"I've had lots of good hands today," we heard Oliver Gill say as we passed his table. "Aces, queens, Ace-Queen."
It's no wonder Gill's stack is one of the few to reach six-figures.
Despite having almost $200,000 in live tournament results and an immense online record (playing at PokerStars under the screen name "Talerric"), Gill has never cashed in an ANZPT Main Event. Maybe he will change that this week.
Once again, the tournament is split into two areas - one in the poker room, one on the main gaming floor. These are the approximate stacks of some of the notable players on the main gaming floor. Jesse McKenzie was recently seen exiting this area.
Minh Nguyen has just been eliminated. He was short stacked when he three-bet jammed from the big blind holding . It was Lorinda Johnson who had opened the cutoff holding and she made the call, putting Nguyen at risk.
Nguyen was in pretty good shape to double up, but the board meant it was all over.
“Hundred and five thousand to fifty thousand in five hands,” sighed Oliver Gill.
We arrived at the latest pot to go in the opposite direction of Gill’s stack with a flop on the felt and with him, Gary Benson and the player in the big blind all committing 3,000 each. The turn was a and the big blind and Benson (hijack), checked to Gill, who bet 8,800 in the cutoff position. The big blind called, Benson tank-called and the board was completed with a on the river. This time all three players checked.
When the big blind tabled the two-pair was good to see Benson’s cards hit the muck face down and Gill to turn over his and say, “I should not have flatted kings preflop evidently.”
Here are the approximate stacks of some of the notable players station in the poker room during the second level of Day 2 of the ANZPT Perth Main Event.
“I really thought this was the tournament I was gonna win, I had the chip lead, I was crushing everyone,” Oliver Gill told us over here at the media desk.
“From one hundred and ten thousand to out in one orbit,” he added.
The final hand for Gill apparently started when he defended the big blind with after Stev Lackovic had opened to 2,300 from early position. The flop would see Gill check-call with his flush, he then check-called a bet on the “brick” turn and donk led for 17,800 on the “brick” river. Lackovic jammed and Gill called off another 10,000.
Lackovic held for a higher flush and that was that.
“That’s something like 12 or 13 ANZPT Main Events without cashing,” Gill quipped as he strolled past the media desk. “I just wanna leave Perth, but I have to stay two more days, play the high roller and inevitably run up a stack and bust before the cash.”
“At least you won table tennis,” ANZPT President Danny McDonagh said with a laugh.
“It’s just absurd, It seems like a total meltdown, but I played every hand perfectly,” Gill added as he continued to talk to himself, and anyone who would listen as he wandered around the Crown Perth poker room.