APAT UK Team Championship: Bristol & South West Are The Kings
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
The APAT Poker Association & Tour held the inaugural United Kingdom Team Championship in the G Casino Blackpool on 19th & 20th July. The event had 200 entries, in teams of ten drawn from 20 UK poker communiti
The APAT Poker Association &
Tour held the inaugural United Kingdom Team Championship in the
G Casino Blackpool on 19th & 20th July. The event had 200
entries, in teams of ten drawn from 20 UK poker communities with a
£50 buy-in per person. Supporting the event were 5 former APAT
Champions and 13 former APAT Tour finalists. The players played for
both individual and team prizes, points being scored by the top 50
finishers. The individual winner received significant added value
from tour sponsors BlueSquare.com via the form of an entry package
into a GUKPT Tour event worth $3,000 to the winner in addition to
their cash prize. The winning team also received a championship
trophy and £1,000. Inevitably the early exits were all from big
hands colliding. Blonde Poker''s Curtis Ledger was first out when
his flopped set of Kings ran into Eat My Stack''s Ian Witt and his
flopped set of Aces. Champion in the last APAT Event in Dublin
Darren Shallis (Blonde Poker) took Aces against Jon Spinks'' (Eat
My Stack) Kings, only to see a King fall on the turn to eliminate
him.
As play progressed through the first day several players came to
prominence. James Feeny of The Hendon Mob Forum was chip leader at
the dinner break, overtaken mid-way through the evening by Mary
Martin of Raise the River who’s Aces were twice paid off. Also
doing well were Johnel Bracey of London Poker Meetup, former APAT
Champion Rich Offless of Chezger and UK Poker Life''s Dale
Leighton. The competition was played in a wonderful spirit with
team camaraderie enhancing the atmosphere throughout.
At the end of the first day 25 players remained. In the individual
competition prize money began at 19th and the top five chip leaders
were:
Johnel Bracey (London Poker Meetup) 218,000
Ross Johnson (PokerPlayer) 184,000
Steve Talbot (EatMyStack) 178,000
Rich Offless (Chezger) 125,000
Carlos Gonzalez (The Hendon Mob) 124,000
In the team tournament, best placed appeared to be Bristol &
South West Meetup, Raise the River and Fantasy Sports Interactive
based on points scored to that point and numbers of players
remaining from each team.
Blinds began on Day two at 4,000-8,000 and the run to the final
promised to be brisk with little room to manoeuvre for the
short-stacks.
Dale Leighton and Paul Smith of Bristol & South West Meetup
made the most progress in the early skirmishes of day two, and
moved to the head of affairs by knocking out two players each.
Smith''s team-mate Rod Buckman then had a dream hand. All in with
Kings against Johnel Bracey and Tim Magnus (Team APAT) both holding
Aces, the board brought Rod Quad Kings, to take him to the
chip-lead and knock both his unfortunate opponents out in a 300,000
chip pot.
With eleven players left Carlos Gonzalez of The Hendon Mob was
unfortunate. Steve Talbot pushed the small blind on Carlos'' big
blind with K3. Carlos made an excellent call for his tournament
life with K10 only to see a three flop and eliminate him. Louise
Saban of Raise the River final table bubbled in 10th.
So the final table line up was as follows:
1 Rich Offless (Chezger) 318,000
2 Ross Johnson (Poker Player) 309,000
3 Dale Leighton (UK Poker Life) 181,000
4 Steve Talbot (Eat My Stack) 333,000
5 Mary Martin (Raise the River) 167,000
6 Nathan Samuel (UK Football Fans) 91,000
7 Andrew Bailey (Gutshot) 137,000
8 Rod Buckman (Bristol & South West Meetup) 253,000
9 Paul Smith (Bristol & South West Meetup) 232,000
...and blinds at 6,000-12,000.
Rich Offless had a torrid start to the final table. He lost a big
pot to Steve Talbot when passing to a three-bet on the river then
doubled up Nathan Samuel when his Jacks could not beat Ace-Queen.
Unfortunately his A7 then lost to the A6 suited of Dale Leighton
which flushed to knock Rich Offless out in 9th. Next to depart was
Ross Johnson who took AK versus the pocket eights of Buckman which
won the race to knock Johnson out in 8th. Buckman himself then
departed in 7th, he lost a big pot against team-mate Paul Smith
with AK v KQ, then ran A9 into Mary Martin''s AQ and lost a 40-60%
shot on his final push.
Six handed Smith and Talbot were chip leaders but with no
short-stacks there was all to play for. Mary Martin moved firmly
into contention when she doubled through Nathan Samuel with AK v AQ
leaving Nathan with one 5,000 chip remaining. He was next out in
6th. Mary Martin then knocked out Dale Leighton in 5th. Dale pushed
with pocket eights in late position, Mary called with KJ in the
blinds and hit. With big blind levels short-handed the stacks
fluctuated wildly until Steve Talbot''s KQ could not overcome
Gutshot''s Andy Bailey''s AQ and he left in 4th.
Three handed Martin led Bailey with Smith the short-stack of the
three. Mary Martin then knocked out Smith, her AK flopping an Ace
against pocket eights. She had a comfortable lead going into Heads
Up play.
Heads Up -play was brief, always likely with the stack disparity.
Mary''s KQ held on against Andy Bailey''s Q9 to take the title of
APAT UK Team Championship Individual Winner, playing for the Raise
the River Poker Community. To rapturous applause from the large
contingent of spectators, Mary won £1,250, the Championship Gold
Medal and expenses paid entry into a GUKPT event worth $3,000
courtesy of APAT sponsor Blue Square.
In the Team Championship, Bristol & South West Meetup
triumphed. The only forum with two final tablists, they won £2,500
plus an extra £1,000 to the team owners courtesy of Blue Square.
Raise the River were second for £1,500 while newcomers Fantasy
Interactive Sports Online took third for £1,000.
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Poker News, APAT, UK, Team, Championship:, Bristol, &, South, West, Are, The, Kings