APAT Wins United Kingdom Team Championship
The APAT United Kingdom Team Championship was held at the G Casino in Manchester on January 23rd and 24th, 2010.
The format saw 20 poker communities from all over the United Kingdom and Ireland compete for the prestigious title in a 10,000 chip, 160 runner, multi-table freeze-out, with a 45 minute clock. As with all APAT events, the UK Team Championship was registration free for members and this event had a £50 buy in per player. Points were awarded to the top forty finishers to determine the Team Championship.
The prize money was split equally between the Team and Individual Championship. In addition, the owner of the winning Team received an added prize of £1,000 and the Championship Cup, while the winner of the Individual Championship received an entry to a GUKPT main event and the Championship Gold Medal. These added value prizes were courtesy of tour sponsor Blue Square Poker.
The seat draw was made so as to ensure team-mates were kept apart at the outset and by mid evening on the first day the team best placed, with six out of their team of eight remaining, was Newcastle Poker Forum whilst the first team to see all of its team exit was ChezGer. Remarkably, the first player out of this year’s event was the individual winner of the 2009 Team Championship, Mary Martin.
The end of day one chip leaders, with 31 players remaining, were:
Billy Wallace (Punters Lounge) 114000
Wayne Parker (APAT) 106300
Patrick Kelly (Bristol & South West Poker Meetup) 103000
Johnel Bracey (London Poker Meetup) 89800
Dominic Marley (NI Poker) 84400
The end of day one team leaders were:
NI Poker 41
APAT 33
Newcastle Poker Forum 26
The key hand that led to Johnel Bracey from London entering the final table as a huge chip leader occurred on the final table bubble when his button Ace-King out-flopped Stuart Oliver’s Pocket Queens.
Final table chip counts were as follows:
Chris Baylis EatMyStack 202,900
David Thompson Sky 139,000
Wayne Parker APAT 114,800
Billy Wallace Punters Lounge 121,400
Johnel Bracey London Poker MeetUp 487,500
Ed DeBaes The Hendon Mob 211,400
Andy Ducrose UKPoker Info 155,800
David Stephenson Newcastle Poker 89,000
Gary Peniket The Hendon Mob 79,000
The overall team result was resolved before the final table with a victory by Team APAT captained by Leigh Wiltshire, with top twenty finishes for Stuart Oliver and Steve Redfern adding to Parker’s final table, to secure the points required for victory. Second were The Hendon Mob while Newcastle Poker Forum were third.
First out on the final table was Andy Ducrose after nearly ninety minutes play when his push with pocket twos met the pocket Kings of Ed DeBaes. In eighth was Wayne Parker, his Ace-Jack outdrawn by Johnel Bracey’s King-Nine.
Sky Poker’s David Thompson was next to depart, shoving seven-eight in the small blind when folded to him only for Billy Wallace to find Aces in the big blind. Wallace then took out Chris Baylis in sixth, King-Queen versus Ace-Eight and by now had moved into the chip-lead.
Johnel Bracey eliminated Gary Peniket in fifth, pocket Sevens against Ace-Five before he also knocked out Ed DeBaes in fourth, Queen-Jack suited against King-Queen, a Jack falling on the flop.
Bracey himself left in third. pocket sevens against Wallace’s Queen-Jack. Wallace flopped a straight and Bracey turned a set to ensure the chips found their way into the middle.
Billy Wallace: Individual Winner; UK Team Championship
Billy Wallace and David Stephenson began Heads-Up even in chips. However the conclusion was swift. Wallace pushed with King-ten suited, Stephenson called with Queen-Jack suited, Wallace flopped a King to take the individual honour.
Billy Wallace representing Punters Lounge thus won the individual portion of the APAT UK Team Champiopnship ahead of Newcastle Poker Forum’s David Stephenson.
The final result of the Team Championship was as follows:
1 Team APAT 83
2 The Hendon Mob 73
3 Newcastle Poker Forum 71
4 NI Poker 68
5 Eat My Stack 57
6 Bristol & South West Poker Meetup 54
7 London Poker Meetup 50
8 UK Poker Info 47
9 Raise The River 46
10 Punters Lounge 40
11 Black Country Poker Club 39
12 Sky Poker 37
13 FISO 29
13 Voyage In Poker 29
15 Furness Poker 25
16 Ace Of Clubs 23
17 Blonde Poker 19
18 A World Of Poker 16
19 PokerPlayer 14
20 Chezger 0
The APAT UK Team Championships concluded APAT’s successful third season. In the near future news of APAT’s fourth season will be announced on www.apat.com.
