Brian Martin Wins APAT European Amateur Title
Over the weekend of 27th-28th November 2010 APAT held the latest event in it’s fourth season, sponsored by Betfair, with the European Amateur Poker Championships held at the G Casino, Coventry consisting of 150 runners playing to win £3,000 as part of a £11,250 prize pool.
Courtesy of Betfair the winner of the Championship won an entry to a GUKPT main event as part of an overall sponsorship package where APAT members have the chance to win thirty three seats to GUKPT main events and twenty three seats to APAT Professional League tournaments. In addition, each of the season’s seventy five amateur, professional and online tournaments are run completely registration free for players.
In addition, the winners of the Online and National Amateur Rankings will join the 17 Amateur Champions from season four and the player with the most points finishes across Amateur and Online events, to compete in the APAT Champions Final, to play for a second APAT £20,000 sponsorship package in 2011.
Early chip leader was Andrew Duncan, who flopped quads to beat Michelle Bricknell’s flopped full house. Also starting strongly were Grant Speirs, Wayne Thomas and especially Rupinder Bedi. Bedi was the chip leader until late in the day when he suffered several out-draws at the hands of short-stacks notably to Paul Williams whose Ace-Ten beat Bedi’s Ace-King in a large pot in the final level.
Current Amateur Rankings leader Steve Roderick was again going deep in an APAT tournament until he ran top pair into Brian Martin’s flopped set and turned Quads. Roderick recovered though with two double-ups in the final hour of the first day’s play.
At the end of Day One the five chip leaders, of the 27 remaining players with blinds at 2,000-4,000, were as follows:
Paul Rider 123,500
Paul Williams 108,400
Brian Martin 106,500
Derek Liddle 92,900
Rob Swindells 77,500
On the run down to the final table at the start of Day Two Rupinder Bedi and Paul Rider made most progress. Bedi was aggressive, knocking out a series of short-stacked players. Meanwhile Darren Shallis won a big race against Don Roberts when pocket tens held against Ace-King to ensure he was to reach his record seventh APAT National final table.
The final table line up was as follows:
Paul Rider from St Albans 276,400
Brian Martin from Middlewich 238,700
Rupinder Bedi from Leicester 192,000
Andrew Duncan from Telford 153,800
Rob Swindells from Manchester 142,800
Gary Motson from Teeside 120,700
Darren Shallis from Newport 106,600
Paul Williams from Wirral 97,600
Tom Ault from Banbury 90,700
Stuart Oliver from Leeds 76,900
Blinds on the final began at 4,000-8,000 with an Average stack of 150,000.
The first exit of the final was Paul Williams, unluckily finding Pocket Jacks against Paul Rider’s Pocket Kings in a blind on blind battle. He was followed by Thomas Ault in ninth, knocked out by Rupinder Bedi, and at this stage Rider and Bedi had approximately 40% of the chips in play between them.
Darren Shallis then won a race to eliminate Gary Motson, pocket fours beating King-Queen. Rob Swindells finished seventh falling at the hands of Rupinder Bedi, before Stuart Oliver found Aces twice in one orbit. Doubling through Brian Martin first and then knocking out Andrew Duncan who had Pocket Sevens.
With five players remaining, it was all to play for:
Darren Shallis – 239,500
Stuart Oliver – 338,500
Brian Martin – 223,500
Paul Rider – 414,500
Rupinder Bedi – 274,500
Oliver then was unlucky losing with Queens to Brian Martin’s Ace-five all in pre-flop. an Ace falling on the flop. Martin then knocked him out in 5th, Ace-ten against King-Queen.
Darren Shallis then knocked out Paul Rider in fourth, King Queen against pocket Sixes, King on the flop. Three handed Brian Martin found Jacks against Bedi’s Ace-Seven to take the contest heads-up.
Martin had a two to one chip lead over Shallis as heads up began. The contest was soon over as Shallis gambled with ten-eight against Martin’s pocket fours. The fours held to clinch victory for Martin.
Brian Martin became the APAT European Amateur Poker Champion 2010 winning £3,000 and a GUKPT Main Event seat. In the £250 Pot Limit Hold Em Professional series event, Dominic Rossokh was the winner and the Seasons Professional League Rankings were won by Stephen Boyd.
APAT now moves to the final National Championship of Season Four with the Southern European Amateur Poker Championships held in Spain in mid January. Details of how to play this event and free membership of APAT can be found at www.apat.com.
