ANZPT -- Julian Cohen Wins Queenstown Main EventCohen Beats 118 Opponents to take Home the Top Prize of $73,630 |
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The PokerStars Australia New Zealand Poker Tour pulled into Queenstown, New Zealand last week and the tournament came to a conclusion on Sunday. The $2,500 NZD no-limit hold’em main event attracted a field of 119 players and the total prize pool stood at $267,750. The top 15 players all walked away with prize money and that is how many contenders returned for the final day of the tournament.
Here is a look at the chip counts when the final table of nine took their seats a few hours into the final day:
Seat 1: John Maklouf, Sydney, NSW, PokerStars Qualifier — 175,000
Seat 2: Andrew Watson, Wollongong, NSW — 450,000
Seat 3: Emmerson Rewi, Rotorua, NZ — 80,000
Seat 4: Julian Cohen, Melbourne, Victoria, PokerStars Qualifier — 377,000
Seat 5: Bryan Huang, Singapore, Team PokerStars Pro Asia — 97,500
Seat 6: Jason Gray, Sydney, NSW — 71,500
Seat 7: Vesko Zmukic, Perth, Western Australia — 575,000
Seat 8: Tim Clarke, Melbourne, Victoria — 292,000
Seat 9: Michael Spilkin, Melbourne, Victoria — 275,000
Bryan Huang fell in the first 20 minutes at the final table when his K-Q was obliterated by the A-10 of Andrew Watson on an A-A-7 flop. Emerson Rewi and Jason Gray then each doubled up before John Maklouf fell in eighth place in a close battle. He moved all in with A-K on a board that read Q-Q-9-K, but Michael Spilkin made the call with A-Q. Maklouf was eliminated after a 7 fell on the river, but he did leave New Zealand possessing a piece of ANZPT history. This was the third consecutive event where he has made the final table.
Gray was the next player to hit the rail and he did so promptly. He moved all in with pocket eights preflop and Julian Cohen made the call with K-Q suited. The suits didn’t matter in the end, a board of Q-5-2-A-J ensured the pot was delivered to Cohen and Gray was out in seventh. Emerson Rewi’s fate was decided next when he decided to fire a bluff on a 9-5-4 board with 6-2 in the hole. Spilkin made the call with A-7. The turn and river fell 9-7 and Rewi exited in sixth place.
Tim Clarke fell next in a coin-flip situation that saw his pocket deuces lose to the A-7 of Spilkin on a 10-7-6-10-4 board. Things had been moving at a pretty good clip up to that point, but then a slow period of play set in where small-ball poker ruled the final table until the players broke for dinner. This process was sustained when Cohen doubled up a half hour before dinner.
It took almost another hour after dinner before Spilkin hit the rail in fourth place. He was very active after dinner but the action finally caught up with him on a 9-9-2-J-3 board that saw a lot of bets and raises between Spilkin and Watson. Spilkin finally bet 100,000 on the river and Watson raised all in. Spilkin made the all-in call with A-2 and Watson flipped over 10-9 to win the hand. Vesko Zmukic then sang his swan song, losing a few key pots to put himself on a dangerously low stack. His final stand came with K-10 preflop and he was up against the pocket sixes of Watson. The board rolled out J-7-6-3-A and Zmukic exited in third place.
Watson looked to be in a good position to win the title at the start of heads-up play but Cohen scored a double up in the first big hand played between the final two. Cohen min-raised to 40,000 on the button preflop and Watson reraised all in. Cohen made the all-in call for 480,000. Cohen held A
9 and Watson flipped over pocket sixes. The board ran out J-10-9-9-10 and Cohen doubled up to 1 million. Watson still held a slight lead with 1.3 million.
Watson then began to grow his lead once again until the two were right back to where they started. Cohen then moved all in for 445,000 with 10
9 and Watson made the call with K
Q. The board ran out 9 8 7 3 J and Cohen was close to 1 million once again. This time Cohen grew a lead after the all-in confrontation and now it was Watson’s turn to put all of his chips at risk.
Watson moved all in from the button for 450,000 and Cohen made the call. The two final players in the tournament then flipped over their cards:
Cohen: A 10
Watson: K
10
Board: J 4 4 7 9
Watson was eliminated on the hand in second place and Cohen won the tournament title and the top prize worth $73,630.
Final-Table Results:
1: Julian Cohen — $73,630
2: Andrew Watson — $46,860
3: Vesko Zmukic — $27,440
4: Michael Spilkin — $22,760
5: Tim Clarke — $18,740
6: Emerson Rewi — $15,400
7: Jason Gray — $12,720
8: John Maklouf — $10,040
9: Bryan Huang — $8,030
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