Baby-faced poker assassin

It would be easy to underestimate Nick Marchington. His innocent complexion and happy-go-lucky demeanour immediately put you at ease, but the man from Romford, England is a ferocious competitor and ruthless opponent. Softly spoken and affable off the table, a paragon of concentration and perceptiveness on it, he is a modern-day baby-faced poker assassin. 

he dominated proceedings from two tables out, getting his nose in front and then pulling away

On Sunday night, Marchington took down the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Las Vegas Main Event for $765,200 after putting on an endgame clinic. Reminiscent of Joe McKeehan in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event or Steve O’Dwyer’s virtuoso performance at The Irish Open, he dominated proceedings from two tables out, getting his nose in front and then pulling away. Sure, the deck was kind in a few spots but what was always in evidence was his composure and deep understanding of table dynamics. 

Marchington did what great front-runners do, leveraging the ICM pressure on his tablemates, whittling them down before delivering the fatal blows. At his celebratory dinner, he was gracious in victory, acknowledging his good fortune and simply referring to the final table as ‘smooth.’ Smoothest of all was how he ended the tournament, cold-decking Joel Micka on the very first hand of heads-up play. 

The Final Table

Starting the final day with just shy of 10 million chips, roughly 37% of the chips in play, Marchington was selectively aggressive, pressing his advantage but less than he anticipated his opponents would think. Having been the proverbial wrecking ball the previous night, he came into the final six with a game plan to be slightly less maniacal, sensing that his opponents were primed to presume larceny.  

Marchington’s progress was fairly steady en route to a stack of 13 million chips as he sent Japan’s Masato Yokosawa to the rail in sixth. Curt Kohlberg bust in fifth after losing a race to Micka and then it was the turn of Marco Johnson to be sent packing, also at the hands of Micka. All the while, however, Marchington was stretching his lead over the field, successfully 5-betting his Ace-King versus Micka’s Ace-Jack, winning a chunky one versus Jeff Madsen with two pair and just generally leaning on his opponents with light opens and well-timed bluffs.

the Poker Gods chose immediate violence, ending the contest in the blink of an eye

Three-handed, the chips moved back and forth but despite some minor setbacks, Marchington continued to dominate. Madsen was eventually given his marching orders in a pocket Queens versus Ace-Ten collision, an unlikely river ace bringing delight to the enthusiastic railbirds, of which I was one. The stage was set for what could have been a war of attrition but the Poker Gods chose immediate violence, ending the contest in the blink of an eye. 

Grateful and gracious

Back in 2019, Marchington made the WSOP Main Event final table, an extraordinary run which culminated in an impressive seventh place finish for $1,525,000. At just 21 years of age, it was a baptism of fire on poker’s biggest stage. In the years since, he has focused mainly on cash games but the allure of big tournaments does tempt him into the arena occasionally. He took down the Grosvenor Poker Tour Open in Coventry earlier this year but last week’s NAPT result was on another level. 

“Honestly, this is some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing poker,” Marchington told Joe Stapleton in his post-match interview. It was a sentiment he echoed just a few hours later both on social media and over champagne and Mexican food, declaring it his “favourite poker experience.” 

Marchington had just navigated his way through a field of 895 players to earn the biggest title of his young career but as we all raised our glasses to him, it was clear that he already very self-aware, cognisant of the achievement yet both grateful and gracious in victory.

NAPT Main Event Final Table Results

1st: Nick Marchington, UK – $765,200

2nd: Joel Micka, USA – $478,450

3rd: Jeff Madsen, USA – $341,750

4th: Marco Johnson, USA – $262,900

5th: Curt Kohlberg, USA – $202,250

6th: Masato Yokosawa, Japan – $155,550

7th: Brock Wilson, USA – $119,650

8th: Matt Affleck, USA – $92,000