Tamer Kamel

Tamer Kamel was born in the UK to an Egyptian father and Scottish mother. He earned a BA (Hons) from Manchester University before pursuing a career in professional football. His athletic ambitions were cut short when he suffered a serious knee injury while on trial with an Egyptian football team, forcing him to abandon the sport. It was this setback that led him to discover poker in 2010, just four years before his first major live tournament successes.

Kamel started playing poker recreationally but quickly transitioned to a semi-professional status. Within four years, he amassed $720,392 in live tournament earnings with his biggest scores coming on home soil. By 2016, his live cashes had grown to over $1 million ($1,027,522). He is known as a versatile player adept at various poker formats, though his early results were primarily in No-Limit Hold'em events.

In 2013, Kamel finished fifth in the UKIPT High Roller in London for $172,144, one of his largest paydays at the time. Later that year, he placed seventh in the EPT London Main Event, earning $120,311. His most prominent live appearance came in November 2014 at the WPT UK Main Event at Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham. Kamel entered the final table as the third chip leader with 1,844,000 chips (77 big blinds), having surged early on by eliminating three players in a five-minute stretch during Level 16. The final table also featured Patrick Leonard, Ben Warrington, and Antoine Saout. Kamel ultimately finished the tournament in a paid position (specific place not recorded in source), with the winner earning £200,000 including a WPT World Championship seat.

Other cashes include the Unibet Open London in 2016, where he was noted among the field's high earners alongside Ben Roberts and Tony Cascarino. His consistent results have established him as a respected figure in the UK tournament scene.

When not playing poker, Kamel runs the ICCO Pizzeria in London, where his name is above the door. He is married and describes himself as "semi-professional," balancing poker with his business. Kamel is of Egyptian/Scottish descent and credits his background and faith for his opportunities. After visiting a friend in Honduras who works with underprivileged communities, Kamel expressed a strong desire to use poker as a platform to help others. He stated that he "thanks God everyday for what he has been blessed with" and has publicly committed to returning to Honduras to assist those less fortunate. This philanthropic outlook complements his pragmatic approach to the game, where he combines discipline with a willingness to seize advantageous moments.

At the 2014 partypoker WPT UK Main Event, Kamel entered the final table as the third chip leader. The final table lineup and chip counts were as follows: Seat 1 Tamer Kamel – 1,844,000 (77 bb); Seat 2 Patrick Leonard – 836,000 (35 bb); Seat 3 Ben Warrington – 2,616,000 (109 bb); Seat 4 Phillip Mighall – 710,000 (30 bb); Seat 5 Antoine Saout – 1,086,000 (45 bb); Seat 6 Matas Cimbolas – 3,534,000 (147 bb). The prize structure awarded £200,000 to the winner (including a $15,400 seat into the WPT World Championship), with £140,000 for second, £92,000 for third, £67,000 for fourth, £48,000 for fifth, and £39,500 for sixth. Kamel had built his stack early by eliminating three players in a five-minute stretch during Level 16, reaching 1.7 million chips by that point.

By March 2016, Kamel's live tournament earnings had surpassed $1 million, reaching $1,027,522 according to Hendon Mob data. This placed him among the top UK earners in the field at the Unibet Open London, where he was noted alongside Ben Roberts ($1,399,533) and Tony Cascarino ($589,429) as players with significant live cashes. Kamel's consistent performances in major events over a short period underscored his rapid rise in the poker world, transitioning from a recreational player to a respected semi-professional with multiple six-figure scores.