The lead up to the state champs was exciting as the players came back from the new years holiday desperate for a game and anxious for that big win. They had 2 weeks to prepare themselves for the biggest prizepool on offer in APL South Australian history.
The day came quickly for some and players were at the venue as early as 9 o'clock for an 11 o'clock rego. Anticipation filled the air as we kept the players sealed from the playing room and the lights down low. The line stopped flowing at 150 and the final 25 came in dribs and drabs at the last minute until we reached our final number beating our previous state final by over thirty players.
There were a few announcements as we got under way, recognising our State leader for the previous season as well as our best and most frequent players, which lead nicely into the APL Tournament of Champions Sizzle Reel. As it started and the room fell silent everyone's eyes were focused firmly on the big screen. None of the players had seen the reel before and all were anxious to see what having a seat into the APL Tournament of Champions would be all about. This set the mood for the event, seeing Joe Hachem and Gus Hansen shown on the big screen at an event that no one had paid to enter, to everyone in the room. Expectedly the tournament started with a bang and the game was on.
With extended blind periods the game was more about patience and skill and the players demonstrated it with few of the favourites going out early. Slowly the tables were broken as players were eliminated until later in the day when the field narrowed to 4 tables that the real skill was shown. Some huge plays and massive bluffs left the crowd cheering for more as the players were slowly eliminated. You could feel the tension in the air as we neared our top 16 and it was time to go downstairs. The bubble burst we had our final 16 and the players took a well deserved break before the big finale started.
Downstairs we announced the final players and their chip stacks as they entered the new arena. One by one they fell and were awarded their prizes and got applause from the crowd. There were some sickening suckouts and brilliant play before we reached our final table, the remaining players assembling quietly composed. The cheer squads rooted for their favourite players and the applause grew fiercely as we had almost crowned a champion. The biggest hand of the tournament happened when Brendan moved all in with AK and was called by Natalies AQ. No help came for Natalie and Brendan held the largest chip stack of the day (only to relinquish it hands later). The tournament flew after this until Shane Ward took the state championship crown with Daniel Joyce in second and Zak Larke in third all taking home tickets to the APL Tournament of Champions, and their chance at the massive prize pool!
Congratulations to our winners, and we hope to see you at the next South Australian State Finals!
The lead up to the state champs was exciting as the players came back from the new years holiday desperate for a game and anxious for that big win. They had 2 weeks to prepare themselves for the biggest prizepool on offer in APL South Australian history.
