Stephen Chidwick Crowned Australian Poker Open Champion
Table Of Contents
- Australian Poker Open Final Standings
- Event #1: A$10,000 No Limit Hold'em - Mike Watson (A$177,000)
- Event #2: A$10,000 Pot Limit Omaha - Andras Nemeth (A$146,200)
- Event #3: A$25,000 No Limit Hold'em - Timothy Adams (A$416,500)
- Event #4: A$25,000 Pot Limit Omaha - Farid Jattin (A$290,000)
- Event #5: A$25,000 No Limit Hold'em - Stephen Chidwick (A$399,500)
- Event #6: A$50,000 No Limit Hold'em - Luc Greenwood (A$700,000)
- Event #7: A$100,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event - Michael Addamo (A$1,288,000)
Stephen Chidwick has won the inaugural Australian Poker Open at the Star Gold Coast after more than a week of High Roller action.
The British player now has more than US$34 million in lifetime earnings, with his victory earlier this week in Event #5: A$25,000 No-Limit Hold'em enough to see him overtake American David Peters in the all-time money list. He cements his status as the all-time winningest European in poker history, now almost US$2 million clear of Fedor Holz and US$8 million clear of Mikita Badziakouski.
Australian Poker Open Final Standings
| Position | Player | Country | Prize Money | Cashes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | A$949,000 | 3 | 650 |
| 2 | Andras Nemeth | Hungary | A$534,100 | 4 | 630 |
| 3 | Michael Addamo | Australia | A$1,685,500 | 4 | 560 |
| 4 | Mike Watson | Canada | A$241,500 | 2 | 450 |
| =5 | Luc Greenwood | Canada | A$717,700 | 2 | 360 |
| =5 | Farid Jattin | Colombia | A$360,500 | 2 | 360 |
It was a nail-biting race to the Australian Poker Open title, with first Mike Watson and then Andras Nemeth sitting atop the leaderboard after recording victories in the first half of the festival.
However, Chidwick's victory in Event #5: A$25,000 No-Limit Hold'em for A$399,500 saw him become the third different player to top the leaderboard, only for Nemeth to retake the lead after cashing in Event #6.
It all came down to the A$100,000 Main Event, where Chidwick picked up his third cash of the festival. This was enough to overtake the Hungarian and claim the $50,000 Championship prize.
Chidwick said afterwards that he hoped these style of events continued, citing their ability to judge a player's ability over multiple tournaments.
"Obviously there’s a lot of luck involved in this too," said Chidwick. "But over the course of seven, eight, or ten events you’re going to see the better players win more often and it would be fun to see who can collect the most titles like this.”
Most cashes: 4 (Nemeth), 3 (Addamo, Chidwick & Chino Rheem), 2 (eight players)
Event #1: A$10,000 No Limit Hold'em - Mike Watson (A$177,000)
Canada's Mike Watson defeated a 59-player field to win the first event on the Australian Poker Open schedule. He defeated Australia's own Michael O'Grady in an entertaining heads-up affair that lasted several hours.
"I'm thrilled to have won it," Watson told Poker Central. "Especially in these series it's great to get off to a good start and set the tone, get your confidence high, and try to make a run for that player of the series title. It's also the first live event I've won a little while, so that monkey's off my back."
Other notables to cash included local player Benjamin Shannon who parlayed a A$250 satellite into a larger satellite into this A$10,000 Australian Poker Open Event. He finished in third place, taking home A$82,600 for a staggering 32,940% ROI.
Final Results
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (AUD) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Watson | Canada | $177,000 | 200 |
| 2 | Michael O'Grady | Australia | $118,000 | 140 |
| 3 | Benjamin Shannon | Australia | $82,600 | 100 |
| 4 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Turkey | $59,000 | 80 |
| 5 | Jamie Lee | United States | $47,200 | 60 |
| 6 | Andras Nemeth | Hungary | $35,400 | 40 |
| 7 | Elio Fox | United States | $29,500 | 40 |
| 8 | Ben Lamb | United States | $23,600 | 40 |
| 9 | Luc Greenwood | Canada | $17,700 | 40 |
Event #2: A$10,000 Pot Limit Omaha - Andras Nemeth (A$146,200)
Victory in Event #2 was not enough to see Hungary's Andras Nemeth move to the top of the Australian Poker Open Championship leaderboard, but it was enough for him to secure the second-biggest result of his career.
He topped a field of 43 players including Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel to win A$146,200. He defeated local Najeem Ajez heads-up and after his win, Nemeth had only positive things to say about his experience at The Star Gold Coast.
"The casino staff, the people, the dealers, everyone is just so friendly"
"I love it here, I love Australia the most," Nemeth said after his win. "If Australia wasn't so far from my home in Budapest I would probably try to live here. The casino staff, the people, the dealers, everyone is just so friendly. The dealers especially try to bring a friendly atmosphere to the table and that's special."
Final Results
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (AUD) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andras Nemeth | Hungary | $146,200 | 300 |
| 2 | Najeem Ajez | Australia | $93,600 | 210 |
| 3 | Mike Watson | Canada | $64,500 | 150 |
| 4 | Joni Jouhkimainen | Finland | $43,000 | 120 |
| 5 | Sean Winter | United States | $34,400 | 90 |
| 6 | Erik Seidel | United States | $25,800 | 60 |
| 7 | Chino Rheem | United States | $21,500 | 60 |
Event #3: A$25,000 No Limit Hold'em - Timothy Adams (A$416,500)
A final table of High Roller regulars such as Orpen Kisacikoglu, Steve O'Dwyer and Stephen Chidwick was not enough to stop Timothy Adams winning Event #3: A$25,000 No-Limit Hold'em for A$416,500, defeating a field of 49 players.
"Those guys are all really great and I'm very happy that I won."
"This final table was really tough with all guys I'm used to playing against," said Adams after his victory. "At the high stakes you play mainly against all the same players and those guys are all really great and I'm very happy that I won. To win a tournament a lot of things have to go your way and today that happened to me."
Final Results
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (AUD) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timothy Adams | Canada | $416,500 | 300 |
| 2 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | $269,500 | 210 |
| 3 | Andy Lee | Australia | $183,750 | 150 |
| 4 | Steve O'Dwyer | Ireland | $122,500 | 120 |
| 5 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Turkey | $98,000 | 90 |
| 6 | Aaron van Blarcum | United States | $73,500 | 60 |
| 7 | Chino Rheem | United States | $61,250 | 60 |
Event #4: A$25,000 Pot Limit Omaha - Farid Jattin (A$290,000)
Fresh from his victory in the A$25,000 Challenge at the 2020 Aussie Millions, Farid Jattin added another victory in Event #4: A$25,000 Challenge in sensational fashion, defeating a field of 29 players in the process.
The Colombian eliminated the final four players in under 90 minutes, collecting A$290,000.
"I came from Melbourne with a nice win," said Jattin. "Today I came in with a big chip lead and I'm lucky that things worked out again."
"It felt like I played flawlessly and I'm happy with my performance"
"Today was a special situation because all their stacks were very even, and I could apply a lot of pressure on them. This favored me a lot, but there's a lot of luck in PLO, but it felt like I played flawlessly and I'm happy with my performance."
It was also all change at the top of the Australian Poker Open leaderboard, with Andras Nemeth's fourth-place finish enough to see him move into the lead, just 30 points ahead of Mike Watson.
Final Results
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (AUD) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farid Jattin | Colombia | $290,000 | 300 |
| 2 | Joni Jouhkimainen | Finland | $188,500 | 210 |
| 3 | George Wolff | United States | $116,000 | 150 |
| 4 | Andras Nemeth | Hungary | $72,500 | 120 |
| 5 | Alex Foxen | United States | $58,000 | 90 |
Event #5: A$25,000 No Limit Hold'em - Stephen Chidwick (A$399,500)
It wouldn't be a 'Poker Open' without Stephen Chidwick grabbing a title, as he recorded his sixth win in Poker Open history, surpassing David Peters on the all-time money list and moving into the lead in the Australian Poker Championship leaderboard.
He won Event #5: A$25,000 No-Limit Hold'em, defeating a field of 47 players to win A$399,500.
"I don't want to get too far ahead of myself and just keep trying to play my best," Chidwick told Poker Central. "I don't think I'll be able to win it without another score. I only have a small lead right now and there's a couple of events left. I just always want to win but I never set my goals on winning one specific event.
"When I play I just want to win..."
"When I play I just want to win. I'm very motivated by leaderboards and rankings as it's always very fun to chase those."
Final Results
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (AUD) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | $399,500 | 300 |
| 2 | Erik Seidel | United States | $258,500 | 210 |
| 3 | Seth Davies | United States | $176,250 | 150 |
| 4 | Michael Addamo | Australia | $117,500 | 120 |
| 5 | Jorryt van Hoof | Netherlands | $94,000 | 90 |
| 6 | Farid Jattin | Colombia | $70,500 | 60 |
| 7 | Matthias Eibinger | Austria | $58,750 | 60 |
Event #6: A$50,000 No Limit Hold'em - Luc Greenwood (A$700,000)
Luc Greenwood took down Event #6: A$50,000 No-Limit Hold'em after outlasting a 35-player field.
A relieved Greenwood won A$700,000 and said that he was glad to pick up a big win after recording just the solitary min-cash so far this trip.
"This was a tough field and a big battle," said Greenwood. "Even though it looked like I was gonna run away with it three-handed, I really had to fight for it and I'm glad that I won. I think I played quite well overall."
Meanwhile, Chidwick's lead at the top of proceedings didn't last long, with a third-place finish from Nemeth enough for him to retake the lead and open up a 120-point gap to Chidwick in second place.
Final Results
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (AUD) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luc Greenwood | Canada | $700,000 | 300 |
| 2 | Mikita Badziakouski | Belarus | $455,000 | 210 |
| 3 | Andras Nemeth | Hungary | $280,000 | 150 |
| 4 | Chino Rheem | United States | $175,000 | 120 |
| 5 | Michael Addamo | Australia | $140,000 | 90 |
Event #7: A$100,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event - Michael Addamo (A$1,288,000)
Just 28 players paid the A$100,000 to enter Event #7: A$100,000 Main Event, and it was only fitting that an Australian took down the biggest payout of the festival, with Michael Addamo winning A$1,288,000.
“This week was fantastic," said Addamo. "I am very impressive, and it was my first time in the poker room here. The staff is fantastic, and I had a great time.”
Just four places were paid, but all eyes on who would be able to secure a min-cash, with Chidwick knowing that a min-cash would not only assure him A$448,000 but also the Australian Poker Open Championship lead.
In the end, it was Australian Kahle Burns who fell just short, securing Chidwick the title.
Final Results
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (AUD) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Addamo | United States | $1,288,000 | 350 |
| 2 | Aaron van Blarcum | United States | $784,000 | 245 |
| 3 | Alex Foxen | United States | $448,000 | 175 |
| 4 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | $280,000 | 140 |
Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.
