Adrian Fazakerley has one of the biggest cheering sections at the Colossus event at the 2017 World Series of Poker. If you do not recognize the name “Fazakerley” as a top poker professional, that’s for a reason.
The 53-year old amateur player is a pub and owner from Chesterfield, England. He owns the Dusty Miller Inn and Pub located in the village of Barlborough, between Sheffield and Chesterfield.
Redtooth Poker WSOP Package
Through his own poker skills, the UK pub owner won a free package to the Colossus III event at the WSOP on Redtooth Poker, an English pub poker league website. Like most satellite events, Fazakerley won accommodations and a free entry into the WSOP event.
When he comes to Las Vegas, Adrian Fazakerley plans to bring with him a cheering section consisting of family and friends and perhaps a few patrons. More important to Fazakerley’s cheering section is the thousands of members of his Redtooth pub poker league (shown above) who will be cheering him on.
Pub Poker League Members on Facebook
Most will not be live with the pub owner when he begins play. Instead, they’ll be following his play via Facebook. Adrian Fazakerley said, “I’ve also got another group following me called Aces High poker group and there are about 4,000 members. They’re all going to be watching the live updates and rooting for me as well.”
$565 No-Limit Hold’em Colossus Event
Event #5, also known as the Colossus Event, is a $565 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em tournament with a $1 million guaranteed first prize. Because it has a cheap entry and a high payout, the Colossus is designed to draw a lot of entries.
The Colossus begins on Friday, June 2, with a flight starting at 10 am and another starting at 4 pm. Saturday and Sunday each have two more flights. Colossus allows for re-entries, though a player can buy-in to only one additional flight at a time.
UK Online Pub Poker Leagues
Fazakerley said he began playing poker in organized online events in 2009. Redtooth Poker was a chance to hone his skills, like it is for thousands of British card players. Despite 8 years of competive play, this is his first time playing in a WSOP bracelet event.
For a business owner with two grown daughters, playing live poker is not feasible most of the time. Instead, online poker was the way he honed his skills. Fazakerley said, “It’s very difficult. It’s very rare that I get to play live. It’s mainly online, that’s how I’ve gained my experience. I’ve played since 2009, and it’s been a big learning curve online and it’s helped me learn a lot.”
WSOP Colossus III Experience
That is how he won the Redtooth Poker WSOP package, after years of practic. He added, “This is the first year I’ve played one for a bracelet. Last year I came and played a couple of the DeepStacks, just to get a feel for it.”
Lucky for Adrian, the Colossus event allows rebuys. On Friday and Saturday, he played in the 10am sessions and busted out of the tournament. On Sunday, he decided to enter the 4pm flight instead of the morning session. The proved to be a better option for him, so he advanced to play on Monday, when all survivors gather for a combined field.
Whether he does damage on Monday is beside the point. Adrian Fazakerley enjoyed his trip to Las Vegas to compete against the best in the world. He’s done well and had a rare poker experience. Fazakerley said, “I played really good, solid poker. Yesterday I felt more in the zone. I am absolutely loving it.”
Over 600 players remain in the Colossus event, so Adrian Fazakerley still has a lot of work cut out for him. Wednesday is expected to be the final day of play.
