Thursday, October Sixteenth was the sixth day of the 2025 PartyPoker Tour Birmingham. The poker action has become bigger and more intense every day so far, and this glorious Thor’s Day would be no different. While the £500 Main Event kicked off with its first starting-day flight, the biggest happening was destined to be the conclusion of the £150 Mini Main Event.
After Wednesday’s Day 2 flight, 14 players returned to the penultimate Day 3. The stage was set for an epic finish, and when all was said and done, it could be determined that one certain player had navigated his way through the final table like a bulldozer on a rocky road.
All Gas, No Breaks
Overall, the £150 Mini Main Event had attracted 660 entries through its six starting-day flights. This meant that the £50,000 guarantee was knocked out of the ballpark, as the total prize pool read an impressive £82,500. Not only would the 14 remaining warriors battle it out for the £14,370 first-place payout, but also for the coveted PartyPoker trophy and, of course, eternal poker glory. Needless to say, it was going to be a tense day at Resorts World Birmingham.
Play kicked off at 15:00, and within an hour, five players had already bid farewell, which meant a seat draw was conducted for the nine remaining contestants. Matthew Negus – who’d entered the day as the chip leader – was one of the aforementioned five casualties, and he had to settle with a £780 cash. Another notable happening was Robert Douras’ double elimination; by knocking out Paul Howley and James Ablott with pocket aces, Douras had earned himself great presumptions as he secured the chip lead going into the final table.
The final nine went on a minute break while the TV crew set up the live stream, and they returned 20 minutes later, ready to rumble. Daniel Bronson had entered the final table with the shortest stack, and he’d eventually become the first one to go. He got it in with pre-flop with 8♥8♦ against the Q♥Q♦ of Gokul Narayanan, and he wasn’t able to convert. For his ninth-place finish, he was awarded £1,330.
Shortly thereafter, Peter Carey joined Bronson on the rail. Carey had become short after his A♠K♣ became out-flopped by Narayanan’s A♥10♠, and perhaps 30 minutes later, he called with J♦7♣ from the Big Blind for his tournament life. He was up against the Q♣J♠ of Douras, and the board offered zero consolation. Carey got £1,730 for his eighth-place finish.
The only female player at the final table, Tak Wong, went out in seventh place for £2,270. Wong had been card dead for a while, and when seated in the Big Blind, she decided to take the chance to see a flop with Q♠9♦ for a good price. She flopped top pair and decided to go for it, but sad news for her as Tai Hoang had slowplayed 10♥10♦ before the flop. Wong displayed sublime poker skills throughout the tournament, and she should be very proud of her deep run.
The remaining players went on a break, and Rajbinder Badwal would return as the shortest stack with less than four Big Blinds. Badwal was the one trying to write a Cinderella story in the tournament; during Day 2, he was left with two Big Blinds after posting the Big Blind and the Ante, and he managed to double up with Doyle Brunson’s illustrious ten-deuce. He wasn’t able to repeat his comeback on the final table, though, as his 10♦6♠ holdings were no match for the K♥J♥ of Douras, who just kept on bulldozing through the tournament, extending his chip lead doing so. Badwal bid farewell in sixth place for £3,010.
Being the big stack, Douras decided to put the pedal to the metal, and he open-shoved 7♠7♥ UTG. Bad timing for him, as Narayaran woke up with Q♥Q♦. Narayaran did have a respectable stack at this point and was seeking to put a huge dent in the Douras stack, but Douras’ hot run wasn’t over just yet. He flopped a set of sevens, and seeing as Narayaran didn’t improve his pair of queens, he went out in fifth place for £3,890.
Two hands later, Douras opened A♠K♣ on the Button, and then called off a shove from Thomas Busst. Busst, who held A♦J♣, took the lead on the Q♣J♦9♣ flop, but Douras sat back in the driver’s seat thanks to the K♥ turn. No dice for Busst on the river, and – if I may play with words – Busst bust in fourth place for £4,860.
Douras seemed to be comfortable being the big stack bully, and holding more than 60 % of the chips in play, he open-shoved 10♥5♥ to put maximum pressure on his two remaining opponents. Christopher Nicholas decided to go for it and called for his tournament life with K♣8♣, but the poker Gods were still on Douras’ side. He hit a pair of fives on the flop, and that was enough to eliminate Nicholas in third place for £6,600.
Douras and Hoang went on a 10-minute break before they returned for the heads-up. Hoang had 3,500,000 on Blinds 100,000/200,000 compared to the 22,860,000 Douras stack. The one-versus-one duel would only last one hand, as Hoang got it in with A♥8♣ against the 7♥7♣ of Douras. Hoang took the commando on the 6♣9♥8♦ flop, but the stars had been aligned on the Douras sky all day. The 10♥ turn gave Douras a straight, and the 6♦ river didn’t see the players chopping the pot. As such, Hoang was eliminated in second place for £9,080, which meant that Douras was crowned the champion of the £150 Mini Main Event here at the 2025 PartyPoker Tour Nottingham for £14,370.
2025 PartyPoker Tour Birmingham – £150 Mini Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Robert Douras | United Kingdom | £14,370 |
| 2 |  Tai Hoang | Thailand | £9,080 |
| 3 | Christopher Nicholas | United Kingdom | £6,600 |
| 4 | Thomas Busst | United Kingdom | £4,860 |
| 5 |  Gokul Narayanan | India | £3,890 |
| 6 |  Rajbinder Badwal | England | £3,010 |
| 7 | Tak Wong | United Kingdom | £2,270 |
| 8 | Peter Carey | United Kingdom | £1,730 |
| 9 | Daniel Bronson | United Kingdom | £1,330 |
Even though Douras ran extremely well, he was a worthy winner of the tournament. Judging by The Hendon Mob, the Brit was one of the most experienced players on the final table. He had completely demolished the competition on the final table, eliminating six out of his total eight opponents. It’s his fifth biggest cash in his career so far, and he’s forever edged his name into Birmingham poker history.
The poker.pro live reporter Christoffer Karlén is on-site at Resorts World Birmingham throughout the festival, and from October 17 onwards, the editorial office is switching focus from the Mini Main Event to the £500 Main Event. The highlighted tournament features a £100,000 guarantee, and considering the wide success of the 2025 PartyPoker Tour so far, there is no reason to believe that this won’t be a tournament for the ages. Make sure to follow all the action live on poker.pro.
