APL PLAYERS TAKE AWAY $800,000 IN AUSSIE MILLIONS PRIZE MONEY
2008-02-01 APL Team
APL- A TRAINING GROUND FOR FUTURE PROS?
The 2008 Aussie Millions Crown Australian Poker Championships attracted 784 of the world’s most enthusiastic poker players from all corners of the globe to generate a prize pool of over $7 million and re-establish the event as the Southern Hemisphere’s richest poker tournament.
Amongst the field were 3 budding APL poker enthusiasts looking to leave their mark on the international poker scene. They were; Robert Holster from Port Macquarie (NSW), Michael Chrisanthopoulos from Moreland (VIC) and Michael Gates from Seaforth (NSW). Between them, the trio took away $800,000 in prize money from the event’s $7million plus prize pool.
Many congratulations to Michael ‘Mick the Greek’ Chrisanthopoulos who managed to finish third to collect a whopping $700,000! Hailing from Melbourne’s northern suburbs, the 26-year-old arrived at the Final Table with an enormous chip stack and was, at one point, chip leader. Michael has been playing poker for three years, and won entry into the event through a $120 Satellite at Crown Casino. Michael was back playing APL at The Olympic Hotel in Melbourne the following night.
38 year old Robert Holster, a painting contractor from Port Macquarie left the event $100,000 richer after finishing in 14th place, ahead of some of the most famous
poker professionals in the world – including 2007 Aussie Millions Champion and Full Tilt Poker Pro Gus Hansen.
Holster was unlucky to miss out on a greater pay packet when he moved his stack of 1.5million all in with a pair of kings before being called and beaten by ‘the big slick’ (Ace-King). An arrangement with close poker buddies will see Holster keep half of the prize money for himself whilst dividing the remainder of the cash between 9 friends.
Michael Gates, a 27-year-old sports fanatic was one player who didn’t have to risk a cent for his chance to win big at the event after taking out December’s APL Online Grand Final to secure himself the $15,000 Aussie Millions prize package up for grabs, and reserve his seat amongst one of the most competitive fields in world poker, including Team Full Tilt, at Australia’s biggest annual cash poker event.
Gates has been playing APL Poker for just over 2 years, making his debut appearance in January 2006 after seeing an advertisement in his local paper and playing the majority of his live events at Manly Leagues Club in NSW’s Northern Beaches region. Michael competed against and conquered a field of 600 skilled and enthusiastic runners to take out APL Online’s first major tournament, and struggled to come to terms with his win “you always expect there to be a loophole with these things mate... this is incredible – I still can’t believe it.”
Realising he had nothing to lose, Michael wasn’t afraid to play an aggressive style of poker and fared well throughout the majority of the first day of the tournament however ran into some trouble soon after dinner. Michael was eliminated whilst looking to make a sneaky move, limping into a pot with pocket kings.
Although he didn’t make his way into the money, Michael managed to rub shoulders with some of the world’s most prominent poker players. “I spent a while sitting next to Phil Laak, beat Roland De Wolfe in a freeroll to win $900 and spent a nearly a whole day shooting the breeze with Mike ‘The Mouth’ Matusow.”
Defending champion Gus Hansen was also eliminated on the first day of play. “He was out before I was – that’s a victory to me.”
APL- A TRAINING GROUND FOR FUTURE PROS?
