Cambridge beats Oxford in Clash of Titans sponsored by Full Tilt Poker

ONCHAN, Isle of Man -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Some of the brightest young minds from Oxford and Cambridge universities went head to head for some intense competition at the Oxford Versus Cambridge Varsity Poker Match 2014 and the 12th annual Oxford Cup, both sponsored by Full Tilt Poker.

To kick-start the weekend’s festivities, which took place on June 7th and 8th, Cambridge triumphed over Oxford in the Varsity Poker Match, getting revenge for this year’s boat race which saw Oxford come out on top.

Cambridge captain Mark Hammond was the last man standing at the end of the day’s proceedings, securing the bragging rights for his university. Hammond, a history student from Wimbledon said, “The Cambridge team played well, we deserved it. Both teams gave a good account of themselves, but we led it all the way.”

The event featured six players from each team facing off against each other in a heads-up shootout to determine the amount of chips each player started the final table with. The first part of the competition saw Cambridge take a 20-16 lead in the matches. This granted them a slight advantage going into the final stage of the event.

Things had looked bleak for Oxford when, of five remaining players, only Yousisif Moneimne, a PPE student, remained to wave the dark blue flag. Despite a valiant effort, Yousisif was next to exit, allowing the remaining Cambridge players to enjoy the rest of the match, safe in the knowledge victory was already secured.

Oxford captain Gabriel Tiplady, who studies French and Italian, was obviously disappointed but still proud of his team’s showing in the event. He said, “This has definitely been the highlight of leading the Oxford Poker Society, there’s something special about the rivalry between our two universities, the venue [Oxford Student Union] has been amazing, the interest and support from Full Tilt Poker – yeah, it’s been truly great.”

The Oxford Cup XII followed the Varsity tournament and was won by Oxford local Rick Hawkins after he triumphed over a field of 153 entrants. This event originally began as a tournament for Oxford students but has since expanded to attract poker players from across the globe including well-known names like Tony G, Phil Hellmuth and Full Tilt Poker Professional Gus Hansen over its 12 years. Hawkins, a software engineer who only entered the event on a passing whim, took home the lion’s share of the £4,500 prize pool and was delighted with the win, beating many of the participants of the previous day’s Varsity event to the top prize.

Hawkins said, "It was good to beat the local students; there are several regular games around the Oxford poker scene – I really enjoyed myself! Especially considering that I wasn't planning on playing at all!"

This brought a close to a hectic weekend of poker in Oxford. The two university teams enjoyed some healthy competition while adding another chapter to the historical rivalry. Oxford now have a year to wait for the rematch and are looking forward to the chance to even the score.