APPT Grand Final | 2008 PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final - Sydney

12-07-2008 16:03 UTC+11

Play Resumes

[user75032]

Cards are in the air.

12-07-2008 15:55 UTC+11

Updated Chip Counts

[user75032]

Antonio Fazzolari - 3,105,000
Timothy English - 1,620,000
Frank Saffioti - 1,440,000
Martin Rowe - 1,405,000
Tony Basile - 1,040,000
Jason Gray - 790,000

12-07-2008 15:44 UTC+11

Break Time!

[user75032]

Players are on their first ten-minute break of the day. The T1,000 chips will be colored up during this break.

12-07-2008 15:43 UTC+11

A curious pot just developed. It was contested among Jason Gray, Tony Basile and Frank Saffioti. Gray opened preflop for 60,000, getting calls from Basile on the button and Saffioti in the big blind. As soon as the dealer spread out a flop of {10-Spades}

, Saffioti announced that he was all in for approximately 1.2 million, a severe overbet. Gray and Basile were both quite deep; each had approximately one million chips. Each player tanked and folded in turn.

"Did you have a ten?" Gray asked after the hand.

Saffioti smirked. "I had trips."

Tags: Frank Safiotti Jason Gray Tony Basile

12-07-2008 15:38 UTC+11

Gamble Your Winnings Later...?

[user75032]

The final table is being played in the poker theater at Star City, just behind the area of the floor reserved for poker. The tabled is quite large and has a nice cut-out for the dealer box, allowing the dealer to easily reach across the table. The chip tray in front of the dealer contains real-money chips, as this table has been used for a high stakes pot-limit Omaha game every night of the APPT Sydney festival. At this very moment, approximately AU$6,000 in real-money chips are in the tray in front of the dealer.

12-07-2008 15:36 UTC+11

Fazzolari Chips Up

[user75032]

Antonio Fazzolari has played very solid poker so far this afternoon. Sitting in the big blind, he called a raise to 62,000 from Timothy English. Both players checked the {J-Diamonds}

flop. When the turn fell {2-Clubs}

, Fazzolari took a stab at the pot with a bet of 50,000. English folded. As Fazzolari dragged the pot, he flashed the {A-Diamonds}

.

Tags: Antonio Fazzolari Timothy English

12-07-2008 15:28 UTC+11

We'll Take It if You Don't Want It

[user75032]

The tournament staff have just reminded everyone at the table and in the gallery what's at stake today -- a first prize of AU$1,000,000.

"It's only Aussie money," joked Tony Basile. "It's not worth much!"

12-07-2008 15:27 UTC+11

Daniel Kowalski Eliminated in 7th Place (AU$72,800)

[user75032]

Daniel Kowalski's final table was far from memorable. He played hardly any pots before tangling with Frank Saffioti and Antonio Fazzolari. Kowalski open-raised, for the first time all day, to 50,000. Saffioti and Fazzolari called out of the blinds.

The flop was {4-Hearts}

. Saffioti, as first to act, led out for 55,000. Both opponents called to the {2-Spades}

turn. This time action passed to Kowalski, who made a small bet of 60,000, leaving himself just 320,000 behind. Saffioti instantly moved all in. Fazzolari tanked for about a minute before reluctantly releasing his hand. Kowalski needed far less time to call.

Kowalski: {A-Spades}

Saffioti:

It was bad luck for Kowalski; his pair of aces was out-kicked by Saffioti's queen. The river fell {A-Hearts}

to eliminated Kowalski in seventh place. His reward is AU$72,800.

Tags: Antonio Fazzolari Daniel Kowalski Frank Safiotti

12-07-2008 15:17 UTC+11

Basile Firing on All Cylinders

[user75032]

Tony Basile has taken down the last two pots. First he check-raised Timothy English on a board of {6-Clubs}

from 30,000 to 90,000. English called, but then folded to a bet of 150,000 when the river fell {J-Clubs}

.

The very next hand, Basile reraised Martin Rowe's open-raise to 210,000. Nobody wanted to play for that price.

Tags: Timothy English Tony Basile

12-07-2008 15:14 UTC+11

Saffioti Takes Another Small Pot

[user75032]

It was a battle of two players whose families hail from the same region of Italy -- Frank Saffioti and Antonio Fazzolari. Saffioti raised to 60,000 preflop and was called, in position, by Fazzolari. Saffioti fired for 60,000 a second time after the flop came {Q-Clubs}