A Dundee University MBA student has beaten professional poker players and sports stars to win the Edinburgh leg of the Gala Casinos British Poker Tour (GCBPT) and to be declared Scottish GCBPT champion.

Professional poker players, Rory Matthews from Edinburgh and Robin Ylitao from Sweden, were pipped to the post by Colin Wu after five days of thrilling poker at Gala’s Edinburgh Maybury Casino.

Among the 175 players who took part was current world snooker champion, John Higgins. Higgins came in tenth place, narrowly missing out on a place at the final table of the nine top players. He has vowed to compete again in next year’s tournament in a bid to emulate his snooker success on the poker table.

This is the second year of the GCBPT which was created in response to poker’s ever increasing popularity across the UK. As well as a massive cash prize pool in excess of £1 million, poker professionals, amateur players and poker novices alike will compete for the ultimate accolade of GCBPT Champion 2008.

Colin Wu will now go forward to the UK final which will take place at Gala’s Harbourside Casino in Bristol from 1-7 December, where he will compete with winners from four forthcoming regional festivals for the coveted GCBT championship title.

Gala’s Casinos Maybury General Manager, Ally Myles, said: “This really is the people’s poker tour. The camaraderie displayed by three players splitting the prize fund reflected the overall friendly atmosphere of the event, where amateurs and professionals play alongside one another for the chance to win.”

Winner, Colin Wu, said: “I’m thrilled to be crowned Scottish champion as the standard of play was so high. I was inspired to take part having seen an amateur player from Dundee, Eddie Gaines, win last year’s Scottish event. My friends from Gala’s Dundee casino traveled to Edinburgh to support me and I’m thrilled that my win means Dundee has done the double!”

Final results:
1. Colin Wu, £20,500
2. Robin Yiltalo, £20,500
3. Rory Mathews, £20,500 (top three finishers did a deal)
4. Philip Scott, £7,300
5. Richard Lapwood, £5,100
6. Jamie Coonan, £3,250
7. John Lynch, £2,800
8. Mark Greenwood, £2,300
9. Alistair Findlay, £1,850