Shane Hellyer, a 27 year old former Medina High School pupil from the Isle of Wight is the first English winner of the World Championship of Online Poker or WCOOP as it’s know in the world of poker.
Playing under the online handle of shane147 he knocked out all of the other 7,217 competitors to win a total prize pot of $202,409 (£114,000) as well as a gold WCOOP bracelet.
A considerable amount of money, but you have to realise that he played for 17 hours and 38 minutes straight.
We’re not sure where this considerable winnings puts his ‘normal’ job as a blade technician, but after having only played poker for two years, he’s going to be somewhat of a poster boy online poker.
You can watch a recording of the game in the video below.
Watch WCOOP Highlights: Event 1 – $215 NL Hold’em (6 max) on PokerStars.tv
If you know Shane, or know someone who does know him, please get in touch.