up today’s live coverage. The blog will go live tomorrow at 13:15, when it’s time for Day 1b of the £280 Main Event. Before that, a recap of today’s action (and the Main Event Day 1a chip counts) will also be published. Thanks to everyone who’s been following along with the action, and we’ll see you tomorrow.

£200 Opener – Full Results

After some pre-flop shenanigans, Rudy Hanna and Joseph Saunders clashed all in. Hanna was the player at risk with roughly 2,500,000.

Rudy Hanna: K♣J♠
Joseph Saunders: A♦5♣

The board spelled out 6♠5♥2♥2♦6♥, and that settled it. Hanna was eliminated in second place for £6,300, and all his chips went to Saunders.

Joseph Saunders: 8,750,000
Rudy Hanna: 0

Prior to the heads-up, Rudy Hanna and Joseph Saunders made a deal. Saunders has locked up £7,495 and Hanna £6,300; they will continue to play for the trophy.

Joseph Saunders moved all in for 2,680,000 from the Small Blind. Seated in the Big Blind, Kourosh Arshadnejad made the call.

Joseph Saunders: J♠Q♣
Kourosh Arshadnejad: K♦9♦

Saunders got the better of his opponent as the board spelled out 7♦9♦4♥10♥Q♥. Arshadnejad survived with 450,000, and a few hands later, he pushed it all in from the Button. Saunders made the call from the Big Blind.

Kourosh Arshadnejad: K♦9♦
Joseph Saunders: J♣7♣

Once again, Saunders benefited from the Q♠2♠7♦6♣8♠ runout, and Arshadnejad, who was the chip leader during most of Day 2, went out in third place for £2,865.

Joseph Saunders: 5,875,000
Ruby Hanna: 2,875,000
Kourosh Arshadnejad: 0

Joseph Saunders made it 180,000 from the Button. Kourosh Arshadnejad moved all in for 1,770,000, and after Rudy Hanna folded, Saunders made the call as fast as humanly possible.

Kourosh Arshadnejad: A♥2♥
Joseph Saunders: K♣K♠

Saunders was looking good to secure a heads-up against Hanna, but the 10♣3♠A♠3♥4♥ board had different plans. Arshadnejad doubled through Saunders, and three-handed play continues.

Kourosh Arshadnejad: 3,600,000
Joseph Saunders: 1,770,000

Rudy Hanna opened to 100,000 UTG, and Joseph Saunders (Button) made the call before Roland Boothby moved all in for 490,000. Hanna folded before Saunders made the call.

Roland Boothby: J♠J♥
Joseph Saunders: Q♠J♣

Boothby was not thrilled about the 2♦Q♦5♥ flop. No lucky one-outer on the 5♣10♣ runout, and “The Hendon Mob Guy” went out in fourth place for £2,235.

Joseph Saunders: 3,050,000
Roland Boothby: 0

“Mr. X” clashed all-in pre-flop against Kourosh Arshadnej. “Mr. X” was the player at risk with 170,000.

“Mr. X”: K♦8♣
Kourosh Arshadnej: Q♣7♥

“Mr. X” was ever so slightly ahead, but Arshadnej’s sun run continued as he improved to two pairs on the Q♦5♦J♥7♣6♣ board. “Mr. X” went out in fifth place for £1,920.

Kourosh Arshadnej: 3,255,000
“Mr. X”: 0

Christopher Yong committed 150,000 of his 200,000 stack to a pre-flop raise. He got called by Roland Boothby and Joseph Saunders.

Yong put his last 50,000 in on the K♥7♦4♠ flop. Saunders made the call, and Boothby mucked.

Christopher Yong: A♣J♦
Joseph Saunders: 7♣4♣

No luck for Yong on the sadly not captured runout, and he went out in sixth place for £1,920. This is starting to look like a contender for the fastest-ever final table.

Joseph Saunders: 2,700,000
Christopher Yong: 0

Short-stacked Maksim Belomstnoi made it 130,000 pre-flop, leaving himself with a mere 40,000 behind. He got two callers in the forms of Kourosh Arshadnejad (Button) and Roland Boothby (Big Blind).

First to act, Boothby checked the 8♠Q♠9♣ flop. Belomstnoi then moved all in for 40,000, and Arshadnejad made the call before Boothby mucked.

Maksim Belomstnoi: K♥J♥
Kourosh Arshadnejad: 2♣2♥

Belomstnoi had some outs, but the 5♦4♥ runout didn’t help him. Arshadnejad claimed another victim as Belomstnoi bid farewell in seventh place for £1,225.

Kourosh Arshadnejad: 3,100,000
Maksim Belomstnoi: 0

UTG, Mohammad Joian opened to 125,000. Action eventually came to Kourosh Arshadnejad, who moved all in for 1,705,000 from the Button. Joian didn’t hesitate a second; he made the call in a heartbeat.

Kourosh Arshadnejad: A♥K♠
Mohammad Joian: A♠A♦

“Nice hand,” Arshadnejad granted his opponent once the cards were revealed. “Surely not,” this reporter was thinking to himself as the dealer revealed the J♣Q♣4♥ flop. Well, would you look at that: Arshadnejad improved to a straight on the 10♥, and the 9♦ river didn’t bring the chop Joian hoped for. He was covered for Arshadnejad and was eliminated in eighth place for £790.

Kourosh Arshadnejad: 2,510,000
Mohammad Joian: 0

After an initial opening from Kourosh Arshadnejad to 80,000 from the Lo-jack, Umberan Akhtar moved all in for 255,000 from the Hi-jack. When action came back to Arshadnejad, he made the call.

Umberan Akhtar: A♣5♣
Kourosh Arshadnejad: A♠9♦

No help for Akhtar on the 4♠Q♥6♥8♥10♣ board, and he became the first victim on the final table. For his ninth-place finish, he was awarded £600.

Kourosh Arshadnejad: 1,705,000
Umberan Akhtar: 0

Action folded to Zhivko Zhivkov, who moved all in for 325,000 from the Cut-off. Rudy Hanna made the call from the Button.

Zhivko Zhivkov: Q♣10♣
Rudy Hanna: K♠K♥

Zhivkov got some hopes on the A♣K♣8♦ flop, but he didn’t get there as the board completed with 9♠4♠. As such, Zhivkov was eliminated in tenth place for £535, and the nine-handed final table is now set.

Rudy Hanna: 2,500,000
Zhivko Zhivkov: 0

Action folded to Maksim Belomstnoi, who moved all in for 220,000 from the Button. Comfortable, Zhivko Zhivkov made the call from the Big Blind.

Maksim Belomstnoi: A♦Q♥
Zhivko Zhivkov: Q♠Q♥

Belomstnoi had Zhivkov in rough shape, but would you believe it, Belomstnoi hit an Ace on the A♠K♣6♥ flop, and no help for Zhivkov on the 6♠5♦ runout. As such, Belomstnoi survived on the final table bubble.

Maksim Belomstnoi: 500,000
Zhivko Zhivkov: 400,000

Below are the photos from Day 2 of the £200 Opener.

Action folded to Roland Boothby, who moved all in for 350,000 from the Button. Seated in the Big Blind, Kourosh Arshadnejad snap-called.

Roland Boothby: 10♠9♠
Kourosh Arshadnejad: A♦K♦

“Let’s go,” an excited Boothby pumped himself up. “Not ideal,” he said as the dealer revealed the K♥Q♠7♦. He got some hope when the 9♣ landed on the turn. “That’ll do,” he declared on the 10♦ river. “The Hendon Mob Guy” survives.

Roland Boothby: 745,000
Kourosh Arshadnejad: 725,000

During the third break, the floor helped this live reporter to do full chip counts.

Mohammad Joian made it 65,000 from UTG+1. Action then folded to Zhivko Zhivkov, who moved all in for 198,000 from the Button. After receiving the count, Joian decided to make the call.

Zhivko Zhivkov: A♥Q♣
Mohammad Joian: 7♦6♥

Zhivkov was ahead, but he was understandably afraid to see his opponent’s hand. He managed to avoid disaster, though, as the board spelled out K♥4♦9♣J♣3♥. At the same time, at the other table, Roland Boothby eliminated the entertaining Preston Makonda in fourteenth place for £475, after hitting a runner-runner straight.

Mohammad Joian: 460,000
Zhivko Zhivkov: 458,000

James Smith opened to 50,000 from the Lo-jack. Mohammad Joian (Small Blind) and Maksim Belomstnoi (Big Blind) both made the call.

Joian fancied a 75,000 donk-bet on the 7♦4♣K♣ flop. Belomstnoi quickly mucked before Smith moved all in for roughly 300,000. Joian made the call in a heartbeat.

James Smith: K♦J♥
Mohammad Joian: 7♥4♥

Joian was ahead with two pairs, and no dice for Smith as the board completed with Q♠10♦. As such, Smith was eliminated in fifteenth place for £475, and Joian added to his already impressive stack.

Mohammad Joian: 705,000
James Smith: 0

Fifteen players are remaining in the tournament. Below are all eliminations since reaching the money.

The board read 7♠5♠2♠ with roughly 150,000 in the middle. Marius Condrea had forced Preston Lokondo all in for 210,000, and Lokondo looked troubled. He utilized three timebank chips before making the call.

Marius Condrea: 9♦9♣
Preston Lokondo: K♠Q♥

Lokondo was pleased to see he had a lot of equity, and as the K♥ landed on the turn, he rose from his chair and started dancing, accompanied by some soothing humming. The river (which I apparently didn’t write down) didn’t kill his buzz, and he received a double-up at this very crucial stage of the tournament.

Preston Lokondo: 570,000
Marius Condrea: 203,000

Action folded to Zhivko Zhivkov in the Small Blind, who forced Big Blind-player Maksim Belomstnoi all in for 98,000. After peeking at his hole cards, Belomstnoi made the call.

Zhivko Zhivkov: K♣9♣
Maksim Belomstnoi: 5♥5♠

It was a classic coinflip confrontation, and Belomstnoi’s pocket pair was still ahead on the A♥8♣8♦ flop. He managed to dodge disaster as the board completed with 10♣6♠, and he received a nice double-up.

Zhivko Zhivkov: 385,000
Maksim Bekomstnoi: 222,000

The board read Q♥J♠K♣ with perhaps 60,000 in the middle. Kourosh Arshadnej, who’s been the chip leader all day, checked from the Big Blind to Zhivko Zhivkov (Button), who bet 25,000. Faster than the speed of lightning, Arshadnej announced “raise” to 75,000. After a few seconds’ worth of consideration, Zhivkov made the call.

Both players checked the 2♠ turn and the 2♥ river. Zhivkov turned over K♠9♥, and seeing as Arshadnej mucked his hand, a pair of Kings was enough to take down the pot.

Kourosh Arshadnej: 845,000
Zhivko Zhivkov: 435,000

The players will soon return from the second break of the day and commence play on Level 18. Below are the five biggest stacks in the room.

The tournament is progressing at a rapid pace, and the floor just announced that hand-by-hand play would commence on the bubble. Ten seconds after the dealers were given the green light to deal one more hand, it was announced that the remaining players were, in fact, in the money. After double-checking the number of players left in the field, the floor could confirm it was 23, and not 24 like they initially thought.

That being said, this live reporter sadly missed the bubble hand. Nevertheless, all players are now guaranteed a £410 min-cash. The Hendon Mob’s Head of Partnership, Roland Boothby, will need to reach the final table to break even, as he fired three bullets on Day 1.

This isn’t the first time The Hendon Mob Championship has been played at Genting Casino Stratford. Well, actually, it is, because when the event was held within these walls in December 2024, it was still Aspers. Nevertheless, it’s a well-appreciated event by the UK poker community.

Last year, there were six events on the schedule, and naturally, the £280 Main Event was the big one. It was won by Gary Miller, who is quite experienced on the scene. Time will tell if he’ll show up to defend his title.

2024 THMC London – All Results

The James Bond of poker media, Glenn Brown, was my driver to Genting Casino Stratford today. While I was preparing mentally for the reporting, 007 hyped himself up for playing the £200 Opener himself. During the car ride, I quizzed Brown on British music, and he did a stellar job (albeit he didn’t recognize Freddie Mercury’s voice). “If you’re as good at poker, this’ll be a walk in the park for you,” I said to my driver as we entered the casino.

Brown committed 16,000 from his 150,000 stack to an opening from the Lo-jack. Christopher Yong made the call from the Hi-jack, before Bogdan Jaworski moved all in for 33,000 from the Button. Back to Brown, who re-shoved, and Yong made the call.

Bogdan Jaworski: 8♦7♦
Glenn Brown: A♥J♦
Christopher Yong: A♦Q♣

Brown was praying for a Jack, but the Poker Gods refused to listen. Yong won a big pot as the board ran out 4♠9♣4♦6♦5♥, and Jaworski trippled up with a straight.

Christopher Yong: 322,000
Bogdan Jaworski: 120,000
Glenn Brown: 0

I was told about a hand that played out on Table 31 a few minutes ago. Rudy Hanna opened to 12,500, and Mohammad Joian then three-bet to 33,000. Hanna made the call.

First to act, Hanna checked the 9♥Q♣8♥ flop, and Joian continued for 35,000. Hanna then moved all in, and was called by Joian (who had Hanna covered).

Rudy Hanna: Q♦10♦
Mohammad Joian: A♥A♠

Hanna was trailing, but as the board completed with 3♦Q♠, he took the pot down with trips. Hanna’s been on a heater since, and chances are good he’s the current chip leader.

Rudy Hanna: 870,000
Mohammad Joian: 560,000

Considering late registration is over, the payouts have now been announced. It’s also worth mentioning that the guarantee was reached, as the final prize pool reads £31,500.

“Let’s see if I can bust from the same seat three times,” Deniz Orhan joked as he moved all in for 24,000 from UTG+1. Rutuj Mhaske re-shoved for 37,000 from the Lo-jack; Wai Lam (Cut-off) and Rioland Boothby (Small Blind) both made the call.

Lam and Boothby locked horns for the side pot, and they both started off by checking the 4♣A♣8♥ flop. Boothby bet 25,000 on the 3♠ turn, and Lam decided to stick around.

The dealer revealed the 5♥ on the river, and after an initial check from Boothby, Lam bet 25,000. Boothby wasted little time before moving all in for 90,000 in total. Lam sighed, leaned back in his chair, and made the call after 20 seconds of consideration.

Boothby turned over 8♣8♦, and it was deemed the winning hand. He won a considerable pot and sent Orhan and Mhaske to the rail.

Roland Boothby: 393,000
Wai Lam: 66,000
Rutuj Mhaske: 0
Deniz Orhan: 0

Below are all the photos that were taken during Day 1 of the £200 Opener (December 3).

During the break, I took a stroll through the tournament area and tried to identify the five biggest stacks in the room as of now.

The last hand before the break, three players clashed all in. The Hendon Mob’s Head of Partnership, Roland Boothby, contemplated a move, but decided to muck his hand.

Deniz Orhan: Q♠2♣
Bodo Wagner: 6♥6♠
“Mr. X:” K♣9♦

“There’d better not be a five on the flop,” Boothby said, revealing he folded Pocket Fives. “No!” he shouted in grief as the dealer revealed the 3♠5♥K♠ flop. “Mr. X” took a solid lead, and his opponents didn’t catch up on the 7♦J♦. Orhan was eliminated, while Wagner survived with one sole 1,000 chip.

Roland Boothby: 188,000
Mr. X: 155,000
Bodo Wagner: 1,000
Deniz Orhan: 0

Action folded to “Mr. X”, who opened to 10,000 from the Hi-jack. When it was Mohamed Mohamed’s turn to act, he made it 55,000 from the Big Blind. This sent “Mr. X” deep into the tank; he utilized four 30-second timebank chips before he made the call.

“If an ace or a king comes on the flop, it’s your pot,” “Mr. X” told his opponent. The dealer revealed the 7♠K♦5♥ flop, and just as predicted, Mohamed forced “Mr. X” all in for 69,000. “Mr. X” wasted little time before mucking his hand.

Mohamed Mohamed: 200,000
Mr. X: 69,000

Right from the get-go, poker.pro host Glenn Brown went on a heater. The very first hand, he doubled up with Pocket Aces, and a few hands later, he hit the Nut Flush with his A♦7♦ holdings and won another big pot.

Someone who didn’t have a good start was poker.pro strategy content guru Aytan Eldarova. On the very first hand, she found herself all-in preflop for starting stack. She’d run her Kings into Aces, and even though she flopped a set of Cowboys, a brutal Ace on the river put an end to her short ventures. Time will tell whether she decides to rebuy.

Glenn Brown: 179,000
Aytan Eldarova: 0

The dealers are now preparing the decks for the first hand of Day 2. Keep in mind that late registration will be open for the first to levels.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the poker.pro live blog that will cover the 2025 Hendon Mob Championship (THMC) London.

Not many live poker events are as enjoyable as The Hendon Mob Championship. The tournament has been held several times in 2025, mostly in conjunction with other festivals. Champions have been crowned in Malta, Rozvadvov, Bratislava, and more. There’s also been standalone festivals in Liechtenstein and Nottingham, and let’s not forget about the THMC Cape Town Million, which was played just a few weeks ago.

Now, the season will wrap up with a third and final standalone festival at Genting Casino Stratford (formerly known as Aspers). This blonde, Swedish Viking has been blessed with the opportunity to provide the live coverage, which will commence today at 16:15. Today’s focus will be Day 2 of the £200 Opener. The tournament kicked off yesterday with the Day 1 flight, and those who made it through to Day 2 will be accompanied by some additional players, seeing as late registration will be open during the first two levels today.

Day 1 scored 133 entries. Kourosh Arshadnejad is the chip leader going into Day 2 with 643,500; all chip counts will be uploaded in a minute.

Apart from the Day 2 finale, the £280 Main Event also starts today with its first starting-day flight. With a £150,000 guarantee, this event is expected to attract a large number of players across its total of seven starting-day flights.

As I’m writing this, there’s also a £30 Main Event cashout satellite running with five seats guaranteed. Another one will start at 17:15.

2025 THMC London – December 4 Schedule

All in all, it’s going to be a thrilling day at London’s finest poker venue. See you all at 16:15!