Just over a hundred players entered for this year's U.K. Poker Open , sponsored by 888.com - Pacific Poker with a prize pool of almost GBP 300 000.

The grand prize of $134 000 was taken by Talinn , Estonia player Marek Kolk aka "The Maverick," who has previously been "in the money" at a number of major world tournaments including the last WSOP.

It was a tough tournament - Kolk had to defeat a final table that included five other professional players of the calibre of Roland De Wolfe, Theo Dalton, Dave Clayton and Simon Zack, as well as online qualifier Alan Parkinson. Other notable players who competed include England rugby stars Matt Dawson and Austin Healy, Graeme Dott, Ray Parlour, and Eastenders star Billy Murray.

The 888.com U.K. Poker Open will be broadcast at midnight October 23 through November 14 on Challenge TV in the U.K.