Full Tilt Poker pro Jonathan “xMONSTERxDONGx” Karamalikis bested a field of 289 players to win the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Grand Final in Sydney, Australia over the weekend. The 22 year old online superstar from Adelaide, Australia earned AUD $459,510, his biggest score ever, and outlasted one of the toughest final tables ever played on the APPT.
The star-studded final table included Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu, live poker Triple Crown winner Roland de Wolfe, and former APPT champion Eddy Sabat. Negreanu, who took a short stack to the final table, was the first to exit after running top pair into de Wolfe’s set of threes. His ninth place finish earned him AUD $36,415.
However, de Wolfe’s newfound chips didn’t take him far, as the London pro lost a few pots and then moved his short stack all-in pre-flop with A-9 only to be called by the A-Q of Karamalikis. The best hand held up, sending de Wolfe out in eighth place with $50,285. After Manuel Hansimikali was eliminated in seventh place, Karamalikis busted yet another pro at the table, sending Sabat out in sixth. Karamalikis four-bet all-in pre-flop with pocket nines and was called by Sabat, who revealed A-K. The Q-Q-6-3-Q board was no help to Sabat, who collected $79,765.
Hours later, Karamalikis found himself heads-up with fellow Aussie Benjamin McLean for the APPT Grand Final crown. McLean had a slight lead when heads-up play began, but Karamalikis quickly took control and never looked back. In the most pivotal pot of the match, Karamalikis made the nut flush with his Ks-Ts and got three streets of value from McLean, who had A-K for top pair. McLean then moved his remaining chips in pre-flop with A-6 suited against the pocket fives of Karamalikis and was unable to improve, sending the pot and the title to the 22 year old.
“This is obviously the biggest (tournament) I’ve ever won, by far,” Karamalikis said after the victory. “It’s quite a prestigious title, so I’m really glad to have it under my belt.”
With the victory, Karamalikis became the fourth consecutive Aussie to win the APPT Grand Final. He also moved into the top 10 of Australia’s all-time money list with over $1 million in live tournament earnings. Joe Hachem ($10,962,046), Antanas “Tony G” Guoga ($4,385,948), and Mel Judah ($3,238,391) are the top three Aussie money winners.
Here’s a look at the final table results from Sydney (all prizes listed in AUD):
1. Jonathan Karamalikis – $459,510
2. Ben McLean – $294,780
3. Tom Rafferty – $164,730
4. Peco Stojanovski – $121,380
5. Antoine Amourette – $97,970
6. Eddy Sabat – $79,765
7. Manuel Hansimikali – $65,025
8. Roland de Wolfe – $50,285
9. Daniel Negreanu – $36,415
The 2010 APPT Grand Final saw a significant drop in attendance from 2009, when Aaron Benton best a field of 389 players to win the title. Despite the 100-player slide, the event was deemed a success by tournament staff. “It’s been an amazing series and an exciting time for me and the poker staff at Star City,” said Debra Rillo, Star City Hotel and Casino Poker Manager. “We’ve had some of the biggest names in poker grace our felts this fortnight. Many thanks to all our local, interstate, and international guests and players. I am proud to say that I was a part of this event. Roll on 2011!”
