My first APAT ME was in Luton in 2009.
About a month earlier I had played in a tourney in Vilamoura for the first time. You had to draw your table from one chimea and your seat from another.
Unbeknown to me at the time, I was sat next to Bruno and Sergio from the Portuguese team that was playing the APAT team event at Luton the next month, which also at the time I knew nothing about.
On the Wednesday before the Luton event I was playing as usual and was aware of a number of foreign players in the event. This wasn"t that unusual, but there were more than normal.
I was trying to listen to Bruno and Sergios accents, as they looked familiar, amazingly they were both on my table again, but they were at the other end of the table, so it was tricky to hear them properly.
When I busted I went to the desk and asked why there were so many players playing and i was told about the APAT events coming up.
When I got home I looked up APAT.com and managed to get a seat on the seat exchange.
When I arrived on the Saturday I went to say hello to the Portuguese team, and Bruno in particular, and our friendship started there and then.
I sat next to Delboy for all of day 1, and lets just say he was enjoying the hospitality, resulting in him raising almost every pot. I remember playing just 2 hands in 3 levels, but I did bust the Italian captain and Bruno as well!!!!!
I managed to make day 2 and eventually bumbled my way onto the final table, along with Stu Ward, Stu Fordham, Matt McKinlay, Del, John Murray and Silke (ahhh Silke).
I was first out in 9th and it took until Dublin this year to make it back to an APAT ME FT!!!!!!!
Coventry will be ME number 44.
Still the best poker decision I"ve ever made, looking up APAT.com.
