2008 PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final - Sydney

APPT Grand Final
Day: 2
Event Info

2008 PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final - Sydney

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aq
Prize
1,000,000 AUD
Event Info
Buy-in
6,000 AUD
Prize Pool
2,862,000 AUD
Entries
477
Level Info
Level
27
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
10,000

APPT Grand Final

Day 2 Completed

Day 2 Concludes With Forty Eight Happy Players

Frank Saffioti - photo courtesy of Chris Newton
Frank Saffioti - photo courtesy of Chris Newton
When the media were informed earlier today that the plan was to play from 217 players down to the bursting of the money bubble, we all groaned. Experience has taught us that we would need to hunker down for what was sure to be a long and grueling day. Unfortunately, we were right.

The day was far shorter for some of the short stacks coming into Day 2. Terrence Chan was the first player to be eliminated, practically before some players had even taken their seats. John Juanda, Chris Moneymaker and APPT Manila champion Van Marcus all joined him soon thereafter.

The other players did their best to jockey for the chip lead. Jamie Pickering, Phil Willcocks, Marlon Goonawardana and Antonio Fazzolari all took their turns in the spotlight. At the end of the night, however, it was Brendan Edmonds who become the first to reach the 500,000-chip mark, but even he had to give way to Frank Saffioti who appeared to be the likely overnight leader after relieving David Sanis of almost all of his chips en route to Sanis' 49th place bubble finish.

A tournament that has been characterized by scads of unusual hands was treated to an unusually long bubble. The short stacks wouldn't die, hitting all of their draws no matter how slim. It fell to Sanis, getting his chips in with the best possible starting hand against Saffioti's bare gutshot straight draw that filled on the river. That hand crippled Sanis, and despite surviving a few all-in situations thereafter, he was never able to recover. From potential chip leader to bubble boy, with the turn of one rivered four-outer.

Tomorrow the real tournament begins. The forty eight players who will return for Day 3 play will not be satisfied with merely cashing in this event. They all have their eyes on the A$1,000,000 first prize. Who will make the last APPT final table of Season 2? Join us at 12:30pm local time tomorrow as we continue down the road to crowning the champion of this tournament.

Sanis Eliminated; The Bubble Bursts!

David Sanis Bubbles
David Sanis Bubbles
David Sanis managed to get himself back to 30,000 but it was too much to overcome. He moved his stack in with {A-Hearts}{8-Clubs} but Tim English made the call with {Q-Hearts}{Q-Spades}.

The board fell {8-Spades}{Q-Clubs}{9-Clubs}{10-Spades}{3-Hearts} and English makes a set of queens to leave Sanis as the bubble boy in the most brutal of fashion as the room broke into a round of applause at making the money and bringing the day to a close.

Tags: David Sanis

Sanis Crippled; Saffioti Claims Monster Pot With Gutshot!

David Sanis raised to 20,000 from the button and Frank Saffioti made the call in the big blind.

The flop came down {8-Diamonds}{5-Clubs}{J-Diamonds} and Saffioti led out for 15,000 before Sanis made it 40,000 to go. Saffioti then announced he was all in for all of his 279,000 chips and Sanis made the call in the biggest pot of the tournament!

Sanis: {A-Diamonds}{A-Hearts}
Saffioti: {Q-Clubs}{9-Clubs}

Amazing Saffioti had just a gutshot straight draw as Sanis held the rockets! The turn was the {6-Hearts} and the river....{10-Hearts}! Incredibly Saffioti spiked his straight to capture a pot worth 600,000 chips to leave Sanis on the verge of elimination with just 4,000 chips.

However a moment or two later Sanis found pocket kings and spiked a set to triple up and find a pulse. He's alive with 12,000 but will still be thinking "what if" as his opponent sits with the tournament lead. Amazing.

Tags: David SanisFrank Saffioti

Kim Survives Bubble

David Kim
David Kim
All eyes were on short stack David Kim as he was all in for his last 13,000 chips against two opponents.

They checked down a board of {6-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds}{2-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}{K-Spades} to big themselves the best chance of knocking out the all in player.

However with four diamonds on board, Kim showed down the best flush with his {7-Diamonds}{7-Hearts} to more than triple up, much to the disgust of the other 48 players (and some overworked media!) in the room.

The bubble continues!

Tags: David Kim

Meet The Pros Session

TD Danny McDonagh has just announced that there will be a "Meet The Pros" session with Tony Hachem in the Bluff Bar in five minutes time.

"He's five minutes late, but he's on his way!"

Play Slows

As to be expected when we're on the bubble the play has slowed right down across all tables, as no one wants the label of being the "bubble boy/girl!".

Most players are folding and leaving their seats to walk around the room to keep an eye on the progress of short stacks, however TD Danny McDonagh has given clear instructions to dealers to muck the cards of any player who is not seated in their seat when the cards are dealt.

"Watch them run!" laughed McDonagh.

We're On The Bubble!

With the elimination of Roberto Damelian we are officially on the money bubble. The next player eliminated will go home after a long couple of days work with nothing but a story to tell, as the remaining 48 players will sleep well tonight knowing that they are AU$8,400 richer.

We're now playing hand-for-hand on all tables.

Damelian Done

The flop was {7-Clubs}{8-Hearts}{J-Hearts} when Frank Saffioti fired out a bet of 15,000. The action was then with Roberto Damelian who moved all in for about 85,000. Saffioti thought for a long time before making the call.

Saffioti: {K-Spades}{8-Clubs}
Damelian: {K-Hearts}{9-Hearts}

It was a great call by Saffioti as his pair was in the lead but he'd have to dodge a lot of outs. However the turn and river bricked {A-Spades}, {3-Diamonds} and Damelian is eliminated.

Tags: Frank SaffiotiRoberto Damelian

Trading Places

Eric Assadourian
Eric Assadourian
David Lee and Eric Assadourian have traded places in the counts. Lee opened the pot for 16,000 from the button, only to see Assadourian move all in from the small blind for a total of 42,000. Lee started the hand with only 75,000 chips, so it was not an insignificant decision for him when the big blind folded. He elected to call with {K-Clubs} {8-Clubs} and found himself up against Assadourian's {A-Diamonds} {A-Spades}. Lee was drawing dead by the turn after failing to connect with a board of {5-Clubs} {3-Spades} {10-Diamonds} {4-Spades}. The river {3-Diamonds} fell, sending the pot to Assadourian.

Assadourian's double leaves him slightly less short than he was, at 94,000 chips. Lee is now the shortest stack in the tournament, with just 33,000.

Tags: David LeeEric Assadourian