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We were expecting big things from this final table, and from the moment that the first hand was dealt, right through to the intense heads-up battle, it was pure entertainment for the crowd here on the rail of the Jupiters Poker Room that watched it all unfold.

We rocketed out of the gates on the very first hand with the double elimination of two of the big threats on this final table in online sensation Dominic Coombe and the ultra-consistent Michael Spilkin. They both ran into the pocket queens of Nauv Kashyap, as the overnight chip leader continued his hot form from the day before and never looked back.

It was a quick day for Michael Spilkin after being eliminated on the very first hand

Le Vuong Van fought tooth and nail with his short stack, and managed a double up or two before he ran into Aaron Benton. Van got it in good with his [as][9h] in a dominant position to double up through Benton’s [ah][5h], but a five on the river got Benton’s day going and ended it for Van just as quickly. Van took home $27,265 for his 7th place finish.

Le Vuong Van fought valiantly but was unlucky to bust out in 7th place

Joel Dodds was crippled in a clash with Bard Wilson, but it was actually Wilson who was next to go after putting his new found chips against Aaron Benton. They got it in on a [5c][3s][jc] flop with Wilson’s pocket eights in the lead but he’d have to fade some outs as Benton showed [ac][9c] for a flush draw with overcards. The turn bricked but the river completed Benton’s flush to leave Wilson heading to the cashier to collect $34,440.

Dodds was happy to see the pay jump, as he then attempted to quadruple up with his short stack which was worth just three big blinds. However his [js][4c] couldn’t improve against the [ac][6c] of Liam O’Rourke and Dodds was out in 5th place for $41,975.

Four-handed and Nauv Kashyap still held the chip lead, but it was Aaron Benton who was looking dangerous in second chip position. But that soon turned around when two cooler hands went against him. First he ran pocket jacks into Ricky Kroesen’s pocket kings to lose a big chunk of change, before taking a [qd][ts][8h] flop with Liam O’Rourke. The chips went into the middle with Benton showing [qs][8s] for top and bottom pair, but O’Rourke held [qc][Td] for top two pair which held on the [as] turn and [3d] river. Benton was crippled and Nauv Kashyap finished the job a few hands later to eliminate the 2009 APPT champion in 4th place for a collect of $50,255.

Another great run for Aaron Benton at the ANZPT

When play was three-handed Liam O’Rourke started to get active but a couple of big bluffs were picked off by Nauv Kashyap to leave O’Rourke as the short stack. He soon found those chips in the middle when he saw a flop of [6d][qh][4h] with Ricky Kroesen. O’Rourke held [as][qd] for top pair, top kicker as Kroesen’s [qc][tc] was in trouble. However Kroesen spiked a ten on the turn for the three-outer to take the pot and eliminate the 18-year old from the tournament. He collected $64,575 for a fine tournament and you can be certain we’ll be seeing more of this young gun in future.

You’ll be seeing more of Liam O’Rourke in the future

After taking only three and a half hours to eliminate seven players, it would take over two more hours before the title was decided as an intense heads-up battle saw the chip lead go back and forth on several occasions. Nauv Kashyap started with the advantage but it was Ricky Kroesen who was the more aggressive as he caught some good cards and chipped away at the lead. Both players had opportunities to win it all, with Kroesen at one point, flipping for the title but his pocket eights fell to Kashyap’s ace-jack to keep the contest alive.

Ricky Kroesen in action on the final table

The key hand came on a board of [9d][ad][5d][3s] when Ricky Kroesen check-raised all in on the turn, only to find Nauv Kashyap had flopped the nut flush, leaving Kroesen drawing completely dead.

Ricky Kroesen was left desperately short, and from there it was only a matter of time. Kroesen pushed his short stack with king-deuce and Nauv Kashyap snap-called with pocket tens. The board bricked out [5d][7s][7c][7h][8h] and Nauv Kashyap was crowned ANZPT Gold Coast champion.

“I only played because it was a public holiday in Brisbane on Wednesday,” the busy Brisbane dentist said following his win. “I was posting on PokerNetwork to see if there were still seats available and when Danny confirmed there was, I decided to play!”
And what a great decision that turned out to be as he turned his $2,500 entry into a win of $182,965.

Nauv Kashyap celebrates a memorable victory

Final Table Results

1st Nauv Kashyap – $182,965
2nd Ricky Kroesen – PokerStars Qualifer – $116,235
3rd Liam O’Rourke – PokerStars Qualifier – $64,575
4th Aaron Benton – PokerStars Sponsored – $50,225
5th Joel Dodds – PokerStars Qualifier – $41,975
6th Brad Wilson – $34,440
7th Le Vuong Van – $27,265
8th Michael Spilkin – $21,525
9th Dominic Coombe – $16,145

We should also mention the Season 2 ANZPT Player of the Year rankings which is now led by John Maklouf after his cash result here on the Gold Coast – his fourth cash from as many starts. With their final table finish, Aaron Benton has moved into 4th place, Michael Spilkin is up to 5th place while Ricky Kroesen is now in 7th place. All three are well in contention for the $90,000 in added cash and prizes with two events to go in the season. For more details please refer to the ANZPT website at www.anzpt.com.

Thanks for your company over the past few days and we hope that you enjoyed following our coverage at home as much as we enjoyed our time here on the Gold Coast. A big thank you to Martin Coughlin and his Jupiters Poker Room staff for their wonderful hospitality towards players and media throughout the week. The Jupiters Poker Room is now one of the finest poker rooms in the country, and it’s a pleasure to come up here and be a part of this event. The players have also shown their support of this event which is exciting for tournament poker in Queensland in the future.

For now, so long from the Gold Coast as the ANZPT heads back to Melbourne from October 8th-11th 2010. We look forward to seeing you there.

Tags: Australia New Zealand Poker Tour

6:15pm: Ricky Kroesen eliminated in 2nd place; Nauv Kashyap wins the ANZPT Gold Coast!

Ricky Kroesen was down to around 600,000 when he moved all in from the button. Nauv Kashyap snap-called in the big blind and the cards were on their backs.

Kroesen: [kd][2d]
Kashyap: [tc][ts]

The board was spread [5d][7s][7c][7h][8h] to leave Kashyap’s tens in front to collect the pot and the title! After a fantastic tournament, PokerStars Qualifier Ricky Kroesen falls at the last hurdle but collects $116,235 for his efforts.

And of course a big congratulations to our champion, Nauv Kashyap, who overcame the field of 287 players to collect his first major title and a whopping $182,965 in prize money!

Nauv Kashyap Wins ANZPT Gold Coast!

That concludes our live coverage from Jupiters Hotel and Casino at the ANZPT Gold Coast. We’ll have a full wrap of the day’s play for you shortly.

6:10pm: Play resumes

The players are back and the cards are once again in the air.

Nauv Kashyap: 4,840,000
Ricky Kroesen: 760,000

Tags: Australia New Zealand Poker Tour

6:00: Ten-minute break

5:50pm: Nothing like flopping the nuts

Nauv Kashyap raised to 110,000 from the button and Ricky Kroesen made the call in the big blind. They saw a flop of [9d][ad][5d] and Kroesen checked to Kashyap who fired 130,000. Kroesen made the call. The turn was the [3s] and Kroesen checked it again to Kashyap who made it 350,000. Kroesen then declared himself all in, as Kashyap jumped out of his seat, slammed his cards down onto the felt and shouted “CALL!”

Kroesen opened [9s][6s] for a pair of nines but he found himself drawing completely dead as Kashyap revealed [kd][jd] for the stone-cold nuts. The meaningless river was the [7c] as the biggest pot of the tournament was pushed to Kashyap. He’s up to a commanding 4.7 million chips to leave Kroesen hurting with just 900,000.

Nauv Kashyap has one hand on the ANZPT Gold Coast trophy

5:40pm: Ricky recovers

Nauv Kashyap raised to 110,000 from the button and Ricky Kroesen made the call. They saw a flop of [2c][kh][tc] and Kroesen checked to Kashyap who fired 175,000. Kroesen quickly called. The turn was the [8h] and both players checked to see the [js] hit the river. Kroesen led out with a bet of 200,000 and Kashyap went into the tank.

“I don’t think I can fold this hand,” sighed Kashayp before making a crying call.

Kroesen opened [jh][ts] for two pair which was good to take it down.

A few moments later Kroesen opened to 110,000 from the button and Kashyap called to see a flop of [9d][9h][7c]. Kashyap led out at the pot with a bet of 175,000 and Kroesen called. The turn was the [7s] and again Kashyap fired for 350,000. Again Kroesen made the call. The river was the [3c] and both players quickly checked it down.

Kroesen showed [as][ac] – his second pair of aces in about fifteen minutes – to rake in another pot. He’s now back into the chip lead with 3.1 million against Kashyap’s 2.5 million.

5:31pm: Kashyap gets no action

The chips have been going back and forth as the players seem content to play small-ball poker at the moment. One hand that reached a showdown saw Ricky Kroesen raise to 110,000 with Nauv Kashyap making the call in the big blind.

The flop landed [as][5h][5d] and Kashyap check-called for 100,000. Both players checked the [kh] turn and also [kd] river. Kashyap opened [ks][4s] for a runner-runner full house, but he got no bite as he won a small pot to increase his advantage. Kashyap has 3.7 million to Kroesen’s 1.9 million.

5:15pm: Kroesen sticks it in

Nauv Kashyap raised it up to 80,000 from the button and Ricky Kroesen made the call. The flop landed [9c][kd][5c] and Kroesen checked to Kashyap who bet 100,000. Kroesen made the call. The turn was the [ah] and Kroesen checked to Kashyap who fired 250,000. Kroesen responded by moving all in and Kashyap instantly gave it up.
Kroesen is back to 2.1 million with Kashyap at 3.5 million.

5:07pm: Big pot, no showdown

Ricky Kroesen opened with a raise to 110,000 from the button and Nauv Kashyap made the call in the big blind to see a flop of [7c][4h][9d]. Kashyap checked to Kroesen who tossed out 100,000. Kashyap responded with a check-raise to 350,000 but that didn’t slow Kroesen as he made it 1.1 million to go. Kashyap instantly announced he was all in, and nearly just as quickly Kroesen had tossed his cards into the muck.

“Go Captain Tandoori!” yelled his mates on the rail as Kashyap is up to 4.1 million with Kroesen wobbling on 1.5 million.

5:00pm: Blinds up: 20,000-40,000, with 4,000 ante

4:55pm: Nauv doubles up!

Nauv Kashyap has found a much needed double up to get himself back into contention for this ANZPT Gold Coast title. He was all in preflop with [ah][js] and racing for his tournament life against the [8d][8c] of Ricky Kroesen.

The crowd roared for their favourite player, but it was the Kashyap crew cheering when the flop landed [jh][9h][5d] to give their boy the lead, and it remained that way on the [9d] turn and [7d] river.

Kashyap doubled to 2.5 million with Kroesen still in front with 3.1 million chips.

4:50pm: Kroesen flushed with chips

Catching the action on the turn on a board of [9c][2d][td][jd], Ricky Kroesen fired a bet of 200,000 with Nauv Kashyap making the call to see the [as] hit the river. Kroesen was first to act and thought for a few moments before sliding a stack of 500,000 into the middle. Kashyap quickly announced a call, but slammed his hand down onto the table in disgust when Kroesen revealed [7d][5d] for a flush.

Kroesen is running away with this as he’s now up over 4 million in chips!

Ricky Kroesen in action

4:45pm: That’s not a great flop for kings

Ricky Kroesen opened with a raise to 100,000 from the button before Nauv Kashyap made it 350,000 from the big blind. Kroesen called but neither liked the board as they checked down the [ac][4d][as][8c][8h] board. Kashyap opened pocket kings which was good to take it down.

4:27pm: Ricky takes the lead

Nauv Kashyap raised to 100,000 before Ricky Kroesen made it 300,000 from the big blind. Kashyap put in a four-bet of an additional 450,000 but Kroesen responded by moving all in. Kashyap instantly folded as he gave up the chip lead for the first time on this final table.

Kroesen is up to 3.1 million with Kashyap looking a little rattled as he’s back to 2.5 million.

Here’s what we’re playing for – the trophy and the cash!

4:18pm: Kroesen’s boat narrows margin

Ricky Kroesen chipped away to take down the first few small pots of this heads-up battle, before the first significant pot also went his way.

Kroesen raised to 100,000 from the button and Nauv Kashyap made the call. The flop landed [4h][5h][5d] and Kashyap checked to Kroesen who fired 75,000. Kashyap made the call. The turn was the [ac] and again Kashyap tapped the table as Kroesen released 150,000. Again Kashyap made the call as the river landed the [2h]. Kashyap checked for a third time and Kroesen fired again, this time for 400,000. Kashyap rocked back in his chair and thought for a moment or two before announcing a call.

“I’ve got a boat,” said Kroesen as he flipped over [4d][5s] as Kashyap tossed his cards into the muck.

The chip counts are pretty close now, with Kroesen up to 2.7 million and Kashyap back to 2.9 million.

4:00pm: Liam O’Rourke eliminated in 3rd place

Liam O’Rourke raised it up to 75,000 from the button and Ricky Kroesen made the call in the small blind. The flop landed [6d][qh][4h] and Kroesen checked to O’Rourke who fired 80,000. Kroesen put in a check-raise to 250,000 before O’Rourke moved all in. Kroesen made a pretty quick call and tabled [qc][tc] for top pair but found himself out-kicked as the youngster showed [as][qd].

However it wasn’t over just yet. The dealer burned and turned the [td] to give Kroesen two pair and the lead in the hand to leave O’Rourke needing an ace from space to survive. It wasn’t to be as the [8s] bricked the river to see O’Rourke eliminated in 3rd place for $64,575 in prize money.

Liam O’Rourke eliminated in 3rd place

With that elimination we’re now heads up! Nauv Kashyap holds the chip lead with around 3.65 million to Kroesen’s 1.95 million.

3:55pm: Play resumes

After a slightly extended break the players are back in action. Here are the chip counts at the break:

Nauv Kashyap – 3,650,000
Ricky Kroesen – 1,085,000
Liam O’Rourke – 860,000

Nauv Kashyap is still our chip leader on the ANZPT Gold Coast final table

Tags: Australia New Zealand Poker Tour

12:35pm: Double KO on first hand of the day!

Well that didn’t take long. On the very first hand of play Dominic Coombe opened by moving all in from middle position. Play folded to Michael Spilkin who announced a call on the button, before Nauv Kashyap declared himself all in from the big blind! Spilkin gave the decision a moment of thought, but with 187,000 already committed, he tossed in the rest of his chips.

Coombe: [as][9s]
Spilkin: [ac][jh]
Kashyap: [qd][qh]

The flop brought a sweat as it arrived [5h][6s][7s] to give Coombe straight and flush outs. The turn was even juicier as the [4h] brought the possibility of a three-way chop with a straight on board. But it wasn’t to be as the [7c] completed the board to provide a double KO on the very first hand!

The short-stacked Coombe takes 9th place for $16,145 while Spilkin will collect $21,525 for his 8th place. An amazing start for Kashyap as he’s now up to 2 million in chips!

12:30pm: We’re underway!

After the usual round of photographs and introductions, the nine players have taken their seats and the 2010 ANZPT Gold Coast final table is now underway.

We’ve wound back the clock and will be starting at Level 21 with the blinds at 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000-chip ante.

Tags: Australia New Zealand Poker Tour

2:50pm: Dodds crippled

Joel Dodds raised the button before Brad Wilson shoved all in from the small blind. Dodds was also pot-committed with his [kc][td] but he was unhappy to see Wilson open pocket tens. The flop of [jh][6s][qh] gave Dodds a straight draw but the turn and river bricked out. Wilson doubled to 470,000 to leave Dodds crippled with under 100,000.

2:45pm: Le Vuong Van eliminated in 7th place

Aaron Benton is getting good at these “all in” things. He’s just eliminated an unlucky Le Vuong Van after finding a perfect river card. Benton had raised to 55,000 before Van shoved for 194,000 from the small blind. Benton cringed and made the pot-committed call.

Benton: [ah][5h]
Van: [as][9h]

The board ran out [8d][7s][js][2d][5d] and Benton spiked his three-outer on the river to end the run of Van in 7th place for a collect of $27,265.

2:40pm: Blinds up: 12,000-24,000 with 3,000 ante

2:38pm: Kashyap contunes to lead

On the final hand of the level Ricky Kroesen opened to 50,000 with Nauv Kashyap making the call in the big blind. The flop landed [3s][jc][jd] and action checked to Kroesen who fired 70,000. Kashyap called and the turn brought the [2c]. Kashyap decided to lead at the pot with a bet of 160,000. Kroesen deliberated for a moment before making a reluctant fold as Kashyap flashed [ac][5h]! Kroesen is back down to 580,000.

2:33pm: Getting tricky

There seems to be a fair bit of deceptive limping in the blinds recently. Ricky Kroesen started by limping from the small blind, before Aaron Benton raised. Kroesen then re-raised and Benton gave it up.

Next hand, Benton tried a similar thing. He completed from the small blind and Nauv Kashyap added another 50,000 from the big blind. Benton called and then check-raised all in on the [6c][ad][jd] flop. Kashyap quickly folded.

A few moments later, it was Liam O’Rourke’s turn to complete from the small blind, as Le Vuong Van tapped the table to keep it cheap in the big blind. They saw a flop of [6s][3d][3c] and O’Rourke bet out 26,000. In his first sign of aggression on this final table, Van raised it up to 75,000 but that didn’t stop O’Rourke as he slid a stack of 500,000 into the middle to put his opponent all in. Van cringed and gave it up to leave himself short once again with just 160,000 chips.

2:26pm: Another double for the short stack

Liam O’Rourke opened with a raise to 46,000 from the cutoff before Le Vuong Van moved all in for 154,000 from the button. The blinds folded and O’Rourke made the call.

O’Rourke: [ah][9c]
Van: [kd][jh]

The board ran out [7d][2d][8d][7s][jc] and Van spiked a pair of jacks on the river to grab the double up. He’s up to 320,000 with O’Rourke back to 820,000.

2:14pm: Kroesen four bets to success

Joel Dodds raised it to 45,000 on the button before Brad Wilson popped it up to 122,000 from the small blind. Ricky Kroesen quickly declared himself all in from the big blind which brought a quick fold from Dodds. Wilson thought about things a bit more but he also gave it up. Wilson is down to 360,000 as Kroesen increases to around 720,000.

2:02pm: Dodds gets active

Joel Dodds has started to get a little active in the last few minutes, as he’s opened a few pots and faced a couple of interesting boards.

In the first pot he raised the button to 45,000 with Brad Wilson calling out of the small blind to see a [3c][3h][3s] flop. Dodds’ continuation bet was enough to take it down as Wilson quickly folded.

Two hands later Dodds raised to 45,000 again and Aaron Benton called out of the big blind. The flop was another interesting one as it landed a monotone [9h][8h][th]. Benton checked-called for 71,000 before both players checked the [4h] turn. The river was another heart as the [2h] hit and Benton led out for 150,000. Dodds and Benton exchanged some friendly, inaudible banter before Dodds’ cards hit the muck.

Dodds tried for a third time as he again raised to 45,000 a few hands later, to win the blinds and antes uncontested and keep his stack around the 550,000 mark.

Joel Dodds at the final table of the ANZPT Gold Coast

1:45pm: Le Vuong Van doubles up

Once again the action was thick and fast following the recommencement of play. It was Le Vuong Van who moved all in for his last 108,000 with [kd][js] with Nauv Kashyap making a quick call in the big blind holding [as][9s]. A jack on the flop was enough to give the short stack the double up to get back to around 220,000.

1:40pm: Blinds up: 10,000-20,000, with 2,000 ante

1:30pm: Ten-minute break

1:25pm: Pair of big slicks

Liam O’Rourke opened with a raise to 38,000 from middle position before Ricky Kroesen added an additional 83,000 to the bet from the big blind. Action was back with O’Rourke and he popped it up to 245,000 in total which forced Kroesen to make a reluctant fold with [ah][kd]. O’Rourke repaid the gesture by flashing [ac][kc].

1:18pm: Kashyap extends lead

Nauv Kashyap continues to flex his muscle and pad his stack here at the ANZPT Gold Coast final table. After raising to 38,000 from middle position, Brad Wilson made the call in the small blind to see a flop of [jd][4h][9d]. Wilson checked to Kashyap who fired 58,000. Wilson responded with a check-raise to 154,000 with Kashyap making the call. The turn was the [7s] and Wilson had seen enough as he check-folded to the bet of 175,000 from Kashyap.

Kashyap is up to 2.35 million with Wilson back to 600,000.

1:00pm: Nauv is a non-believer

In a battle of the blinds, Aaron Benton has just taken a hit after being caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Catching the action on the turn on a board of [5c][6d][ks][2d], Benton led out with a bet of 80,000 from the small blinds and Kashyap made the call. The river was the [js] and Benton fired another bet of 125,000. Kashyap shrugged and quickly called. Benton sighed and revealed [qs][tc] for just queen high as Kashyap showed [9s][5d] for just a pair of fives!

Benton slips to 520,000 with Kashyap back up over 2 million.

12:50pm: Kroesen starts well

Strong start for Ricky Kroesen as he’s just collected a nice pot from Nauv Kashyap. Catching the action on a flop of [9h][2c][8h], Kroesen fired out a bet of 65,00 which Kashyap called to see the [kd] hit the turn. Both players checked and the river brought the [3s]. Kroesen checked again and Kashyap fired 82,000. Kroesen snap-called and opened pocket tens, confident that they were good. He was right as Kashyap revealed [jc][8c]. Kroesen is now up to 880,000.

12:35pm: Double KO on first hand of the day!

Well that didn’t take long. On the very first hand of play Dominic Coombe opened by moving all in from middle position. Play folded to Michael Spilkin who announced a call on the button, before Nauv Kashyap declared himself all in from the big blind! Spilkin gave the decision a moment of thought, but with 187,000 already committed, he tossed in the rest of his chips.

Coombe: [as][9s]
Spilkin: [ac][jh]
Kashyap: [qd][qh]

The flop brought a sweat as it arrived [5h][6s][7s] to give Coombe straight and flush outs. The turn was even juicier as the [4h] brought the possibility of a three-way chop with a straight on board. But it wasn’t to be as the [7c] completed the board to provide a double KO on the very first hand!

The short-stacked Coombe takes 9th place for $16,145 while Spilkin will collect $21,525 for his 8th place. An amazing start for Kashyap as he’s now up to 2 million in chips!

12:30pm: We’re underway!

After the usual round of photographs and introductions, the nine players have taken their seats and the 2010 ANZPT Gold Coast final table is now underway.

We’ve wound back the clock and will be starting at Level 21 with the blinds at 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000-chip ante.

Tags: Australia New Zealand Poker Tour

The final table is meant to be the showcase day for any poker tournament. It’s the best of the best; the cream of the crop; the most talented players rising to the top to battle it out for the title, the trophy and all the cash. However in tournament poker, the best players don’t always reach the final table, thanks to old lady luck, and we get a final table lineup that perhaps is not what we expected. Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth here on the Gold Coast as we have assembled one of the finest final table lineups we’ve seen in this country, which should produce a thrilling climax to this wonderful ANZPT event.

Welcome back to Jupiters Poker Room on the Gold Coast for what should be a sensational day of poker. This final table is about as good as you could ever hope to see with a fantastic mixture of youth, experience and talent. We also have players who know what it’s like to be part of such a big moment, and those who are getting their very first taste of the big time.

When you think of big moments, it’s hard to look past the experience, talent and form of PokerStars sponsored Aaron Benton. After winning the APPT Grand Final in Sydney last year, Benton knows what it’s like to be the top dog and after picking up some late chips yesterday, he’s going to be a very tough proposition at this final table.

Aaron Benton looking to capture another major Australian poker title today

Others with experience to match include Joel Dodds, who has final tabled events both at home and on International shores, and will be very keen to capture that first major title today. Last year in this event, Dodds was an overwhelming chip leader entering the final day of play where he eventually finished third. There must be a touch of regret for Dodds over that day, and you can be sure he’ll be looking to make amends today.

Another great story lies with Michael Spilkin who has reached his fifth Main Event final table for the year and second consecutive ANZPT final table. Spilkin was all in on the bubble of this tournament and managed to double up. That gamble has paid handsome dividens for Spilkin and if he goes all the way, he’ll have a true rags-to-riches story to tell.

Then there’s the surge of the young brigade with online guns Dominic Coombe, Ricky Kroesen and Liam O’Rourke. These guys have already proven themselves on the online poker scene and will be looking to emerge as one of Australia’s brightest young players with a breakthrough victory today.

Finally, there’s the largely unknown quantities of Brad Wilson, Le Vuong Van and runaway chip leader Nauv Kashyap. With a combination of big cards, great timing and aggressive play, Kashyap enters the final table with more than double that of his nearest rival and will definitely be tough to stop going all the way.

Nauv Kashyap enters the ANZPT Gold Coast with a big chip advantage

It’s going to be a thrilling finale to what has been a thoroughly enjoyable poker tournament from the ANZPT Gold Coast at Jupiters Hotel & Casino. We can’t wait for this final table to get underway and see the action unfold. It all kicks off at 12:30pm local time and we look forward to your company then!

Tags: Australia New Zealand Poker Tour

Seat 1 – Aaron Benton, Woolongong, NSW, PokerStars Sponsored Player (751,000 chips)

This 32-year old recruitment consultant known online as azzabentonaces was working in Singapore when he finished runner-up in a major online tournament worth US$262,500. He went on to win the 2009 APPT Grand Final in Sydney, stamping his reputation as one of the emerging stars on the Australian poker scene. In 2010, Aaron has gone from strength to strength with results in Perth, Queenstown and a final table at the ANZPT Canberra. After bursting the final table bubble, Aaron is well-placed, carrying 751,000 chips into the final table.

Seat 2 – Nauv Kashyap, Brisbane, Queensland, (1,585,000 chips)

Nauv is a 26-year old dentist from Brisbane who has taken this tournament by the scruff of the neck with a giant-killing run on Day 3. Nauv has been playing poker for about five years, with previous live results in the 2007 Victorian Championships and 2008 PokerNews Cup. Nauv’s hot form sees him enter the final table with a commanding chip stack of 1,585,000 – more than double that of his nearest rival.

Seat 3 – Le Vuong Van, Brisbane, Queensland (168,000 chips)

This 25-year old Accounting student from Brisbane has been playing the game for three years, enjoying a mixture of live and online play at both cash and multi-table tournaments. Reaching the ANZPT Gold Coast final table is Le’s biggest poker achievement, eclipsing his previous biggest win of $8,000 for a 3rd place result in a $50 online MTT. He enters the final table with some work ahead of him as the short stack with 168,000 chips.

Seat 4 – Liam O’Rourke, PokerStars Qualifier (788,000 chips)

At the tender age of 18 years, Liam is the youngest member of our final table. But don’t confuse age with experience, as this young gun puts in plenty of hours and volume online. This is Liam’s second ANZPT cash this season after placing 50th in Sydney for his only other live result. After a big double up on the final hand of Day 3, Liam will enter the final table second in chips with 788,000.

Seat 5 – Joel Dodds, Sydney, NSW, PokerStars Qualifier (573,000 chips)

After establishing himself on the local circuit with his third place in the Season 1 ANZPT Player of the Year award, Joel has emerged in 2010 as one of the toughest players in the country. A deep run in the 2010 Aussie Millions was followed up with a cash in the ANZPT Sydney Main Event, before Joel took his talents to the bright lights of Las Vegas. While he missed out at the WSOP, Joel picked up US$136,222 when he finished 2nd in a Deepstack event at the Venetian. Joel seems to like the waters north of the border as he looks to better his third place in this very event last year. He enters the final table in the middle of the pack with 573,000.

Seat 6 – Dominic Coombe, Townsville, Queensland (189,000 chips)

Dominic is a 26-year old from Townsville who has built a fierce reputation in the online poker community under the online moniker The Spewtard. Dominic rose to prominence with two coveted online “triple crowns” and a victory in The Sunday Brawl for US$101,272, and is currently ranked sixth online in Australia. A student of Psychology, Dominic demonstrated his fearless aggression with a huge triple-barrel bluff late on Day 3, before ending the day with a stack of 189,000.

Seat 7 – Brad Wilson, Nhill, Victoria (736,000 chips)

Hailing from Nhill in Victoria, Brad is a 26-year old Insurance Broker, who enjoys playing both online and live over a number of years. Brad seems to have a liking for the warm weather of the Gold Coast after his previous best result came from his 12th place finish in this event last year. Having already bettered that mark, Brad will be looking to use his experience from last year as motivation to go all the way. He starts the final table in fourth position with 736,000.

Seat 8 – Ricky Kroesen, Brisbane, Queensland, PokerStars Qualifier (492,000 chips)

Ricky is a 30-year old from Brisbane who has already established himself as one of the county’s most talented young players. With an impressive online record, including a 4th place in the PokerStars ¼ million worth US$19,000, Ricky is looking to break through for his first major live victory. His previous best result was 8th place in the 2009 Melbourne Poker Championships Main Event. After starting Day 3 with just eight big blinds, it’s been a herculean effort by Ricky to even reach this final table. He takes 492,000 into battle which puts him in sixth chip position.

Seat 9 – Michael Spilkin, Melbourne, Victoria (307,000 chips)

Michael is a trader by day, but continues to post sustained, impressive results that are worthy of any poker professional. He has been playing poker for two years, primarily as a cash game player, but he is proving himself on the tournament circuit with his fifth Main Event final table of the year, including the New Zealand Poker Championships, Melbourne Poker Championships, and most recently at ANZPT Queenstown. After being the shortest stack and all in on the money bubble, Michael will enter the final table in seventh position with 307,000 chips.

* Player profile photos to follow

Tags: Australia New Zealand Poker Tour

Day 3 of the 2010 Gold Coast Main Event was a day that saw our field of 42 reduced to the final nine players within seven levels of play. There was plenty of action early as the short stacks struggled to survive, but as the day went on and the bubble burst, there were plenty of stories within the story that was Day 3.

First, we should mention the double all in on the money bubble that saw Michael Spilkin courageously move his chips all in, after knowing that there was already another all in on a nearby table. Many in Spilkin’s position would’ve taken the easy route, and tossed away ace-jack to all-but-guarantee themselves a profit. Not Spilkin. He took a deep breath and moved his short stack all in, knowing that if he was wrong, or just plain unlucky, that he’d go home empty-handed. That gamble resulted in a double up, and a few hours later he’d turned that gamble into yet another final table berth.

Michael Spilkin put his tournament on the line as eventual bubble boy Mark James watches on

Then there was John Maklaouf’s incredible form that saw him reach his fourth cash from four starts on the ANZPT Season 2 tour. He wasn’t able to make it four final tables on this occasion but it was enough to see him jump into the ANZPT Player of the Year lead ahead of Tony Hachem with just two events left.

Of course, there was the incredible run of Maurie “The Master” Pears that saw him become the oldest player to ever cash in an ANZPT event at 81-years young. This Australian Poker Hall of Famer has done wonders for the game of poker in Queensland and throughout Australia and it was an honour to watch him work his magic at the table today.

Maurie “The Master” Pears wound back the clock at the ANZPT Gold Coast

While Pears flew the flag for the old schoolers, it was the new school brigade who made an impact with Ricky Kroesen, Liam O’Rourke and Dominic Coombe all looking dangerous throughout the day. Coombe’s triple-barrel bluff in particular was a memorable hand, as these three look to make their mark on the Australian poker scene with a big result tomorrow.

Finally, the day ended with the hot form of PokerStars sponsored Aaron Benton that has seen him reach yet another final table. After being short-stacked for large portions of the day, he’ll enter the final table in good shape after he dispatched of Day 1 chip leader Darko Balaban to burst the final table bubble. Benton’s heater is becoming legendary as his ace-jack made three-of-a-kind to leave Balaban’s kings cracked.

Play will resume at 12:30pm tomorrow with Nav Kashyap holding a commanding chip lead. Kashyap caught big pairs at the right times, played an aggressive brand of poker and won a key flip late in the day to bag up 1.585 million chips – more than double that of his nearest rival.

Nauv Kashyap will enter the ANZPT Gold Coast final table with a commanding chip advantage

Final Table Lineup:

Seat 1: Aaron Benton – 751,000
Seat 2: Nauvneel Kashyap – 1,585,000
Seat 3: Vuong Van Le – 168,000
Seat 4: Liam O’Rourke – 788,000
Seat 5: Joel Dodds – 573,000
Seat 6: Dominic Coombe – 189,000
Seat 7: Brad Wilson – 736,000
Seat 8: Ricky Kroesen – 492,000
Seat 9: Michael Spilkin – 307,000

Join us again tomorrow as we play it out for the ANZPT Gold Coast title and crown a new champion of Australian poker.

Tags: Australia New Zealand Poker Tour

6:30pm: Balaban eliminated in 10th place; Final table is set!

It didn’t take long for our final table bubble to burst after the short-stacked Darko Balaban pushed his last chips in preflop against Aaron Benton. Balaban had a monster with his [kd][kh] as Benton would need help with his [ad][jd].

The flop brought a real sweat as it landed [js][td][4d] to give Benton a pair and flush draw as the crowd gathered closer around the table. Benton didn’t need a diamond as the [jh] hit the turn to make trips and leave Balaban with just two outs to survive. He couldn’t find a king on the river as the [4c] fell to eliminate Balaban in 10th place.

At the same time there was an all in on the other table as Liam O’Rourke was all in with pocket tens against the ace-three of Le Vuong Van. The board bricked out and O’Rourke survived to ensure that we had nine players coming back tomorrow.

That wraps up our coverage from Day 3 of the ANZPT Gold Coast. We’ll have a wrap of today’s play, including player profiles and updated chip counts for you shortly.

6:25pm: Cameron out in 11th place

Adam Cameron raised it up to 60,000 before Dominic Coombe moved all in over the top. Cameron snap-called with [ad][kh] as Coombe tabled live cards with his [ts][8s]. The board fell [2h][kd][6h][7d][3c] and Cameron found a double up.

However his joy was short-lived as he soon became involved in a massive clash with chip leader Nauv Kashyap. Cameron raised to 50,000 from the cutoff before Kashyap re-raised to 250,000 from the small blind. Cameron moved all in and Kashyap snap-called. It was a race for the tournament lead as Cameron opened pocket sevens against Kashyap’s ace-king. The board ran out [3c][ks][th][9h][qc] to give Kashyap the monster pot and eliminate Cameron from the tournament in 11th place.

6:13pm: Luck of the Irish

Liam O’Rourke has a habit of making the “all-but-all-in” move, where he raises all of his chips, minus one chip which he clearly saves for a rainy day. His method seems to be working as he’s just found another double up.

O’Rourke opened with a raise to 264,000, leaving himself 1,000 behind and Michael Spilkin made the call, before the last 1,000 was all in on a flop of [2d][ah][8h]. Both players tabled similar hands as O’Rourke held [jh][th] but found that he didn’t want to see a heart as Spilkin opened [kh][qh]. The turn bricked the [ad] but O’Rourke found the [jc] on the river to pair up to take the pot. He’s up to 570,000 with Spilkin slipping to 200,000.

6:05pm: Play resumes; Kashyap cashed up

The 11 remaining players are back on the felt with Nauv Kashyap still holding a sizable chip lead with around one million chips.

Nauv Kashyap leads the ANZPT Gold Coast

Tags: Australia New Zealand Poker Tour

5:20pm: Coombe triple barrels to a big stack

At this stage of the tournament, with it’s often those with nerves of steel that rise to the top. Dominic Coombe just proved why he is considered one of the finest online players in the country after firing an impressive triple barrel against Adam Cameron.
Coombe fired bets on the flop and turn before moving all in on the river on a board of [js][jc][2d][6h][ad]. Cameron had check-called two streets, before it was 340,000 more for Cameron to call on the river.

After several minutes in the tank, Coombe’s request to call the clock was ignored and Cameron eventually gave it up as Coombe flashed [qc][9c] for complete air! He’s now up to 650,000.

5:05pm: O’Rourke’s rocky road

It’s been a wild couple of minutes for Liam O’Rourke. First he doubled up the short-stacked Ricky Kroesen before finding a double up of his own.

When action folded to Kroesen in the small blind, he open-shoved with [kh][td] with O’Rourke making the call in the big blind with [ah][7c]. The board of [ts][3c][6h][2h][3h] hit Kroesen as he paired his ten to double to 450,000.

O’Rourke was back on the short stack and he moved it all in with [ac][jc] to be up against Brad Wilson’s pocket kings. This time O’Rourke found his ace on the [4d][8h][ah][qc][2c] board to double back to 330,000.

4:55pm: Blinds up: 8,000-16,000 with 2,000 ante

4:45pm: We’re looking at you shorty

It looks like we’ve hit the wall. Not surprising, as it’s been rather frantic for most of the day today. With 12 players left, no one wants to miss out on that final table, so it looks like they’ve dug their heels in to grind it out.

The blinds are about to go up so the pressure will be on our short stacks. Day one chip leader Darko Balaban has been pretty quiet today and is our short stack with around 150,000. He’s under the most pressure, while Ricky Kroesen, Adam Cameron, Brad Wilson and Michael Spilkin are the other short stacks.

4:20pm: Cameron sends McKinnon to the rail

It’s been a good couple of minutes for Adam Cameron. First he found a double up with his [ah][jh] up against Dodds’[6c][6s]. Cameron improved on the [as][7s][8h][2s][kh] board, pairing his ace to double to around 300,000.

A few minutes later, Duncan McKinnon open-shoved for 135,000 from under the gun with Cameron making the call in the small blind with pocket tens. McKinnon showed pocket nines but he couldn’t find a two-outer as the board ran out [2c][2d][ad][ts][2s]. 12 players remain.

4:11pm: Oh, what a flop!

Nauv Kashyap has been a card rack. He found pocket aces to bust Maurie Pears, and then pocket kings to end the run of Angelo Hamataj. He just picked up his third big pocket pair in the last hour, and looked like he was going to end the run of Liam O’Rourke.

O’Rourke opened with a raise to 198,000 from early position, leaving himself just 1,000 behind. Play folded around to Kashyap who moved all in from the small blind with O’Rourke calling.

Kashyap again found pocket aces as O’Rourke would need help with his [ks][js]. And the flop of [4s][as][2s] delivered exactly! O’Rourke flopped the nut flush but would need to fade a pair on board. The turn was the [9s] and river the [qh] and O’Rourke pulls a double up to jump over 400,000 with Kashyap taking a hit to slip back to around one million.

A well-timed double up for Liam O’Rourke

4:02pm: Duncan doubles as Edwards eliminated

Duncan McKinnon has doubled up through Luke Edwards. McKinnon was short-stacked and all in with pocket deuces against the [kd][8d] of Edwards as the board fell [5s][ah][4c][ac][9c]. McKinnon’s small pair held and he doubled up.

This left Edwards crippled and he was all in from the big blind shortly after. Aaron Benton and Joel Dodds checked down the 2-Q-5-2-5 board with Dodds showing pocket threes for the best hand as Edwards’ jack-eight hit the muck. He’s out in 14th place for $9,330 in prize money.

3:55pm: Play resumes; Angelo Hamataj departs

Play resumed following the break and we didn’t have to wait long for our next elimination of the day. This time it was ANZPT Sydney champion Angelo Hamataj who would fall after also running into a big pair held by Nauv Kashyap.

Hamataj raised to 55,000, Kashyap moved all in and Hamataj insta-called with [as][kh] but Kashyap tabled [kd][kc] which held on the board of [qs][7s][3d][th][ks]. Kashyap is now up to 1.25 million in chips and a clear chip lead.

Tags: Australia New Zealand Poker Tour