Electrician wins a ‘life-changing’ £63,000 at poker tournament
Derek Borwick, 43, from Gorleston, won £63,600 at The Goliath poker tournament in Coventry. Picture: Kelly Borwick - Credit: Archant
Whether it’s in the lottery or through a lucky bet, many of us have dreams of winning big.
But for Derek Borwick, those dreams have become a reality after he won £63,600 in a poker tournament earlier this summer.
The 43-year-old brushed off tough competition from ex-professional sportsmen and professional poker players at the event in Coventry at the end of July.
The Goliath, held at the Grosvenor casino inside the Ricoh arena, is the biggest live poker tournament outside of Las Vegas and attracts more than 9,000 entrants.
Mr Borwick, from Gorleston, had previously played in the tournament on two occasions, but admitted he had no expectations going into this year's event.
"The first couple of days I was really struggling but at the end of my second day I got a few nice cards and made good decisions," he said.
"I was the chip leader going into the final day which I couldn't really believe.
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"I was just trying to concentrate on playing my own game."
Having made it through to the final five of the Texas Hold'em format, the contestants were told how much money the chips they had left were worth using an Independent Chip Model (ICM).
Mr Borwick was in shock when he told his wife, who was at the tournament supporting him, his stake equated to £63,600.
He said: "My mouth just went to mush and I couldn't get my words out.
"She was shaking when I told her. It was an amazing moment."
With all five finalists deciding to cash in their money, the 43-year-old was guaranteed his £63,600 on top of any further winnings.
Mr Borwick went on to finish in fourth losing out on an extra £20,000 for winning.
He said: "After the money was secure I couldn't stop smiling because I knew how much of a difference it was going to make."
The 43-year-old has been a self-employed electrician for 16 years and has a nine-year-old son with his wife Kelly.
The pair have already started planning a holiday to Disney World in America and hope to spend a substantial amount of money on expanding their home in Gorleston.
Mr Borwick added: "It really is a life-changing amount of money to us.
"We would have been able to plan holidays like this but it would've taken a lot of saving up."
Mr Borwick intends to carry on working as an electrician and will continue to play poker locally at The Albion pub in Gorleston.