Grant Levy win the APPT Sydney Main event

Wednesday, December 19, 2007 | Francis Lee

The Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) was in Sydney Australia in mid December, with 561 players entering the $6,300AUD buy in main event. This pushed the prize pool to $3,366,000 and 1st place was set to collect a cool $1 million dollars.

There were many well known poker players around the room at the start of the event with the likes of Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, and Scotty Nguyen. The local contingent of Aussie poker stars were also there with Joe Hachem, Mark Vos and the APPT Macau high rollers event winner Eric Assadourian. The tournament was played over three days with the final table of nine players to battle it out on the final day. The tournament chip ranking at the end of day two was as follows.

Final Table Chip Rankings:

• 1st Lei He $3,400,000
• 2nd Sol Bergren $2,680,000
• 3rd Jeremiah Vinsant $1,570,000
• 4th Grant Levy $770,000
• 5th Vijayan Nagarajan $570,000
• 6th Barry Kohlhoff $520,000
• 7th John Matwey $450,000
• 8th Jai Kemp $390,000
• 9th Larry Wright $376,000

Larry Wright on the short stack decided to make a move on the fifth hand of play whilst holding and was called by the chip leader Lei He with It was looking likely Wright was going to double up when the first four cards came down but the on the River ended his tournament, going out in 9th place winning $46,040

We had to wait for over twenty hands before the next elimination came about, as play was cautious after Wright’s exit. This came about when play folded round to Vijjayan Nagarajan in the small blind and he raised All In with pocket Sevens. Jeremiah Vinsant had in the big blind and made the call. Vinsant paired his King on the Flop and then his Ace on the Turn putting him in the lead with one card to come. Nagarajan needed a Seven on the River to survive but it never came with the coming down to give Vinsant the pot.

John Matwey was the next person to go in a three way pot with Barry Kohlhoff and Jeremiah Vinasant. Kohlohoff was the first to act moving All In with for his last $300,000 in chips. Moved all his chips in which covered the call from Matwey, Vinsant had pocket Fives and Matwey was holding The Flop came down giving Kohlohoff top pair over taking Vinsant’s pocket Fives leaving Matwey in danger, needing to hit one of his cards to survive. The on the Turn changed the out look of the hand as it opened up all sorts of possibilities for both Matwey and Kohlohoff, with Matwey needing to hit one the most. The on the River handed Kohlohoff the pot trebling him up to nearly 1 million in chips. Vinsant’s Fives earned him the side pot sending Matwey out on 7th place winning $92,080.

The next two players out went in successive hands, on hand 64 and 65. The 64th hand of play brought about Barry Kohlohoff’s exit loosing to Sol Bergren with pocket Nines when only having Bergren hit a set on Nines on the Flop showing and Kohlhoff never recovered with the last two cards coming down

On the next hand Jai Kemp moved All In pre Flop with and was favourite against Grant Levy calling with Levy paired his Deuce on the Flop and this was enough to eliminate Kemp out into 5th place winning $158,830.

Four handed play lasted almost as long as it took for the previous five players to exit this event. Sol Bergren was the unlucky player to go as his was beaten by Jeremiah Vinsent with Both players missed the board showing The Ace Eight high was just enough to win the pot leaving Bergren to collect $230,200 finishing 4th.

We didn’t have to wait as long for it to get to heads up as Vinsant finished off Lei He with pocket Jacks, dominating He’s pocket Nines. The Jacks held up leaving Vinsant and Levy going into heads up. Lei He won $322,280 coming in 3rd place.

Heads up was a good battle between the two players with it lasting up till the 226th hand of play. The end came when both players limp into the pot and the Flop came down Levy bet $400,000 and Vinsant raises All In straight away, Levy called revealing Vinsant was behind with and needed help. The 6d came down on the Turn giving Levy the full house leaving Vinsant drawing dead and out in 2nd place.

Grant Levy became the first Australian to win a $1 million dollar prize tournament in Australia adding to his recent good finishes in the Poker News Cup and many events that were held at Poker Stars.

Final Standings:

• 1st Grant Levy $1,000,000
• 2nd Jeremiah Vinsant $621,540
• 3rd Lei He $322,280
• 4th Sol Bergren $230,000
• 5th Jai Kemp $158,830
• 6th Barry Kohlhoff $115,100
• 7th John Matwey $92,080
• 8th NagarajanVijayan $69,060
• 9th Larry Wright $46,040

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