For the last few days we’ve excitedly followed the progress of Australian Daniel Neilson at the EPT San Remo event. It’s been an epic run so far, but the journey has really only just begun as Neilson has now reached the final table…and he has the chip lead.

The event started several days ago, five of them in fact, with a massive field of 837 fronting up for the €4,900 buy-in event. Among them were a sprinkling of Asia-Pacific players with Tim Masters one to join Neilson in a deep run. Unfortunately Marsters fell just short of the money, while Neilson incredibly maintained his chip position in second place through the conclusion days two, three and four.

However it was Day 5 that Neilson decided to step it up a gear as the overnight field of 24 were reduced to just eight. It only took four levels of play as plenty of dangerous opposition were sent crashing to the rail.

WSOPE Main Event winner Elio Fox (23rd), previous EPT champion Mike McDonald (18th) and Team PokerStars Pro Lex Veldhuis (15th) were notable casualties however the key elimination for those following down under was the final table bubble.

Neilson opened with a raise to 105,000 before Johnny Lodden, from “Lodden Thinks” fame, three-bet to 275,000. Neilson casually four-bet to 570,000 before Lodden shoved for nearly 2,000,000. Neilson immediately called with Q♥Q♠ and was racing in an enormous pot against Lodden’s A♦K♣. The board bricked out J♠5♠5♥6♦2♠ to give Neilson the chip lead as the final table was set!

Final Table Lineup
Daniel Neilson (Australia) – 6,700,000
Dimitar Danchev (Bulgaria) – 4,435,000
Jan Bendik (Slovakia) – 3,980,000
Andrey Pateychuk (Russia) – 3,105,000
Barny Boatman (United Kingdom) – 2,490,000
Yorane Kerignard (France) – 2,145,000
Rocco Palumbo (Italy) – 1,160,000
Kevin MacPhee (United States) – 1,115,000

It’s a truly International lineup with eight different nations being represented. Neilson has a healthy lead but will have to watch out for the experienced Hendon Mobster Barny Boatman and Kevin MacPhee who is looking to become the first player in history to grab two EPT titles.

Daniel has already locked up €63,694 but he will be gunning for the title and the massive €800,000 first place prize.

The action recommences later on this evening Australian time, so you’ll have to pull a very late night if you want to follow the coverage. Head to the PokerStars Blog to follow along where there will be blog updates and a live stream of the final table.

Good luck Daniel!

By Poker Asia Pacific

The Crown Poker Room was abuzz with activity this weekend as the spin king himself played host to the inaugural Shane Warne Super Stack event with Steve Baker emerging victorious to grab the $35,000 first place prize.

To get there, Baker had to overcome a field of 606 entries which is an excellent turnout for a $300 event. Players enjoyed the generous 30,000-chip start bank and plenty of game time that saw the field reduced to 138 after the first day of play. Shane Warne was among the chip leaders late in the day before crashing and burning, with Ben Pockett leading the way.

Only the top 54 players would finish in the money, so there were a few nervous moments around the bubble, but the rapid eliminations throughout the day saw the final table reached by the dinner break. Some of the notable players to reach the final few tables included Nick Porta, Andrew Watson and Andrew Demetriou.

Steve Baker carried the chip lead into the final table, but the rapidly rising blinds and antes soon shook things up.

Chris Whitmee and Alex Ung were first to go in a double KO as they ran into Canaan Johnson’s pocket kings, before Jeffrey Harris launched his pocket tens into the set of eights held by Katrina King.

Day one chip leader Ben Pockett fell in for 7th place when his pocket queens were cracked by the king-jack of John Tuckman, before Crown regular Petar Vujic bowed out in 6th place.

When Katrina King ended John Tuckman’s run in 5th place, King and Canaan Johnson held the majority of chips in play but with the blinds so large, the swings were keeping everyone in the game.

Janine Atkinson fell in 4th place before the remaining three players settled on a deal to divide up the prize money and duke it out for the title. That of course encouraged the action, with Katrina King quick to fall in 3rd place, before the final hand of the event saw Canaan Johnson move all-in preflop with ten-eight and Steve Baker made the call with king-jack. The board bricked out to secure Baker a tremendous victory!

1st Steve Baker – $35,000
2nd Canaan Johnson – $22,555
3rd Katrina King – $14,200
4th Janine Atkinson – $11,010
5th John Tuckman – $9,440
6th Petar Vujic – $7,865
7th Ben Pockett – $6,290
8th Jeffrey Harris – $4,720
9th Chris Whitmee – $3,150
10th Alex Ung – $1,890

The next big event on the Crown Poker calendar is the upcoming eighth instalment of the Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series (November 10th-20th) where 12 events will grace the schedule with buy-ins from $50 up to $550. Get down to the Crown Poker Room to and qualify today!

By Poker Asia Pacific

December used to be the month all the poker

When it comes to poker in Australia, the month of December and The Star have been intrinsically linked since Grant Levy became the first Australian player to win AUD $1 million on home soil back in 2007.

The Star can proudly announce that to help celebrate the launch of its new poker brand Star Poker that the first Star Poker Summer Series has been scheduled for 29 November to 11 December.

Star Poker manager Stephen Ibrahim said he was thrilled to announce the schedule for the Star Poker Summer Series and build on the Big Game Poker brand. “The Star Poker Summer Series will offer a minimum prize pool of AUD $1,000,000. Along with major tournament series such as this, we’ll continue to offer our regular weekly and monthly games,” he said.

The Star Poker Summer Series will feature 10 events, and kicks-off with the traditional Opening Event. The buy-in of $330 means this event is accessible to aspiring pros and enthusiastic amateurs alike, who’ll take their seats alongside some of Australia’s best players. The event will be played under a repechage format, which means if players are eliminated in either flight one or two, they can re-enter the event in flights two or three.

Next up is a short-handed Pot Limit Omaha event with a buy-in of $660, a starting stack of 10,000 and 30-minute levels. This format is growing in popularity and is sure to attract a crack field of the country’s finest PLO exponents.
Sunday, December 4 promises to be one of the biggest days in the history of the Star Poker room with the first Sydney Special No Limit Hold’em event. With a buy-in of $1100, a deep start stack of 15,000 and 40-minute levels, organisers are expecting a field of both quality and quantity. Later the same day, the spotlight shifts to Australia’s premier female players and the $400 Ladies Event. This is the biggest buy-in event for female players in Australia, and unlike other ladies events, the start stack of 8000 and 30-minute levels will provide ample opportunity for their skills to shine through.

Event five is another innovative addition to the schedule, and is sure to bring the poker equivalent of adrenalin junkies out of the shadows. It’s a $220 Turbo Rebuy event, with a start stack of 5000 and just 20-minute levels. Expect a big prizepool to build in the early stages of this one!

The schedule continues with a testing $440 buy-in Mixed No Limit Hold’em/Pot Limit Omaha tournament (10,000 start stack and 30-minute levels) before the ultra-popular $440 Team Event (10,000 start stack and 25-minute levels).
Now we get to the business end of the Series, starting with one of the most popular events on any major tournament schedule – the No Limit Hold’em Six-handed event. The buy-in for this event is $660, start stack in 10,000 and the levels are 40 minutes.

Later in the day is the $10,500 No Limit Hold’em High Rollers tournament, which looms as the ultimate battle between our young guns and old guard. It’s been a banner year for some of our most experienced players but High Stakes events at The Star have been owned by our best young stars in recent years. Players will start with a stack of 20,000 with levels of 45 minutes.

Now, for the culmination of the Star Poker Summer Series – the $5000 buy-in Main Event. The best players from Australia and the Asia-Pacific region will turn out in force for a shot at one of our nation’s most prestigious titles. Levy, Rowe, Benton, Karamalikis … who’ll be the next to add his or her name to the honour roll? Players will have plenty of time to stake their claim, with a start stack of 30,000 and 60-minute levels.

Players ill have plenty of chance to win into the Main Event for a slice of the full buy-in via one of the numerous satellites scheduled in coming weeks.

Click here to check the tournament schedule.

By Poker Media Australia

The ever popular Joe Hachem Deepstack Series returns to Crown this November, for it’s eighth instalment. Designed to give players a chance to hone their Deepstack, Championship style play without blowing their entire bankrolls.

From Thursday 10th through Sunday 20th November 2011, the Crown Poker Room will again be packed with tournament hopefuls vying for that elusive Championship title. The majority of events on this schedule are No Limit Holdem, with a sprinkling of some mixed games for good measure.

The highlight of the Series is the $550 buy-in Main Event. This event is arguably the best value for money tournament in the world. The event runs using Crowns unique “repechage” format, whereby players who have been eliminated from either of the Day 1 Flights are eligible to pay another $550 and re-enter.

With so much value in this Series, you would be crazy to miss it.

Click here to check the schedule.

If you fancy a flutter on the Melbourne Cup you’ll be happy to know the Melbourne Cup Sweep Poker Tournament is returning to Crown Poker once more.

Like last year the stakes are high with three $10,600 Aussie Millions seats, plus cash prizes, to be won. Don’t miss out this year.

The tournament will start as normal multi table freezeout and play will progress until there are 24 players remaining.

At this stage the tournament will be paused and the player’s chips will be counted. Once the chip leader is established they will have the opportunity to choose a horse from the Melbourne Cup Field. The second chip leader will choose a horse from the 23 remaining, the third chip leader from the 22 remaining and so on until all 24 players have been allocated a horse. Those 24 players will be cheering their horses home in the Melbourne Cup because if their horse finishes in the top three placings they win a 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event seat worth $10,600!

The tournament will be supported by a whole week of qualifiers running from 24 – 31 October 2011 so go down to the Crown Poker Room to take part in the ultimate Melbourne Cup Sweep!

In what was truly a historic occasion for Australian poker, 41-year-old Stacey Reilly has become the first female to win the annual Australian Deaf Poker Championship, besting a field of 70 players and defeating fellow South Australian Kathleen Ogders heads-up for the title.

From all around the country, the Australian Deaf community flocked to the SKYCITY Adelaide Casino on Saturday, October 22 to take part in the landmark tournament, exclusive to Deaf, Hard of Hearing (HOH) and Hearing Impaired (HI) players – the first of its kind to have ever been held inside any Australian casino.

The 2011 ADPC was incorporated as the second event of the Adelaide Poker Championships schedule, providing an invaluable opportunity for deaf and hearing people to come together and share in the celebration.

Although the normal “chatter” was in the form of Auslan instead of audible sound (save the constant clacking of the chips), the anticipation and nerves amongst the players in the SKYCITY Poker Zone was equally as intense.

Despite the fact that poker is an individual game, there was no doubt that state pride was on the line, with almost all the players proudly decked out in their “team” colours – a well-ingrained tradition amongst the Australian Deaf community for any sports or cultural event.

Once defending ADPC champion Daniel Bachi gave the order to “shuffle up and deal” the players quickly settled in to their surroundings for the long battle ahead.

Amongst the “famous faces” to take to the felt included New South Welshmen Matthew Hayman and Michael Shepherd (who finished third and fourth in this event in Melbourne last year) and DPA Community Liaison Tony Clews. 2010 ADPC runner-up and DPA President Sokong Kim relinquished his formal duties to take part, but was soon back to business after being taken out in the early session of play.

James Hale, who was one of the first Victorians to make the final table in the inaugural ADPC in Sydney in 2009, was also amongst the field, while the Western Australian contingent was led by Wesley Boyd, a key player in the development of Deaf poker in Australia’s biggest state. Unfortunately, it was Boyd’s wife Natalie who was confirmed as the first player eliminated from the tournament!

“The Maroons” were also strongly represented at this event, including Deaf Poker Queensland’s Gavin Rose-Mundy and DPA Online Qualifier Scott Turner, but the “Adelaide Jokers” were out in force, with Tim Tutty, Timothy Morgan and Tania Morgan (fifth place in the 2010 ADPC) just some of the other South Australians who took their shot at poker stardom.

The 2011 ADPC broke a multitude of records, with perhaps the most notable of those being the record for the biggest prize pool, which was almost four times larger than last year’s tournament in Melbourne! There were also plenty of individual achievements, including:
• Most number of female players to ever make the ADPC final table (three);
• Most number of Victorians to make the final table (five);
• Three out of 10 players achieved back-to-back final tables (Daniel Bachi, Stacey Reilly and Peter Best all made the final table in last year’s ADPC, and;
• All five states (NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA and WA) represented in this event each had at least one player on the final table – another first!

It was only after a long and arduous eight-hour battle, however, that the final table of 10 was confirmed, with each player receiving a gold medallion for their efforts.

Final Table
1-David McKenzie-Victoria-118,000
2-Stacey Reilly-South Australia-46,000
3-Matthew Phillips-Victoria-151,000
4-Kathleen Ogders-South Australia-97,000
5-Daniel Bachi-New South Wales-38,000
6-Bacel Dennaoui-Victoria-72,000
7-Peter Best-Queensland-13,000
8-Jason Ferguson-Stewart-Western Australia-71,000
9-Amanda Richardson-Victoria-61,000
10-Rino Spadea-Victoria-44,000

The spectators were packed four-deep around every side of the rail as the final table began, but it wasn’t long before Queensland’s Peter Best was eliminated in 10th place; despite hitting a pair on the board of Q-9-5-3-8, Victoria’s David McKenzie held J-10 to make a queen-high straight.

A short time later, Daniel Bachi moved all in with K-9 but both the A-J of Reilly and the A-7 of Kathleen Ogders chopped him out of the pot. It was another incredible run for the 2010 Australian Deaf Poker Champion, but with Bachi out as the “bubble boy”, this year’s title meant the end of New South Wales’ domination since 2009 and the players were now in the money!

Reigning Victorian Deaf Poker Champion Bacel Dennaoui was then sent to the rail in eighth place; Dennaoui got the last of his short stack into the middle with J-2, but despite making two pair on the board of J-Q-6-7-6, Rino Spadea had him out-kicked holding K-J.

From there, the Victorians were all taken out in quick succession. Amanda Richardson fell in seventh place after her Q-5 failed to improve against Ogders’ A-K and then McKenzie was taken out in sixth place when he got the last of his chips in with Kd-4d, but although fellow Victorian Matthew Phillips moved all-in over the top and hit two pair with his 9c-8h on the board of 5d-Qc-8c-9d-Kc, Reilly made the nut flush with her Ac-10c to cripple Phillips’ stack and send Richardson packing.

Jason Ferguson-Stewart stepped in to take down Spadea in fifth place when his J-10 counterfeited Spadea’s pocket threes, making a bigger two pair on the board of 5-QA- 5-10. The South Australians then claimed the last Victorian scalp, with Phillips bowing out in fourth place and adding to his 2011 Victorian Deaf Poker Championship runner-up finish after his pocket jacks were cracked by Ogders’ A-Q.

With Reilly and Ogders now first and second in chips, Ferguson-Stewart made his last stand when he moved all-in with A-10, but Reilly shoved over the top with K-6, forcing Ogders out of the way before the dealer spread the board of K-8-4-10-J, much to the delight of the Adelaide contingent on the rail.

Ferguson-Stewart’s third-place finish was significant given that it was the first time that any player from Western Australia had cashed in ADPC history, but the title was now destined to not only stay on home soil, but also be awarded to a female player for the first time!

However, in only the second hand of heads-up play, Ogders open-shoved with Kd-5s before Reilly snap-called with Ad-Ks. The board ran out 3h-2c-9h-4d-Jd and the fairytale finish to this event was complete, with Ogders finishing runner-up.

2011 Australian Deaf Poker Championship – Adelaide Casino, SA
1-Stacey Reilly-South Australia
2-Kathleen Ogders-South Australia
3-Jason Ferguson Stewart-Western Australia
4-Matthew Phillips-Victoria
5-Rino Spadea-Victoria
6-David McKenzie-Victoria
7-Amanda Richardson-Victoria
8-Bacel Dennaoui-Victoria

Deaf Poker Australia would like to extend their gratitude to all the staff and management at the SKYCITY Adelaide Casino, particularly to David Galpin (Poker Manager) and his dedicated SKYCITY Poker Zone team, for their generous hospitality.

Our thanks also go out to Katrina Parker for her brilliant work as Official Tournament Photographer, and also very special thanks to Gerry Shearim for her outstanding services as Official Tournament Interpreter.

The 2012 leg of the Australian Deaf Poker Championship will be held in Queensland (details TBA). For further information about this and all of the events, visit the website: www.deafpoker.com.au or search “Deaf Poker Australia” on Facebook or add them on Twitter (@DeafPokerAus).

Pictured: (Left) STACEY REILLY (Adelaide, South Australia), pictured with (from L to R): DPA Tournament Director LANDON BLACKHALL, Adelaide Casino Poker Manager DAVID GALPIN and DPA President SOKONG KIM. (Right) STACEY REILLY (Adelaide, South Australia), pictured with KATHLEEN OGDERS (Adelaide, South Australia) – 2011 ADPC runner-up.

By Landon Blackhall
Photos: Katrina Parker courtesy of the Adelaide Casino

Twenty three year old Australian poker pro Andrew Hinrichsen has won the 2011 WSOP Europe’s second event.

Hinrichsen made a huge comeback versus two Italians to become the Seventh Aussie gold bracelet champion in history.

The second tournament on this year’s schedule shattered the record for the largest turnout ever in the five-year history of World Series of Poker Europe. A tidal wave of 771 poker players from dozens of nations jammed into the uber-chic Hotel Majestic Barriere for the 1000 (Euro) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament, officially classified as Event #2.

The turnout at sunnyCannesobliterated the previous record turnout for WSOP gold bracelet events held inEurope. The previous high mark was 608 players who turned out for the 2009 opener, held inLondon.

The 771-player figure atCannesrepresents a 27-percent increase over the old high mark.  No doubt, wherever it’s held — the WSOP continues to surpass all expectations and overcome every challenge, no matter how daunting.

As predicted, this tournament turned out to be a showcase for the host nation. There were 30 players fromFrancewho cashed in this tournament. That number represents most French players ever to cash in any WSOP tournament, in history. By contrast, 23 French players cashed in this year’s WSOP Main Event inLas Vegas. However, it was an Australian player who was the star of the three-day battle.

Andrew Hinrichsen, a 23-year-old poker pro fromMelbourne,Australiawon his first gold bracelet.  He may have had to travel 16,000 miles to make poker history, but the trip was certainly worth it, for Hinrichsen.

The Aussie, who is currently traveling around the international poker circuit with a group of friends, made a stellar comeback run and spoiled what seemed to be a sure-victory for one of two Italian players. At one point when play was three-handed, Hinrichsen was down to a single stack and seemed destined for third place.  But the Australian stormed back and eliminated both Tarcisio Bruno (third) and Gianluca Speranza (second) in what can only be considered to be a staggering turn of events.

Hinrichsen collected 148,030 (Euros) in prize money, which is equal to about $202,386 (USD). The tournament was played over four consecutive days and nights, ending on a warm Tuesday evening along the Mediterranean Sea.

The focus on the final day of ANZPT Darwin was undoubtedly the heads-up duel between Leo Boxell and Danny Chevalier for the ANZ Player of the Year title. A heavyweight battle of the titans that had gone a full eleven rounds, with Boxell a narrow points leader and Chevalier looking for the knockout last round blow.

After Scott van Loon, Tim Wade-McDonald and Liam O’Rourke were early casualties, eyes were fixed on Leo Boxell when he moved his short stack into the middle with both Danny Chevalier and Jamie Hill coming along.

Chevalier was quick to check the board down and Hill obliged as it arrived K♠K♠7♣2♦Q♦. Boxell had to beat two opponents and he was first to show as he tabled A♥T♣ which notched Chevalier’s A♣9♦. Could Boxell really survive with just ace-high? Alas, it wasn’t to be as Hill’s 5♥5♦ were enough to eliminate the Australian legend.

Boxell was forced to sweat the action from the rail as Chevalier shut up shop, knowing that a top ten finish would be enough to claim points and POTY honours.

The gallant run of PokerStars qualifier James Park came to an end when he ran top pair into the pocket aces of New Caledonia’s Jonathan Dangio while Ryan McKay ran into trouble against Jack Drake with a one-two blow eliminating McKay in unlucky 13th place.

It was a day for the comeback kids, with Aaron Benton turning things around from just seven big blinds while Michael Guzzardi was down to around four big blinds but somehow picked the right spots to steal blinds and antes to recover.

The short-stacked survival left Danny Chevalier nervously awaiting the points bubble as he frequently left his chair to carefully watch the progress of the short stacks.

Eventually something had to give and it was local Tony Kanochkin who was next to fall. He moved in with K♠Q♥ but ran into a dominant A♠K♥ held by Brett Dennevig. The board bricked out and Danny Chevalier gave himself a celebratory fist pump and received a nice round of applause as the ANZ Player of the Year award was now officially his.

By Heath Chick
Sponsored by PokerStars.net
Photos: Kirsty Chick

Adelaide… Perth… Sydney… Gold Coast… Canberra… Queenstown… Melbourne… Darwin…

The 2011 Australia New Zealand Poker Tour has been an incredible ride as we’ve ventured to new locations, seen some amazing highlights and unearthed some of the brightest poker talent in the region.

From Octavian Voegele’s dominant win in Adelaide to Grant Levy’s epic victory in Perth. Lee Nelson’s win for the ages in Melbourne and the ultra-consistency of Jesse McKenzie, Leo Boxell and Player of the Year Danny Chevalier. And now 28-year old Queenslander Jack Drake adds his name to the record books as our newest ANZPT champion.

Drake was impressive throughout the ANZPT Darwin Main Event across the four challenging days of poker inside the SKYCITY Darwin Casino. While many of his better-known counterparts threw uppercuts and hooks to attempt to land a knockout blow, Drake was content to throw jabs from the outside and rarely had his tournament life in jeopardy. It was a mature, composed exhibition of poker and perhaps the start of something even bigger in his blossoming career.

At the start of the day, Drake would have been relieved to see the early eliminations of Aaron Benton and Danny Chevalier – the two most experienced players at the table. Benton played four pots and lost them all while Chevalier had his pocket aces unfortunately cracked by Jamie Hill who rivered trips.

Following his elimination, we had a chance to catch up with Chevalier for his thoughts on the ANZ Player of the Year award…

“In the last month when it became a realistic possibility, I was very, very keen to achieve it. In fact, I became very single-minded about it. When I came here to Darwin, I had just one intention and that was to make the points. It was a very exciting finish with Jesse and Leo and it was a relief when Jesse busted as I had second place at least. I just concentrated on my game – surviving. I knew what I had to do so I just kept at it.”

“Coming into the final table I was very relaxed. I was just happy to be there. Making the points yesterday was my final table. No matter what happened today I was happy.”

Chevalier plans to use his POTY prize to head to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January as well as play the APPT and ANZPT events next season.

As play continued, the short-stacked Glenn Parry fought back well from being crippled on the bubble to collecting a nice payday for his seventh place before Jamie Hill was jacked by Drake when Hill’s A♦4♥ was outflopped by Drake’s J♦5♥ when a jack hit the flop. It wouldn’t be the last time we would see that happen.

New Caledonian PokerStars Qualifier Jonathan Dangio looked dangerous throughout the final table, especially early on when a burst of big cards, including pocket aces three times within the first two hours, saw him climb to the chip lead. However the aces failed him when Fotios Manolakos turned a straight and rivered a sweet king-high straight flush.

From there Dangio was on the short stack and couldn’t recover. He three-bet shoved his pocket threes and Drake was again the destroyer as his K♥9♠ paired both cards on the board.

However it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Queenslander as he exchanged chips back and forth in a titanic struggle with local Mark Taylor. Drake doubled up the short stack with his A♣Q♥ falling to Taylor’s K♠J♥ before Drake got some revenge moments later with his 6♦8♣ catching a pair against Taylor’s A♣3♥. It was one of the rare moments that Drake needed some luck and, crucially, he found it.

At the dinner break, Brett Dannevig was the chip leader but with stomachs satisfied the pace of play picked up following the break.

Fotios Manolakos found some luck when he rivered a three-outer when his K♣9♠ caught a nine-ball against Mark Taylor’s K♠Q♦, before Taylor’s defiant run came to an end in fourth place. Taylor had doubled up on numerous occasions throughout the day, and would never say die, but the good run ended when his 6♥6♠ fell behind the Q♠J♠ of Jack Drake when a jack appeared on the flop.

Maybe there’s something in a name as Jack Drake’s love affair with the knave continued soon after when he called the all-in bet of Fotios Manolakos on a flop of 6♥J♥5♠. Drake had once again paired the jack with his K♠J♣ as Manolakos was drawing with his 8♦7♦. The turn and river bricked to eliminate Manolakos and leave us heads up for the title.

Jack Drake held a massive chip lead over Brett Dannevig, but that all changed around very quickly as two double ups flipped the advantage. The second double was an astonishing three-outer river after the two got their chips in on a 7♦7♣T♣ flop with Drake’s J♠T♠ in front of Dannevig’s T♦8♦. The turn was the 5♣, leaving nearly half the deck for Drake to win the title. Even a chop would’ve been ok, but the 8♣ river was the only card Drake didn’t want to see as his world had just been turned upside down.

However Drake stuck to his task and also stuck a flop when his K♦T♣ got paid off on a 2♣5♦T♦ flop against Dannevig’s A♥5♣. That put Drake back in front and he finished the job when he moved all in with A♦4♦ and Dannevig called with K♥9♥. The board ran out Q♣Q♥2♣5♦5♣ and the title had been decided as Jack Drake was crowned the ANZPT Darwin champion!

Final Table Results
1st Jack Drake (Australia) – $36,480
2nd Brett Dannevig (Australia) – $24,960
3rd Fotios Manolakos (Australia) – $16,640
4th Mark Taylor (Australia) – $12,800
5th Jonathan Dangio (New Caledonia) – $10,880
6th Jamie Hill (Australia) – $8,960
7th Glenn Parry (Australia) – $7,040
8th Danny Chevalier (Australia) – $5,760
9th Aaron Benton (Australia) – $4,480

ANZPT will be back again next year so keep an eye on PokerStars for further announcements and online satellites to the first event of Season Four. Until then, the next major event on the local calendar is the Macau Poker Cup Championships which kicks off Tuesday at the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau.

By Heath Chick
Sponsored by PokerStars.net
Photos: Kirsty Chick

French investment organisation “Groupe Bernard Tapie” has been reported to have successfully negotiated the purchase of failed on-line poker site “Full Tilt Poker” after their gaming license was revoked by Alderney Gambling Control Commission last week.

A media release issued by Full Tilt Poker stated “The French investment organization Groupe Bernard Tapie had signed “an exclusive agreement” with the current board of directors to acquire the company and its assets.”

If the purchase goes ahead will open the doors for Full Tilt Poker to pay its online clients who are waiting to get their money including players in USA.

Groupe Bernard Tapie’s managing director Laurent Tapie said “We wouldn’t have undertaken such a project if we didn’t believe in its potential.” Full Tilt’s software technology and its former reputation were the reasons behind the purchase. “I believe we have the tools necessary to once again make the site one of the leaders in the industry.”

According to Laurent Taipe the site could be up and running as early as January 2012.

The founder of the French group, Bernard Tapie, has a colourful past in French sports and French politics. He has been to prison for fixing a soccer game when he owned the soccer team Olympique de Marseille, he has filed bankruptcy for “Groupe Bernard Tapie” to escape another jail sentence when he was involved in politics and he has been prosecuted for tax evasion and tax fraud for his involvement in the ownership of Adidas.